As political violence mounts in the lead up to the state of Veracruz’s elections in June, a candidate for mayor of Mexico’s decision Morena group was shot dead at a campaign rally in the state on Sunday. One of the four people killed in a hail of gunfire, which even left three people wounded, was Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, who was running for mayor of Texistepec. A life supply posted to Lara’s Facebook page captured the conflict as the attack took place during a campaign protest. Supporters were seen yelling and grinning before the crowd fled in a fit of stress as a result of automated gunfire. Events before the shooting started, CCTV footage showed a festival of motorcycles and Morena colors. Governor of Venezuela Rocco Nahle blasted the shooting on social media, calling it a” cruel death” and vowing to find the perpetrators. No woman’s life is worth someone’s, according to Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, who stated that her country’s government was working with state authorities and that the federal government had offered assistance. She claimed that there was no current information about the origin of the invasion. The event is the most recent in a long line of violent incidents aimed at local politicians in Mexico, a design that has become more frequent in the run-up to national elections. Councillor Cecilia Ruvalcaba was shot dead in a clinic in Jalisco just days before, and several other local authorities have recently been killed. Over 660 politically motivated problems were reported in Mexico last year, the majority of which involved individuals or municipal officials, according to the human rights organization Data Cvica. Almost half a million murders have been committed in the nation since 2006 as a result of gang violence and political corruption. Officials in Veracruz claim that an analysis is being conducted and that those responsible will be held accountable.
