Mexico City: The mayor of Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, a state notorious for violence in southwestern Mexico, was assassinated on Sunday, less than a week after assuming office. The tragic news was confirmed by Guerrero’s governor, Evelyn Salgado, who expressed her outrage and sorrow on social media, stating, “His loss mourns the entire Guerrero society and fills us with indignation.”
Alejandro Arcos had only been in office for six days when he was brutally killed. The state attorney general’s office has launched an investigation into his murder. Shortly after his death, disturbing images surfaced on WhatsApp showing a severed head placed atop a pick-up truck, alleged to be Arcos’. While the photos have yet to be independently verified, their circulation has intensified public concern.
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The assassination comes just three days after the city government’s secretary, Francisco Tapia, was also shot and killed. Senator Alejandro Moreno, leader of Mexico’s PRI political party, mourned the loss of both officials, referring to them as “young and honest individuals who sought progress for their community.” Moreno urged the federal attorney general’s office to lead the investigation into both murders, citing the worsening “situation of ungovernability in Guerrero.”
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Guerrero has become one of the most dangerous states in Mexico for politicians and journalists alike. In the run-up to Mexico’s June 2 elections, at least six candidates were murdered. Arcos’ final social media posts showed him overseeing disaster relief efforts after Hurricane John struck last month, leaving widespread flooding in Acapulco and surrounding areas.
