Less than a week after taking office, the mayor of Guerrero, the capital of Mexico’s violent state, was brutally assassinated on Sunday, according to the state governor.
Alejandro Arcos, the mayor of a southern Mexican city of around 280,000 residents, was assassinated six days after he was elected into office.
Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado released a message on social media that said, “His loss mourns the entire Guerrero society and fills us with indignation.”
The office of Guerrero’s state attorney general declared that it was looking into his murder.
The images showing a decapitated head on top of a pickup truck that appeared to be Arcos’s went viral on the messaging service WhatsApp, prompting the official confirmation.
Arcos’ killing came just three days after Francisco Tapia, the new municipal government’s secretary, was fatally shot.
“They were young and honest officials who sought progress for their community,” Senator Alejandro Moreno posted on social media.
Moreno, the chairman of Mexico’s PRI political party, urged the federal attorney general’s office to lead the investigation into Arcos and Tapia’s deaths, citing “the situation of ungovernability in Guerrero.”
Guerrero has become one of the most dangerous places for aspiring and elected public officials, as well as journalists.
In the days leading up to Mexico’s June 2 elections, at least six candidates for public office were slain in the state.
According to Arcos’ social media posts, the mayor has recently been monitoring disaster relief operations following the effects of Hurricane John last month, which caused catastrophic flooding in the coastal resort of Acapulco and adjacent communities.