Mayor-elect of Mexican Town Shot Dead After Being Pulled from Bus
Salvador Villalva Flores, recently elected as mayor, was killed on Monday, June 17, in Guerrero, a state in southern Mexico.
Villalva was on a bus when he was shot in the head in San Pedro las Playas, as reported by the Guerrero state prosecutor’s office. This beach town is about two hours from Copala, where Villalva won the mayoral election on June 2.
Further details about the shooting have not been released. Guerrero is known for various criminal organizations fighting for territorial control.
Local media revealed that Villalva decided to run for mayor after his friend, a candidate, was murdered in June 2023. According to the human rights organization Data Civica, at least 34 political candidates were killed across Mexico in the lead-up to and following the June 2 election.