By …….Alejandro Arcos was the mayor of the capital of Mexico’s violence-plagued state of Guerrero.
MEXICO CITY, Mexico – The mayor of a state capital in southern Mexico has been killed just one week after he took office, officials said on Sunday.
Alejandro Arcos was sworn in last Monday as mayor of Chilpancingo, a city so violent that a drug gang openly staged a demonstration, hijacked a government armored car and took police hostage in 2023 to win the release of arrested suspects.
Chilpancingo is the capital of Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located.
The state prosecutors’ office issued a statement Sunday confirming Arcos had been killed but provided no details.
Photos circulated on messaging app WhatsApp showing a severed head on top of a pick-up truck, appearing to be that of Arco. However, AfrikTimes has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of these images.
A pick-up truck being transported from the scene. Photo: Reuters
Arco’s death comes just three days after the new city government’s secretary, Francisco Tapia, was shot and killed. “They had been in office less than a week,” Senator Alejandro Moreno wrote on his social media accounts. “They were young and honest public servants who were seeking progress for their community.”
Moreno, who is the national leader of Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Part, or PRI, called on the federal attorney general’s office to lead the investigation into the murders of Arcos and Tapia, given “the situation of ungovernability in Guerrero.”
A previous mayor was caught on video apparently holding a meeting with leaders of one of the gangs at a restaurant. She was subsequently expelled from her party. In July 2023, federal officials said a demonstration held by hundreds of people in Chilpancingo that month had been organized by the Ardillos gang to win the release of two gang leaders arrested for drugs and weapons possession.
Chilpancingo has long been the scene of bloody turf battles between two drug gangs, the Ardillos and the Tlacos. The battle has resulted in dozens of gruesome slayings and some high-profile scandals. In the lead-up to Mexico’s June 2 elections, at least six candidates for public office were killed in the state.
Arcos’ recent social media posts show that he had been overseeing disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane John last month, which caused severe flooding in the beach resort of Acapulco and its surrounding areas.
Additional reporting by Reuters and South China Morning Post.
