Wave of Assassinations and Political Violence Rocks Mexico During Bloody Election Cycle

On June 3rd, Yolanda Sánchez Figueroa, the former Mayor of Cotija, Michoacan, was assassinated during a targeted attack near the Central Plaza of the municipality. Although news reports conflict as to her intended destination, Figueroa, while accompanied by her bodyguard Jesús ‘V’, a Municipal Officer, was walking along Javier Mina Street when they were intercepted by gunmen aboard a white truck, who shot at the pair before fleeing the scene.

Gravely injured, the pair would be transported to the Los Reyes Regional Hospital where, while receiving medical attention, Figueroa and shortly after Jesús would be pronounced dead as a result of their injuries. In response, the Government Secretariat of Michoacan denounced the attack and stated a security operation had been deployed in an attempt to locate those behind the violent incident.