A Tragic Incident in Mexico
In a city plagued by violence in Mexico, a mayoral candidate met a tragic end as she launched her campaign, becoming another victim of the recent wave of political violence in the country.
Reports from authorities in the north-central state of Guanajuato confirm that Bertha Gisela Gaytán Gutiérrez was fatally shot on a street in a town near Celaya, where she was running for mayor. In Mexico, mayorships often oversee smaller surrounding communities. The officials providing this information chose to remain anonymous.
A video circulating on social media captured the harrowing moment when a group of people, chanting "Morena!" - Gaytán's party name, were suddenly interrupted by gunshots. Chaos ensued as individuals scattered and fell to the ground.
Shortly before her untimely death, Gaytán shared a message on Facebook, documenting her interactions with local residents.
"Together, with unwavering determination and dedication, we will bring about the change we have been yearning for," she expressed. "Our vision is a Celaya where every individual can prosper, a place of true transformation."
This tragic incident adds to the growing list of casualties in the lead-up to Mexico's elections on June 2. Since the beginning of 2024, a staggering 14 candidates have lost their lives to political violence.
Morena is the party of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who leaves office in September. The June 2 elections will decide his successor, as well as many state and municipal posts.
Guanajuato has for some time had the highest number of homicides of any state in Mexico, and Celaya is arguably the most dangerous place, per capita, to be a police officer in North America. At least 34 police officers have been killed in this city of 500,000 people in the last three years.
In Guanajuato state, with its population just over 6 million, more police were shot to death in 2023 - about 60 - than in all of the United States.
In December, 11 people were killed and another dozen were wounded in an attack on a pre-Christmas party in Guanajuato. Just days before that, the bodies of five university students were found stuffed in a vehicle on a dirt road in Celaya.
For years, the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel has fought a bloody turf war with the Jalisco cartel for control of Guanajuato.
Violence against politicians is widespread in Mexico. Over the weekend, the mayor of Churumuco, a town in the neighboring state of Michoacan, was shot to death at a taco restaurant in the state capital, Morelia. Guillermo Torres, 39, and his 14-year-old son were both attacked at the restaurant. His son survived.
Two mayoral candidates were assassinated in a different town in Michoacan on February 26: Miguel Angel Zavala Reyes and Armando Perez Luna representing the Morena and National Action Party, respectively.
Just last month, authorities in southern Mexico reported the murder of mayoral candidate Tomás Morales in the state of Guerrero along the Pacific coast. Additionally, in March, Alfredo González, a candidate for mayor in Atoyac, Guerrero, was fatally shot.
