Mexican Mayor Killed in Armed Attack in Michoacán Amid Ongoing Violence Against Public Officials

The mayor of Tacámbaro, Michoacán, was killed on Friday, marking yet another deadly attack against public officials in Mexico.

Salvador Bastida García, elected in September 2024, was fatally shot alongside one of his security guards while en route to the town's main square.

The Michoacán Attorney General's Office confirmed that Bastida García, also known as "Chavo Bastida," was attacked with high-caliber firearms. His bodyguard, identified as Pastor Cortés, died at the scene. Bastida García was severely injured and later died from his wounds at a hospital.

Bastida Garcia was a well-known figure in the local community and was elected mayor as a candidate for the ruling Morena party. Prior to joining Morena, he had been a longtime member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). This was his second term as mayor, as he previously held the post from 2008 to 2011 as a PRI candidate.

Shortly after his election to a second term, the federal Attorney General's Office opened an investigation against Bastida García in November 2024, accusing him and several municipal officials of allegedly holding "regular, consensual meetings" with members of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

The investigation, led by the Specialized Regional Control Prosecutor's Office (FECOR), named Edgar Raúl Flores Silva, Gabriel Villaseñor Zamudio and Ramón Raudel Campos Murillo — the municipal director of public security, deputy director, and former treasurer, respectively — as alleged co-conspirators.

According to LatinUS, the case began after federal authorities received intelligence suggesting that Bastida García and members of his cabinet met regularly with CJNG leaders to allegedly provide police protection and grant the cartel influence over public works contracts and municipal finances.

At the time of his death, federal prosecutors were still compiling evidence against Bastida García and his three associates.

His killing is part of a broader wave of political violence in Mexico. According to a report by the political consultancy firm Integralia, at least 50 public officials were killed nationwide between January and March 2025.

In recent months, local officials and political candidates in states including Jalisco and Veracruz have also been killed, with many of the attacks suspected to be linked to organized crime.