Valentín Lavín Romero. A mayor from the Green party and an ally of Mexico’s ruling Morena party, was killed on Wednesday in the town hall of Temoac, in the state of Morelos, near Mexico City. This comes just months after he survived an assassination attempt in January, when hitmen shot him at a petrol station on a motorway, according to The Guardian.

Pattern of Violence Against Local Officials

This is the 14th assassination of a mayor since Claudia Sheinbaum became president in October 2024, as Since 2006, nearly 100 mayors have been killed in Mexico, a number that has steadily risen amid the country’s escalating drug-related violence, CBS News reported. The current administration has emphasized a reduction in overall homicide rates, with Sheinbaum claiming a nearly 50% drop since September 2024, as However, targeted attacks against local officials appear to remain a persistent issue.

Lavín Romero’s murder happened during the middle of the day, with the attackers entering the town hall before shooting him dead and fleeing on a motorbike. Authorities have not yet identified a motive or suspects, though the Morelos prosecutor’s office has vowed to “exhaust all lines of investigation,” according to The Guardian.

Alleged Ties to Criminal Activity

Local media reported that Lavín Romero had alleged ties to a criminal group known as Los Aparicio — his mother-in-law, a former municipal treasurer, was arrested in September 2025 for alleged involvement in kidnappings and criminal activities. In March. The People’s Front in Defence of Land and Water, an activist group, also called for an investigation into Lavín Romero for his alleged role in the murders of two activists, Samir Flores and Sandra Rosa Camacho Flores.

Criminal groups frequently seek alliances with local officials to strengthen their control over territory and businesses, especially in areas where rival cartels compete, but the municipal level of government is particularly vulnerable because it is the least protected layer of the state, The Guardian added.

Broader Context of Violence

Since 2006. When then-president Felipe Calderón deployed the military to combat drug cartels, Mexico has faced a dramatic rise in violence; Government data indicates nearly 500,000 people have been killed and around 130,000 have disappeared since then. The 2006 offensive is widely seen as having exacerbated the conflict rather than resolving it.

Sheinbaum’s government has recently highlighted a decline in homicide rates, but targeted killings of officials like Lavín Romero remain a concern. In November 2025, for example, Mayor Carlos Manzo was killed in Michoacán during the Day of the Dead celebrations. The country has also seen an attack on a councilwoman’s family, with her husband shot and the politician and her daughter injured.