Valentín Lavín Romero, the mayor of Temoac in the Mexican state of Morelos, was shot dead on Wednesday after surviving an assassination attempt earlier this year. He is the 14th mayor to be murdered since Claudia Sheinbaum became president in October 2024.
Hitmen entered the town hall in the middle of the day, shot Lavín Romero dead and escaped on a motorbike. The Morelos prosecutor’s office has vowed to exhaust all lines of investigation, though no motive or suspects have yet been identified. Lavín Romero, a member of the Green party, was wounded at a petrol station in January.
Almost 100 mayors have been murdered in Mexico since 2006, when then-president Felipe Calderón deployed the military to combat organised crime. The municipal level of government is seen as the least protected and a target for criminal groups seeking local deals. Lavín Romero himself allegedly had ties to local crime groups, according to local media. His mother-in-law, a former municipal treasurer, was arrested in September 2025 on suspicion of links to a criminal group known as Los Aparicio and involvement in kidnappings.
In March, activist group the People’s Front in Defence of Land and Water demanded an investigation into Lavín Romero over alleged involvement in the murders of two activists. In May, a banner allegedly from a criminal group accused him of protecting rivals. His assassination comes amid Operation Swarm, under which 85 officials have been arrested across three states, including Morelos, as part of efforts to tackle corruption between municipal authorities and criminal groups.
Official data shows the homicide rate in Mexico has fallen by roughly half over the past year, though security analysts say the true reduction is likely smaller. More than 130,000 people are registered as missing in the country.
