Overview
- Valentín Lavín, mayor of Temoac in Morelos, was found shot dead inside local government offices on Wednesday, July 22, according to the state prosecutor's office.
- Forensic teams and police recovered his body at the scene and the prosecutor's office said an operation to identify and arrest those responsible is under way.
- Local media and the reports say Lavín had survived a separate armed assassination attempt in January and was allied with President Claudia Sheinbaum's ruling party.
- The killing is one of nearly 100 mayoral murders since 2006 and one of 14 recorded since the current federal government took office in October 2024, with three reported so far in 2026.
- Morelos is a region where rival criminal groups operate near Mexico City and the long campaign against cartels has left roughly 500,000 people dead and about 130,000 disappeared since 2006, a backdrop that raises concern for local officials' safety and for the outcome of the ongoing investigation.