Authorities in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca are investigating the killing of the mayor of San Miguel Amatitlan after he was shot in an attack in the Mixteca region, the state prosecutor's office said. Jose Angel Bravo Martinez died following the shooting, and officials have opened a formal probe, classifying the incident as a high-impact crime.
State security forces have launched operations intended to locate and apprehend those responsible for the attack. According to the prosecutor's office, state investigators and forensic teams were dispatched to the scene soon after the incident to collect evidence and recover the body. The office said it was coordinating its work with federal security authorities as the inquiry proceeds.
Officials have not provided further information about a possible motive for the killing. Bravo Martinez was affiliated with a coalition of opposition parties that included the PAN - the National Action Party - the prosecutor's statement noted.
The fatal shooting follows another killing of a municipal mayor in Oaxaca last month. Mario Hernandez Garcia, the mayor of Santiago Amoltepec, died in an attack that also left two other people dead. Authorities in the state have pointed to an ongoing pattern of violence that affects local officeholders in some regions.
Violence against local officials remains a concern in parts of Mexico, the prosecutor's office observed, highlighting that organized crime groups often exert influence, particularly in rural areas. Non-governmental organization Causa en Comun has documented a wave of targeted killings of elected officials: its data indicate that at least 60 politicians or lawmakers were killed in such incidents last year.
The investigation into Bravo Martinez's death is active, with state and federal agencies working in tandem and security operations continuing as officials seek to identify and detain suspects. Authorities have not announced any arrests or released additional details about the circumstances of the attack while forensic work and evidence collection continue.
Reporting note: Authorities provided the information cited in official statements and investigator dispatches; no motive has been confirmed and further details have not yet been released.