VIDEO: Mexican Mayoral Candidate Gunned Down During Campaign Event

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Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby

A gunman shot and killed a Mexican mayoral candidate as he was about to take the stage during a campaign event in the coastal state of Guerrero. The murder comes amidst one of Mexico’s bloodiest election cycles, with at least 36 candidates murdered and over 300 political attacks in a span of less than a year.

The killing took place on Wednesday afternoon in the town of Coyuca de Benitez in the coastal state of Guerrero. Mayoral candidate Jose Alfredo Cabrera Barrientos was preparing to close his campaign events in preparation for Sunday’s election. He was a candidate of an opposition party competing against Mexico’s ruling party MORENA.

A cell phone video captured the moment when Cabrera Barrientos was preparing to take the stage, and a gunman snuck up behind him. The gunman fired two shots, knocking down the politician. The gunman then reportedly stood over him, firing as many as 15 shots before trying to flee.

According to a statement from the Guerrero Attorney General’s Office, the gunman died soon after reportedly engaging in a clash with authorities.  a second video appears to show the body of the gunman on the ground as the scene is checked by dozens of Mexican National Guardsmen.

The killing comes as Mexico prepares to hold its presidential election on June 2, along with several other state and local elections. On that day, Mexico’s ruling party, MORENA, is expected to face a tough challenge as several opposition parties have joined forces to take back control of Mexico’s government amid allegations of widespread corruption, ties to organized crime, and political oppression at the hands of the ruling party. The political race has been extremely controversial due to the widespread corruption and violence plaguing the electoral cycle.

The NGO Laboratorio Electoral has recorded 320 political attacks and 93 political murders since the start of the political cycle in June 2023. Of the 93 political murders, Laboratorio Electoral has recorded 36 candidates or precandidates among those victims.

This week, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claimed that the political violence was due to the corruption of prior administrations who had made deals with organized crime.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.     

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