The mayor of a state capital in Mexico is killed less than 1 week after he took office

MEXICO CITY — (AP) — Relatives on Monday buried the mayor of a state capital in southern Mexico who was killed just one week after he took office.

Photos of the crime scene shared on social media showed Mayor Alejandro Arcos’ severed head had been left on the roof of a pickup truck. Authorities did not immediately confirm the authenticity of the images, but at his funeral, there were signs his head had been reattached by forensic examiners or mortuary staff.

Arcos was sworn in last Monday as mayor of Chilpancingo, a city so violent that a drug gang openly staged a demonstration, hijacked a government armored car and took police hostage in 2023 to win the release of arrested suspects.

Chilpancingo is the capital of Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located.

Arcos had said in an interview with local media shortly before his death that he wanted extra protection, but it was not clear if any formal request for that had been made to state officials.

The state prosecutors’ office issued a statement Sunday confirming Arcos had been killed, but provided no details.

Alejandro Moreno, the national leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, lamented Arcos' killing and said Monday “we will not allow his death to go unpunished.” A few days before Arcos' death, the newly installed secretary of the city council had also been murdered.

“They had been in office less than a week,” Moreno wrote on his social media accounts. “They were young and honest public servants who were seeking progress for their community.”

Chilpancingo has long been the scene of bloody turf battles between two drug gangs, the Ardillos and the Tlacos. The battle has resulted in dozens of gruesome killings and some high-profile scandals.

A previous mayor was caught on video apparently holding a meeting with leaders of one of the gangs at a restaurant. She was subsequently expelled from her party.

In July 2023, federal officials said a demonstration held by hundreds of people in Chilpancingo that month had been organized by the Ardillos gang to win the release of two gang leaders arrested for drugs and weapons possession.

The demonstrators largely blocked all traffic on the highway between Mexico City and Acapulco for two days, battled security forces and commandeered a police armored truck and used it to ram down the gates of the state legislature building.

The demonstrators abducted 10 members of the state police and National Guard, as well as three state and federal officials, and held them hostage to enforce their demands before releasing them.

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