What we know about the killing of Mexico mayor Valentin Lavin

Valentin Lavin, the mayor of Temoac in central Mexico and an ally of President Claudia Sheinbaum's ruling party, was shot dead inside the town hall on Wednesday (July 22), authorities said. The Morelos state prosecutor's office said Lavin was killed inside local government offices in Temoac, a municipality in the central state of Morelos, near Mexico City.

Police and forensic experts recovered the mayor's body at the scene after the attack, while authorities launched an operation to identify and arrest those responsible, according to the prosecutor's office. Local media reported that Lavin had survived an earlier assassination attempt in January, when he was targeted in an armed attack. Wednesday's shooting came just months after that incident.

Lavin was politically aligned with President Claudia Sheinbaum's left-wing ruling party. The killing underscores the persistent violence facing public officials in Mexico, where organised crime groups continue to wield influence in several regions. Morelos, the state where Temoac is located, has long been affected by the presence of criminal organisations.

According to official figures, nearly 100 mayors have been murdered across Mexico since 2006, when the government launched a military-led offensive against drug cartels.

The latest attack is the latest in a series of high-profile killings of elected officials. In November last year, Mayor Carlos Manzo was shot dead in the western state of Michoacan during Day of the Dead celebrations, an incident that highlighted the risks faced by local politicians across the country.