Mex. candidate slain
A Mexican politician who vowed to crack down on violent crime was shot to death minutes after he emerged from a debate with an opponent Friday.
Coahuila state congressional candidate Fernando Puron was posing for a selfie with a female supporter when a bearded man sneaked up on him from behind, shooting him in the back of the head before walking away, video of the grisly incident shows, according to Mexican newspaper Vanguardia.
The gunman walked right up to the pair, shooting the 43-year-old Puron at close range. The woman with whom he posed was not hurt.
Puron on Friday became the 112th candidate or politician to be killed since the beginning of Mexico’s electoral campaign in September, according to Etellekt’s study on political violence across Mexico.
At least 39 members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party — of which Puron was a member — have been killed, according to Etellekt.
Puron, the former mayor of Piedras Negras, discussed how he would handle public security in his home state if elected, before the shooting.
“We have to face crime head on. We cannot be afraid. We must call it by its name,” he said, Vanguardia reported.
Friday’s murder highlights soaring violence in Mexico and renews widespread criticism of President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has come under fire for failing to temper drug-related crime throughout his tenure. Police have not identified the gunman or a motive for the assassination.
Puron reportedly incurred the wrath of Zetas — the dominant crime group in Piedras Negras — for threatening to curb organized crime in the region.
PRI member Sonia Villarreal, who until Friday sought reelection as mayor of Piedras Negras, said she was suspending her campaign, as the country braces for more violence ahead of its July 1 elections.
“After the cowardly attack against my friend and colleague Fernando Puron, I have decided to suspend my campaign indefinitely to concentrate on my mayor duties,” she said in a statement.
“We don’t (want) his name to be just one more added to the list of candidates who have been victims of these deplorable acts.”