One politician and three police officers killed in Veracruz

Three Veracruz State Police officers and one local politician were killed in two separate incidents in the state of Veracruz yesterday afternoon.

In Orizaba Municipality, a group of gunmen attacked a police unit while they were parked outside of a local morgue. Two of them died at the scene, while another succumbed to her wounds after she was taken to the hospital. There was only one survivor. In Ursula Galvan Municipality, gunmen killed National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party candidate Juan Gilberto Ortiz Parra.

“It was not a good day in Veracruz”, a local newspaper wrote on one of its headlines.

The head of the State’s Secretariat of Public Security (SSP), Hugo Gutiérrez Maldonado, reported that he was working on getting more details on the police attack and had flown to Orizaba to directly lead the investigation. Members of Veracruz’s State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) confirmed to the press that they would investigate the candidate’s murder.

There were no suspects or eye-witnesses willing to testify for either of the two incidents.

WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW

Background 

Since 2006, the state of Veracruz ranks first in clandestine mass graves with 504. These graves are where cartel members bury the victims they kidnap and kill. In Ursula Municipality alone, authorities discovered over 75 clandestine mass graves last year. This town ranked second in all of Mexico, just behind Tecoman, Colima, with 97.

Ursula Galvan Municipality was under the control of Los Zetas during the early 2010s, but there has been a strong presence of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) over the years. Disappearances have been on the rise in Ursula Galvan and its surrounding areas since then. In some cases, police officers have been involved.

Last December, two MORENA local party candidate were attacked in Guerrero. Efrén Valois Morales, leader and founder of the party in Guerrero, died after an assault with a firearm in Pilcaya. In addition, the mayoral candidate for Taxco, Mario Figueroa Mundo, was attacked by gunmen but was able to survive. This was the second attempt on his life; the first attempt occurred in July 2020, when suspected cartel members attacked him in his vehicle. His driver was killed.