Mexico mayor killed in town hall months after surviving assassination attempt

July 22, 2026 / 7:07 PM EDT

/ CBS/AFP

Add CBS News on Google

A local mayor in central Mexico was shot dead in a town hall, authorities reported Wednesday, after the politician had survived a previous assassination attempt. The town of Temoac is located in the state of Morelos, a region close to Mexico City where several drug cartels are active.Mayor Valentin Lavin, who was allied to President Claudia Sheinbaum's leftist party, had already survived an armed attack in January, according to local media reports.Forensic experts and police officers located his dead body inside local government facilities, the state prosecutor's office said.An operation to arrest those responsible for the crime was underway, it added in a statement.

Mayor Valentin Lavin