Oaxaca mayor executed inside City Hall

An unprecedented attack has shaken Oaxaca. The mayor of San Mateo Piñas, Lilia Gema García Soto, was executed along with a community representative inside the City Hall offices. An armed group used assault rifles in an act that openly defied authority.

Political violence in Mexico has written one of its most audacious and bloody chapters in the state of Oaxaca. Lilia Gema García Soto, who made history by becoming the first woman to govern the municipality of San Mateo Piñas, was murdered in cold blood by a group of hitmen who stormed the heart of her government: the Municipal Palace.

The attack, which occurred around noon on Sunday, June 15, claimed not only the life of the mayor, but also that of Gregorio García Ruiz, a representative of the Agua Caliente community, who was with her at the time.

An Assault on the Symbol of Municipal Power

The most shocking aspect of the crime is the location where it was committed. The killers didn't wait for the mayor at her home or on a lonely road; they attacked her in her office, in the building that represents the authority of the state in the municipality. This incident is interpreted as a message of total impunity and a direct challenge to the institutions.

According to the Oaxaca State Attorney General's Office (FGEO), the assault was swift and brutal:

* The Command: A group of at least five hooded and heavily armed individuals arrived at the scene aboard two motorcycles.

* The Break-In: They violently entered the Municipal Palace, heading directly towards where the victims were.

* The Execution: Without saying a word, they opened fire indiscriminately on the mayor and her companion.

The Brutality of the Attack: Assault Rifles and Dozens of Shots

The crime scene speaks to the ferocity of the attack. The prosecutor's forensic services personnel collected at least 60 spent shell casings from inside the building. The weapons used were not ordinary pistols; the commando used high-powered assault rifles, including AK-47s and AR-15s, weapons exclusively for the army.

The use of this type of weaponry and the number of shots fired indicate that the hitmen were not just seeking to kill, but to send a message of terror and absolute power.

The Oaxaca Prosecutor's Office detailed that the attackers used high-powered weapons, including AK-47 and AR-15 rifles. At least 60 shell casings were found at the crime scene, confirming the brutality of the attack.

A Mayor Who Had Denounced Corruption

Lilia Gema García Soto took office in 2023, in a municipality governed by indigenous regulatory systems. Her rise to power was not without conflict, and, according to the prosecutor's office itself, she faced various administrative and political tensions.

Crucially, the mayor had filed complaints alleging corruption by the previous administration, related to the misappropriation of funds intended for Hurricane Agatha reconstruction.

The governor of Oaxaca, Salomón Jara Cruz, has strongly condemned the murder and assured that a thorough investigation will be conducted to ensure that the crime does not go unpunished. State and federal forces, including the Army and the National Guard, have deployed an operation in the region to find those responsible for this attack, which has jeopardized security and governance in the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca.