Yesenia Lara, a mayoral candidate in the Mexican city of Veracruz, was shot dead on Sunday during a campaign event in the state.

Ms Lara, a representative of the Mexican ruling party Morena at the time of the incident, was in the race for the mayor of Texistepec, a city in Veracruz. 

Footage of the incident circulated online in the early hours of Monday morning, in which gunfire erupted at the campaign procession, involving motorcycles and supporters of the politician seen waving Morena flags. 

The video showed individuals screaming and fleeing for safety as gunshots rang out. 

Veracruz state governor Rocio Nahle later wrote on X that those responsible for the crime would be fished out.

“We will find those responsible for the cowardly murder of the Morena candidate and supporters in Texistepec; four dead and three injured,” the governor said. 

He added, “No position or office is worth a person’s life.”

The incident underscored the persistent danger faced by political figures in Mexico, particularly at the local level, where organised crime and violence are widespread.

The murder of Ms Lara comes just two days after the violent killing of Cecilia Ruvalcaba, a councillor in the Jalisco state, who was shot dead in a hospital.

Mexico has been plagued by soaring criminal violence for years, with an estimated 480,000 people murdered since 2006, when the government launched a militarised campaign against drug cartels.