The attack highlights the dangers of running for local candidates in Latin American countries, particularly those plagued by corruption and the bloodshed of the multimillion-dollar drug trade.
Gisela Paatn, who was campaigning for mayor in the central town of Selaya, was killed on Monday during a meeting with supporters, the state prosecutor’s office said.
The 38-year-old incumbent said in an earlier press conference that he had sought protection from his team.
Alma Alcaraz, candidate of the ruling Morena party, said: “This is something that angers and shocks us as we mourn. We will stop the campaign.”
Three other people were wounded in the shooting in Guanajuato, Mexico’s most violent state due to a turf war between drug cartels, authorities said.
