Judge Shot Dead In Mexico

A judge was shot and killed on Wednesday in Acapulco, Mexico, once a bustling beach destination, according to local media and the state prosecutor’s office.

The victim, identified as Edmundo Roman Pinzon, was the president of the Superior Court of Justice in Guerrero state.

Reports indicate he was shot at least four times in his car outside an Acapulco courthouse.

This incident follows a series of violent events in Guerrero state.

In October, the newly elected mayor of Chilpancingo, the state capital, was killed and decapitated just days after taking office.

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Weeks later, armed confrontations between alleged gang members and security forces resulted in the deaths of 19 people. In November, authorities discovered a dozen dismembered bodies in vehicles in Chilpancingo.

Acapulco, once a glamorous destination for the wealthy and famous, has seen a dramatic decline in tourism due to escalating violence, making it one of the world’s most dangerous cities.

The Guerrero state prosecutor’s office announced that it was investigating the murder of Edmundo N. as an aggravated homicide. As is standard practice, the full name was not disclosed.

The killing comes just over a week after President Claudia Sheinbaum attended a National Public Security Council meeting in Acapulco with state governors, discussing the growing security crisis.

Since the government’s crackdown on organized crime began in 2006, more than 450,000 people have been killed in Mexico due to escalating violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking.

Sheinbaum, who became Mexico’s first female president in October, has rejected restarting the controversial “war on drugs” strategy. Instead, she has committed to continuing her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s “hugs not bullets” approach, focusing on social policies to address the root causes of crime.

In 2023, Guerrero recorded 1,890 murders.