June 14 (UPI) — A Mexican politician died on Monday after getting shot during a meeting with staff at her home on Saturday, bringing the number of politicians killed in the country since September to 113.
Rosely Danilu Magaña was a municipal councilor candidate for Isla Mujeres, an island just off the coast of Cancun. She was hospitalized since the attack but died from a bullet to her thorax.
The killing of Danilu is under investigation. No arrests have been made.
One day before Danilu was shot, Fernano Purón, a candidate running for congress in Piedras Negras, a town in Northern Mexico that is near the Texas border, was shot in the back of a head while posing in a selfie with supporters. Surveillance video caught the incident and shows the gunman coming from behind Purón and firing his weapon.
Before he was killed, Purón participated in a debate where he reiterated his position on tackling organized crime.
“You take on crime head-on — you don’t fear it, you call it for what it is,” he said, according to the Guardian. “Unfortunately, not all those in power do their job — some are even in cahoots with criminals.”
Purón’s death is also under investigation.
Since Mexico’s election season began in September, 113 candidates and eight journalists have been killed.
“It’s impeding the possibility of Mexicans to engage in a public debate of the issues that are affecting the daily lives of Mexicans,” Carlos Lauria, who has been advocating for better security of politicians, told CBS News.
