Judge Shot Dead in Mexico

A judge was killed on Wednesday, December 11, in Acapulco, a city once known for its glamour but now plagued by violence. Local media and the Guerrero state prosecutor’s office confirmed the incident.

The victim, identified as Edmundo Román Pinzón, the president of the Superior Court of Justice in Guerrero, was reportedly shot at least four times while sitting in his car outside a courthouse in Acapulco.

The Guerrero state prosecutor’s office issued a statement confirming that an investigation into the “aggravated homicide” of Edmundo N. was underway, following the practice of withholding full names.

This murder adds to a series of violent incidents in the state. In October, the mayor of Chilpancingo, the state capital, was brutally murdered and decapitated shortly after taking office.

Later, violent clashes between alleged gang members and security forces resulted in the deaths of 19 people. Just last month, authorities discovered a dozen dismembered bodies in vehicles in Chilpancingo.

Once a popular destination for celebrities and affluent tourists, Acapulco, Guerrero’s largest city, has seen a drastic decline in its safety due to escalating violence largely tied to drug cartels. As a result, the city has become one of the most dangerous in the world, with international visitors deterred by the violence.

The killing occurred shortly after President Claudia Sheinbaum convened a meeting of the National Public Security Council in Acapulco, attended by state governors. Since Mexico’s government launched its offensive against organized crime in 2006, more than 450,000 murders have been recorded, most of which are linked to drug-related violence.

President Sheinbaum, who took office in October as Mexico’s first female president, has rejected the return of the controversial “war on drugs” strategy.

Instead, she has committed to continuing her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s “hugs not bullets” policy, which seeks to address crime by tackling its root causes through social programs. However, Guerrero remains one of the most violent states in Mexico, with 1,890 murders recorded last year.