Gunmen kill Mexico City mayor’s aides in daylight attack

In a brazen daylight attack, two close aides of Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada were shot dead early morning on May 19 in a central neighbourhood of the capital. 

The victims have been identified as Ximena Guzmán, Brugada’s personal secretary, and José Muñoz, one of her advisers.

Mayor Brugada condemned the killings as a “direct attack” and vowed that her administration would press forward with its “relentless fight against insecurity.” The motive behind the shooting is still under investigation, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Guardian.

The attack occurred around 7 a.m. on a busy street in the Moderna neighbourhood, near the entrance to the Xola metro station. According to initial reports, Muñoz had been waiting on the street for Guzmán, who arrived by car to pick him up.

Surveillance footage from a nearby security camera shows a man wearing a white top and a motorbike helmet standing near Guzmán’s vehicle. The suspect suddenly pulls out a handgun and fires multiple shots—first targeting Muñoz, then Guzmán—before fleeing the scene on foot. He reportedly escaped with an accomplice on a waiting motorcycle.

Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage from the area to identify the attackers and determine a motive, according to a statement from Brugada’s office.

Two hours after the incident, police had removed the victims' bodies, leaving behind shattered glass and a pool of blood drying under the morning sun.

A local shoeshiner working nearby at the time said he was unaware of the gunshots.
“I was right here working when they shot them, and I didn’t even realize,” he said. “I’m a little deaf.”

Another witness, a street vendor named José Antonio, added: “I didn’t hear the shots either. I think they must’ve used a silencer.” He noted the boldness of the attack: “The killers didn’t try to hide it—they did it at rush hour.”

By Khagan Isayev