Ex‑mayor Pedro Martínez Barroso shot dead in Oaxaca town

Pedro Martínez Barroso, former mayor of San Juan Cacahuatepec in the Costa region of Oaxaca, was killed on 13 July 2026 inside his hardware store on Ignacio Zaragoza street. Armed men entered the premises and opened fire, hitting the former official multiple times before fleeing in a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene despite immediate attempts at first aid.

Martínez Barroso had led the municipality from 2022 to 2024 after being elected on a PRI‑PAN‑PRD coalition ticket, and later sought re‑election in 2024 under the Partido Verde Ecologista de México. State prosecutors (FGEO) opened a criminal investigation, processing the scene, collecting ballistic evidence and deploying a multidisciplinary team to locate the perpetrators. The murder is the fourth killing of a former municipal leader in Oaxaca in 2026, highlighting a wave of violence targeting local officials in the state.