Lawmaker who was member of ruling coalition murdered in Mexico; another man found dead at crime scene [View all]

Updated on: December 10, 2024 / 6:33 AM EST / CBS/AFP

A Mexican congressman who was a member of the ruling coalition was shot dead in coastal Veracruz state on Monday, officials said, marking yet another politician being targeted by violence in the country.

"Benito Aguas Atlahua has passed away as a result of wounds caused by an aggression with a firearm," the state prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The body of a man identified as Agustin Linares was also found at the scene of the attack in Zongolica municipality, the statement added. Authorities did not say how Linares, who was an engineer, died.

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The legislator was a member of the Ecologist Green Party of . Mexico (PVEM), part of the ruling coalition that controls congress, along with the Labor Party and President Claudia Sheinbaum's Morena.

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Mexico has suffered more than 450,000 killings since 2006, when the government called in army troops to fight the cartels.

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