A new mayor takes office in southern Mexico after his predecessor was beheaded
A new mayor has been sworn in a city in southern Mexico where his predecessor was killed and beheaded less than a week after taking office
CHILPANCINGO, Mexico (AP) — A new mayor was sworn in Thursday in a city in southern Mexico where his predecessor was killed and beheaded less than a week after taking office.
The new mayor, Gustavo Alarcón, a doctor, had been elected as an alternate on the same ticket as deceased Mayor Alejandro Arcos in the June election.
Arcos took office on Oct. 1 in the violence-wracked city of Chilpancingo, the capital of the southern state of Guerrero. But his beheaded body was found in a pickup truck Sunday; his head had been placed on the vehicle's roof. Two rival drug gangs are fighting to control the city.
Alarcón took the oath of office with a minimal security detail of a handful of police officers Thursday. He pledged to “work for the good of all” and fight the violence that has gripped Chilpancingo for years.
