Two local congressmen from the opposition party Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) were shot in the municipality of Culiacan, Sinaloa, in an incident that once again raises alarms about the escalating violence Politics in the state, an entity that has been plagued for months by a bloody internal dispute within organized crime. Sergio Torres Felix, former mayor of Culiacan and current local deputy for the MC party, was shot in a direct attack and is fighting for his life in a private hospital. The attack also wounded Deputy Elizabeth Montoya and a bodyguard from the party. All three were rushed to private hospitals, where they remain under medical care. According to initial reports, the attack occurred on Paseo Ninos Heroes, known as the “Old Boardwalk,” just meters from the state offices of the orange party. Armed men intercepted the vehicle in which the legislators were traveling and opened fire indiscriminately. Governor Ruben Rocha Moya confirmed hours later that Sergio Torres's condition is "serious" and that the legislator remains in surgery, while Elizabeth Montoya is "out of danger," although she will have to undergo several surgical procedures. The driver, he said, did not sustain any serious injuries.

National Condemnation and Search Operation

“We condemn the armed attack against Representatives Sergio Torres and Elizabeth Montoya in Culiacan. The crisis of impunity and violence in Mexico, and particularly in Sinaloa, has crossed all boundaries. We will be closely following the information on this case to ensure there is no impunity,” wrote Jorge Alvarez Maynez, national coordinator of the Citizens' Movement and former presidential candidate, on social media.

For his part, Governor Rocha Moya ordered the state Secretary of Public Security, Oscar Renteria Schazarino, to deploy an immediate operation to search for and capture those responsible. Furthermore,He instructed the State Prosecutor's Office to act with "promptness and speed" in the investigation and asked the state Health Secretary to personally oversee the victims' medical care. The state governor reported that he has already contacted Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, as well as the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar Garcia Harfuch, to coordinate actions. He also contacted the national leadership of the Citizens' Movement (MC). Federal Investigation and Context of Violence: The Security Cabinet of the Government of Mexico confirmed that it has joined the investigations and is maintaining constant coordination with state authorities. According to official information, one of the deputies' bodyguards repelled the attack and even wounded one of the assailants. In subsequent patrols, an abandoned white vehicle, presumably linked to the attack, was located, and surveillance footage is being analyzed to identify the attackers' escape route. Sergio Torres Felix, in addition to being a local deputy, is the state leader of the Citizen's Movement in Sinaloa and was mayor of Culiacan between 2013 and 2015. In recent years, several current and former officials in the Sinaloa capital have been targeted in attacks amidst the conflict between the "Los Chapitos" and "Los Mayos" factions, which intensified in September 2014. Just last September, Faustino Hernandez Alvarez, a former councilman and cattle rancher leader, was murdered at his home, underscoring the constant risk faced by officials in an area where organized crime seems to be rampant. dictate their own law.

According to figures from the State Public Security Council, this dispute has left more than 1,800 dead and at least 2,400 people missing. The United States declared the Sinaloa Cartel a terrorist organization last year, in recognition of the transnational impact of the violence that today also fully affects the local political class.