A judge, identified as Edmundo Roman Pinzon, was assassinated outside a courthouse in Acapulco on Wednesday, underscoring the escalating violence in Guerrero, one of Mexico’s most volatile states. Pinzon, the president of Guerrero’s Superior Court of Justice, was shot at least four times while inside his car, according to local reports.
The Guerrero state prosecutor’s office confirmed it is investigating the case as an aggravated homicide but withheld full details in line with its standard procedure. This attack comes as Guerrero grapples with an uptick in violent crimes, including the murder and decapitation of Chilpancingo’s mayor in October and a series of deadly gang clashes that left 19 people dead. Last month, authorities discovered 12 dismembered bodies in Chilpancingo vehicles.
Acapulco, once a glamorous destination for global elites, has become a symbol of Mexico’s violent crime surge, earning a reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in the world. In 2023 alone, Guerrero recorded 1,890 murders.
President Claudia Sheinbaum, who assumed office in October as Mexico’s first female president, has pledged to continue her predecessor’s “hugs not bullets” approach to tackling crime through social reforms rather than military offensives. However, the killing of Judge Pinzon—just days after a high-profile national security meeting in Acapulco chaired by Sheinbaum—raises questions about the effectiveness of these policies.
Since 2006, over 450,000 people have been murdered in Mexico, with much of the violence attributed to organized crime and drug trafficking. Guerrero, despite its rich cultural heritage, remains one of the epicenters of this crisis.
