Two sitting state legislators were wounded Wednesday after gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in downtown Culiacan, Sinaloa.
Authorities said the victims, Sergio Torres Felix and Elizabeth Rafaela Montoya Ojeda, both members of the Citizens’ Movement party, were attacked around noon near the city’s boardwalk shortly after leaving the state Congress building, reports Mexico News Daily. The assailants fled before police arrived.
Montoya was struck by a bullet and was listed in stable condition. Torres, who was injured by shrapnel, was reported to be in delicate but stable condition. Their bodyguard, Gonzalo Quintero, was also wounded while attempting to repel the attack and remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Public safety officers responded to reports of gunfire, but no arrests were made at the scene. Surveillance footage from the area is being reviewed as investigators work to identify the shooters and determine their escape route.
Local media reported later Wednesday that a vehicle believed to have been used in the attack had been located.
The shooting came just one day after the city’s police chief was targeted in a separate attack near the airport. Culiacan police chief Alejandro Bravo escaped injury after his vehicle was riddled with bullets while responding to reports of gunfire. Attackers in that incident used spike strips to disable pursuing patrol cars before escaping.
Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, has been at the center of violent infighting within the Sinaloa Cartel, a conflict that intensified in late 2024 following the arrest of rival cartel leaders in the United States.
Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha ordered a full search-and-capture operation and deployed a special intelligence unit to assist local authorities. Rocha said he also contacted President Claudia Sheinbaum, who authorized the federal Security Cabinet to join the investigation.
“From the moment the events were reported, direct communication was established with authorities of the Sinaloa State Government,” the Security Cabinet said in a statement.
Torres previously served as mayor of Culiacan from 2014 to 2016 and later mounted an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2021.
Authorities said the victims, Sergio Torres Felix and Elizabeth Rafaela Montoya Ojeda, both members of the Citizens’ Movement party, were attacked around noon near the city’s boardwalk shortly after leaving the state Congress building, reports Mexico News Daily. The assailants fled before police arrived.
Montoya was struck by a bullet and was listed in stable condition. Torres, who was injured by shrapnel, was reported to be in delicate but stable condition. Their bodyguard, Gonzalo Quintero, was also wounded while attempting to repel the attack and remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Public safety officers responded to reports of gunfire, but no arrests were made at the scene. Surveillance footage from the area is being reviewed as investigators work to identify the shooters and determine their escape route.
Local media reported later Wednesday that a vehicle believed to have been used in the attack had been located.
The shooting came just one day after the city’s police chief was targeted in a separate attack near the airport. Culiacan police chief Alejandro Bravo escaped injury after his vehicle was riddled with bullets while responding to reports of gunfire. Attackers in that incident used spike strips to disable pursuing patrol cars before escaping.
Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, has been at the center of violent infighting within the Sinaloa Cartel, a conflict that intensified in late 2024 following the arrest of rival cartel leaders in the United States.
Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha ordered a full search-and-capture operation and deployed a special intelligence unit to assist local authorities. Rocha said he also contacted President Claudia Sheinbaum, who authorized the federal Security Cabinet to join the investigation.
“From the moment the events were reported, direct communication was established with authorities of the Sinaloa State Government,” the Security Cabinet said in a statement.
Torres previously served as mayor of Culiacan from 2014 to 2016 and later mounted an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2021.
