In a shocking act of violence, two senior aides to Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada were gunned down in a daylight ambush on Tuesday morning. The victims, Ximena Guzmán, the mayor’s private secretary, and José Muñoz, a trusted adviser, were on their way to work when they were fatally attacked by an armed assailant.

According to eyewitness reports, Guzmán had stopped her black Audi along a busy avenue to pick up Muñoz. As Muñoz approached the vehicle, a man carrying a gun and a motorcycle helmet opened fire. He shot Guzmán through the windshield, then turned the weapon on Muñoz before firing additional shots at both victims as they collapsed.

The attacker fled the scene, reportedly on a motorbike, with at least one accomplice suspected. Authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the killings, but the calculated nature of the attack suggests the involvement of a professional hitman.

Mayor Clara Brugada, visibly emotional during a press conference, mourned the loss of her colleagues and vowed that justice would be served. “We shared dreams and struggles,” she said, promising that the murders would not go unpunished.

President Claudia Sheinbaum, who was briefed on the incident during her daily news conference, condemned the violence as a “deplorable incident” and assured Mayor Brugada of full federal support. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch, who survived a 2020 ambush himself, shared details of the case with the press. That previous attack, believed to be orchestrated by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, claimed the lives of two of Harfuch’s bodyguards and a civilian.

While violent attacks on local politicians are common in various parts of Mexico, killings of political figures in the capital remain rare. Brugada, 61, was elected mayor in June of last year, a role widely considered the second most powerful in the nation after the presidency.

The scene of Tuesday’s crime was cordoned off by police, with forensic experts examining Guzmán’s bullet-riddled vehicle. CCTV footage from a nearby building shows the suspect approaching the Audi with a firearm in hand, carrying out the execution with cold precision before fleeing.

Authorities have impounded a motorbike and another vehicle believed to have been used in the attack. As the investigation continues, the nation is once again reminded of the growing threats faced by public officials—even in its capital city.