Two state legislators from the Citizens’ Movement party (MC) were attacked by gunmen on Wednesday in Culiacán, the capital of the northern state of Sinaloa.
Representatives Sergio Torres Félix and Elizabeth Rafaela Montoya Ojeda were wounded while in their vehicle near the boardwalk in downtown Culiacán. The incident occurred around noon, shortly after the legislators had left the Congress building.
Responding to reports of gunfire, public safety officers arrived shortly thereafter, but the assailants had already fled the area.
Montoya was hit by a bullet and was reported to be in stable condition, while Torres — wounded by shrapnel — is said to be in delicate, but stable condition. Gonzalo Quintero, the lawmakers’ bodyguard who was wounded while attempting to repel the attack, is also in stable condition.
Wednesday’s violence occurred the day after Culiacán police chief Alejandro Bravo was fired upon when he and several policemen responded to complaints about gunfire near the city airport. Bravo’s car was pierced by several bullets, but he was unharmed. The attackers escaped after placing spike stripes in the path of the patrol cars.
Culiacán is the locus of a fratricidal war within one of the world’s most powerful transnational criminal organizations — the Sinaloa Cartel. The infighting began in earnest in September 2024, a few weeks after rival cartel leaders were arrested in the U.S.
Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha immediately ordered the state Security Ministry to conduct a “search and capture operation” to locate those responsible for the attack. A special intelligence unit was also dispatched to the scene.
“I have communicated with the … state Attorney General’s Office so that action is taken promptly and efficiently (as the investigation proceeds),” Rocha posted on his X account.
Rocha also contacted President Claudia Sheinbaum who authorized the federal Security Cabinet to take part in the investigation.
“From the moment the events were reported, direct communication was established with authorities of the Sinaloa State Government and inter-institutional actions were coordinated to support the investigation,” the Security Cabinet said in a statement.
The Security Cabinet analyzed video surveillance footage from the area in an effort to identify the attackers’ escape route.
Media reports indicated that the vehicle allegedly used in the attack had been located Wednesday afternoon.
Torres served as mayor of Culiacán (2014-2016) while with the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Shortly after his term ended, he switched to the MC and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2021. He is considered to be a leading candidate for governor in 2027.
With reports from La Jornada, Reforma, El Universal and El Financiero
