Mayor Joel Angel Bravo Martinez of San Miguel Amatitlan, a municipality in Mexico’s Oaxaca state, was shot dead by armed assailants, state prosecutors have confirmed.

Axar.az reports, citing Mexican media, that the circumstances of the killing remain unclear.

Local reports indicate that the attackers either ambushed the mayor outside his home as he was leaving for work or entered the residence before carrying out the attack.

The Oaxaca State Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation and described the case as a high-impact crime. State and federal security forces have deployed a joint operation in the area to locate those responsible.

Bravo Martinez, who was serving his third term as mayor, was elected with the backing of an opposition coalition led by the National Action Party (PAN). According to local reports, he had previously requested additional security from state authorities after expressing concerns for his safety.

The killing comes weeks after the mayor was the victim of an armed robbery on a highway in Oaxaca state.