Jesus Rivera murder: Restaurant guild leader fatally shot outside his nightclub in Mexico's Acapulco

Jesus Rivera was murdered in the early hours of Sunday (Image via Twitter/@ramirosolorio)
Jesus Rivera was murdered in the early hours of Sunday (Image via Twitter/@ramirosolorio)

On Sunday, July 31, 2022, restaurant guild leader Jesus Rivera was shot dead in Acapulco, Mexico. He was shot in the early hours of Sunday outside a nightclub owned by him in the small resort town of Mexico.

According to the Attorney General's Office, the leader of the guild of restaurants, bars and nightclubs in Acapulco was targeted by unknown assailants who fatally shot him before fleeing the scene.

A case of 'Homicidio Calificado' or Qualified Homicide has been registered. According to the Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México (FGE), the killing took place in the Costa Azul subdivision of the port of Acapulco.

In a statement, FGE said:

"Agents of the Ministerial Investigative Police and personnel from Expert Services went to the scene of the incident, with the purpose of carrying out the acts of investigation that allow clarifying the Illicit."

Qualified Homicide is registered when a person is murdered for 'ferocity, cupidity, profit, or for pleasure', with cruelty or by treacherous ways, or to 'facilitate or hide another crime'.


Acapulco shooting acts as another example of Mexico plagued by organized crime as gun violence deaths rise steadily

Jesus Rivera Rojas, leader of the guild of restaurants and bars in Mexico, was cruelly assassinated in the southern region of Guerrerro on Sunday. According to local media, Guerrerro ranks high on the list of the most violent states in Mexico due to criminal gang activities and drug trafficking cartels. The beachside resort town of Acapulco has had its share of mass shootings.

Gun violence deaths due to Mexico's high rate of organized crime have risen in 2022. On June 29, 2022, well-known Mexican journalist Antonio de la Cruz and his daughter were fatally shot in front of their residence. He was the twelfth journalist to be assassinated in Mexico in 2022 alone. Crime journalists in Mexico have been a constant target for reporting on the criminal activities taking place in Mexico.

In what was one of the deadliest mass shootings in Mexico, at least 11 people were killed by 15 gunmen at a hotel in Celaya, Mexico, on May 24. Celaya has been a victim of crimes committed by a criminal cartel calling itself Santa Rosa de Lima, and has suffered due to the cartel's deadly feud with its rival, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The border city of Juarez, Mexico, once dubbed the murder capital of the world, has witnessed over 400 murders as of June 2022. In the months of May and June, more than 60 people were killed. The involvement of drug cartels in such violence has been a major problem for the people of Mexico, who hold their corrupt law enforcement agencies responsible for the senseless deaths.