A local mayor in Mexico, Alejandro Aparicio Santiago, was shot dead on his first day of office on New Year’s Day. 

Santiago who is the Mayor of Tlaxiaco, was walking to his first official meeting at city hall shortly after taking office when a group of gunmen opened fire, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office of Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca.

Governor Alejandro Murat of Oaxaca confirmed the killing of Santiago via Twitter on Tuesday and condemned Santiago’s slaying, promising a thorough investigation.

He said a suspect was already in custody.

Between September 2017 and August 2018, 175 politicians were killed in Mexico, NPR reported, citing the consulting firm Etellekt.