Mexico: Jalisco state tourism minister shot dead in Guadalajara
Police and forensic officers at the spot where Jose de Jesus Gallegos Alvarez, the recently appointed tourism minister of Jalisco state, was shot dead on Saturday.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Police investigating the shooting death of a tourism minister in western Mexico at the weekend believe he may have been targeted because of his business dealings.
Jose de Jesus Gallegos Alvarez was shot dead Saturday afternoon while driving his Toyota SUV in a wealthy suburb of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, the Associated Press reported.
Gallegos was appointed tourism minister of Jalisco, the home of tequila and mariachi music, only 10 days ago and was to serve under new Governor Aristoteles Sandoval of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, the same party as Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, the BBC said.
Jalisco State Interior Minister Arturo Zamora told reporters the initial investigation suggested Gallegos’s death was related to his business activities and had nothing to do with his government position.
Reuters reported Gallegos was the founder of company that developed luxury resorts and towers across Mexico.
A funeral was held for Gallegos on Monday at a church located about 150 meters from where he was killed, El Universal reported.
There have been more than 3,000 violent deaths in Mexico since Pena Nieto was sworn in as president on Dec. 1, the BBC reported.
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