Gunmen killed the organizer of the Christmas and New Year's fair on Christmas Eve in a public square in Chilpancingo, Mexico, according to state prosecutors. The city has been plagued by violence between two rival drug gangs, the Tlacos and the Ardillos.

The organizer of the annual Christmas and New Year's fair in Chilpancingo, Mexico, Martin Ramirez Ruiz, was gunned down in public on Christmas Eve, authorities in Guerrero state reported on Tuesday. The shooting took place in the San Mateo neighborhood while performers were preparing for a traditional dance show. Ramirez Ruiz was directly targeted by gunmen who pushed through the crowd before attacking him. Another person was also killed, and a third was injured in the attack.

Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado condemned the killing, calling it "unacceptable" and assuring the public that an investigation would follow. The fair, which runs from Christmas to January 7, honors the local patron saint, Saint Matthew, and has been a tradition for nearly 200 years. Ramirez Ruiz had been leading the organization responsible for the event.

Authorities have not disclosed any motives for the attack, but the region has seen significant violence linked to organized crime. Rival drug gangs, the Tlacos and the Ardillos, have been fighting for control of Chilpancingo, and the violence has claimed numerous lives, including that of the city's mayor, Alejandro Arcos, who was killed shortly after taking office. His body was found in a pickup truck, with his severed head placed on the vehicle's roof, an attack attributed to one of the rival gangs.