Two senior staffers in the office of Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada were shot and killed early Tuesday morning in a broad daylight ambush that investigators believe was a targeted execution.

The victims, Ximena Guzman, Brugada’s personal secretary, and José Muñoz, a longtime adviser, were attacked around 7 am on a main road in the Moderna neighborhood, close to the Xola metro station. Surveillance video from the area shows a man in a white shirt and motorcycle helmet loitering near Guzman’s car before suddenly pulling out a firearm and shooting both victims. He fled the scene on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.

“It was a direct attack,” said Mayor Brugada at a press conference later that day, according to The Guardian. Dressed in black and visibly shaken, she added, “[Guzman] was a wonderful, tireless, good woman. I’ve known [Muñoz] almost since … He’s one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met, and extremely responsible.” Brugada said she was “shocked” by the killings and vowed that her administration would “continue its relentless fight against insecurity.”

President Claudia Sheinbaum also addressed the attack during her morning press conference. She expressed her condolences and said federal authorities would support the investigation. She stated that “there would not be impunity” and noted that neither Guzman nor Muñoz had security protection at the time. She also said she had no knowledge of prior threats made against them.

Initial reports say Muñoz had been standing on the sidewalk waiting for Guzman to pick him up when the gunman opened fire. Local residents said the violence appeared sudden and unexpected. “I was right here working when they shot them and I didn’t even realise,” said one nearby shoeshiner. “I’m a little deaf.” His friend, Jose Antonio, who owns a street stall nearby, added, “I actually didn’t hear the shots either. I think it must have been with a silencer.” He added that the shooters “didn’t try to hide it, they did it at rush hour.”

The killings are among the most serious attacks on public officials in Mexico City since an attempted assassination on former police chief Omar García Harfuch in 2020. García Harfuch, who now serves as Mexico’s federal security minister, wrote on X: “We won’t let this cowardly act go unpunished,” and confirmed federal assistance had been offered.

Investigators are reviewing security footage to identify the attackers. By midmorning, police had cleared the scene, leaving only shards of glass and blood on the pavement.

“They were targeted,” said Jose Antonio. “I guess for professional killers it doesn’t matter whether there are people around or not. They do it and they get out of there.”