Former Jalisco Governor Aristóteles Sandoval was assassinated in the early hours of Friday December 18 while having a night out at a Puerto Vallarta bar.
As reported later by Attorney General Gerardo Solís, Sandoval arrived at the Distrito 5 bar, located on Puerto Vallarta’s main thoroughfare, around 10 p.m. on Thursday night where he was joined by three companion. At 1:40 a.m. he rose from the table and headed for the restroom where he was intercepted by a hit man and shot from behind.
Moments later a gun battle transpired outside the establishment as the wounded Sandoval was being rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Incumbent Governor Enrique Alfaro reported the crime on his Twitter account at 3:30 a.m. He immediately dispatched members of his security cabinet to the port city.
In an early morning press conference transmitted from there, the Attorney General revealed that staff at the bar had already cleaned up the crime scene by the time police arrived. He mentioned that Sandoval had been visiting Puerto Vallarta on and off since December 5 to vacation with family members and carry out business.
As a high-ranking former official, Sandoval had been assigned a team of 15 bodyguards and a fleet of armored vehicles, but reportedly preferred not to have security officers constantly at his side.
The 46-year-old politician affiliated with the PRI party served as the state’s chief executive from March 1, 2013 to December 5, 2018 when he was succeeded by Alfaro.