A popular Mexican musician known for singing about drug lords was shot dead late Tuesday in western Mexico, authorities said.
Ernesto Barajas, lead singer of the group Enigma Norteno, was gunned down in a parking lot in Zapopan, Jalisco state, according to local police.
The band, which has more than four million monthly listeners on Spotify, is known for its controversial narcocorridos, songs that praise drug traffickers and cartel figures.
Police said two men on a motorcycle opened fire on Barajas, killing him at the scene. Another man was also killed in the attack, while a woman was injured in the leg.
Barajas’s death is the latest in a string of killings targeting performers of narcocorridos. In May, five members of the group Fugitivo were murdered by suspected drug traffickers in Tamaulipas state.
Enigma Norteno’s catalog includes songs dedicated to Nemesio Oseguera, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), and “Los Chapitos,” a track referring to the sons of imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Mexican criminal groups are known to commission musicians to compose and perform songs glorifying their exploits, but artists can also become entangled in violent turf wars.
Mexican media have previously reported that Barajas had received threats from the CJNG.
Some regions in Mexico have banned narcocorridos altogether. In April, a concert turned violent after a singer refused to perform some of his most popular cartel-inspired songs, sparking a riot.
Singer who glorified drug lords shot dead in Mexico
