Congressman Julio Portillo and three National Civil Police officers were killed in an armed attack Friday in Rio Hondo, a town in eastern Zacapa department, according to Guatemala's authorities. Portillo was initially hospitalized with serious injuries before his death was confirmed by his party, the National Unity of Hope. President Bernardo Arevalo said the three officers died in the line of duty and instructed security forces to cooperate with prosecutors.
Zacapa is known for drug trafficking activity. The Lorenzana family cartel, which has links to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, controls the drug trade there. Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the attack or identified who was responsible.
Portillo won his seat in 2023 for the opposition party Cabal before switching to the National Unity of Hope party led by former First Lady Sandra Torres, expected to run for president in Guatemala's elections next year.
The killings occur roughly three weeks after former anticorruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa was shot dead in Guatemala City. Authorities have not established a connection between the two attacks.