Mexican judge shot dead outside courthouse in Acapulco

Gunmen in Mexico have shot dead a judge outside a courthouse in the city of Acapulco.

Judge Edmundo Román Pinzón was hit by at least four bullets as he was driving out of the courthouse car park on Wednesday afternoon, local time.

He was a senior judge who had been president of the highest court in the state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located.

The murder comes amid a surge in deadly attacks on officials in the violence-wracked southern state.

Police have been speaking to witnesses and been gathering CCTV footage from the murder scene, but so far no arrests have been made in connection with the case.

The security forces have also stepped up their activities in the resort town in order to catch those responsible.

According to local paper El Sol de Acapulco, the judge had been in charge of the court which dealt with murders, kidnappings and car thefts.

It is not yet known what the possible motive behind the murder may have been.

The governor of Guerrero state said the crime demanded "immediate justice".

The killing of the judge is the latest in a string of extremely violent attacks in Guerrero over the past weeks.

Last month, the bodies of 11 people, including two children, were found inside a vehicle in the town of Chilpancingo, 100km (62 miles) north of Acapulco.

Acapulco, once a popular beach resort, has not been spared, with rival gangs battling for control of the city's drugs market - and at times leaving mutilated bodies on beaches.