An independent candidate for the mayorship of a conflict-ridden rural town in western Mexico is dead, the 17th candidate killed so far in the 2018 campaign.

Michoacan state Gov. Silvano Aureoles says candidate Omar Gomez Lucatero was killed Wednesday and he vows to catch those responsible for the killing.

Gomez Lucatero was running for the mayorship of Aguililla, an extensive but sparsely populated mountain township where drug gangs and vigilantes have been active.

Almost all the candidates killed so far were running for local posts in the July 1 elections, which will also decide the presidency, governorships and Congress.