( CNN ) -- Gunmen shot and killed the mayor of the Mexican town of Guadalupe as his wife and child watched , the mayor of nearby Ciudad Juarez told CNN . Mexican federal police confirmed the shooting death of Guadalupe Mayor Jesus Manuel Lara Rodriguez . Ciudad Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said Lara , who maintained what was apparently a second home in Juarez , was killed outside that house as he walked to his car . `` He was a very good man , a man set on bringing law and order to that city , '' said Reyes . `` This is a big loss , '' he said . Lara , who became the mayor of Guadalupe in 2007 , had apparently taken up residence in Juarez to protect his family , Reyes told CNN . He kept his official home in Guadalupe . `` He was killed in the eastern part of Juarez ... he never told me he had a house here , he never asked for protection from the city , '' the Juarez mayor said . Reyes said violence increased in Guadalupe since 2,000 federal troops arrived in Juarez early in the year . Guadalupe -- a city bordering Hudspeth County , Texas -- once had 40 policemen but is now left with four , he said . The northern Mexico state of Chihuahua is one of the main battlegrounds for rival drug cartels fighting for access to the U.S. drug-trade corridor . Reyes said he had a long partnership with Lara as both mayors rallied for more support for border cities in the war against drug cartels . `` His [ Lara 's ] case is the best proof that the fight against the flow of drugs into the U.S. is right at the border , '' said Reyes .
Mexican federal police investigated the shooting death of Juan Carlos Lara Rodriguez . Lara 's wife and child watched the shooting , says Ciudad Juarez Mayor Carlos Reyes García . ` ` He never asked for protection from the city , '' the Juarez mayor says . ` ` This is a big loss ''