MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A Mexican judge died Sunday after being shot in the violent northern state of Zacatecas, local media reported.

Judge Roberto Elias has died, according to a state government source and social media posts, Arturo Nale, Chief Magistrate of the Zacatecas Department of Justice. Nale called for peace in Zacatecas.

The shooting took place on Saturday morning as Judge Roberto Elias was leaving his house, Reforma newspaper reported.

Zacatecas has become one of the most violent regions in Mexico amid struggles between organized crime groups for state control.

The head of the state’s National Guard, one of the highest-ranking commanders in Mexico’s paramilitary police, was killed last month in a clash with militants during an operation to combat organized crime.

The secretary of state security told Reuters that police responded to reports of the shooting on Saturday morning and found Elias wounded in his car. He was later taken to the hospital in critical condition.

(Reporting by Noe Torres and Lisbeth Diaz.