SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) -- The mayor of a southern Brazilian town
                  was shot to death by an unidentified gunman late Saturday, a city hall
                  spokesman said Sunday.

                  Dorcelina Forlador, 37, was killed at her home in the town of Mundo Novo
                  near the border with Paraguay in front of her husband and small daughter.

                  "The killer made eight shots and hit her six times," the spokesman told
                  Reuters. "All the police here have been mobilized and are looking for the
                  criminal."

                  The spokesman said the killing could have been connected to Forlador's
                  fight against corruption in the town.

                  He did not rule out links with her past political activism. Forlador was a
                  former journalist and supporter of the Landless Movement.

                  The movement of poor rural peasants promotes the takeover of unused
                  farmland to press its demands. Land disputes in Brazil's remote interior
                  frequently lead to bloodshed.

                     Copyright 1999 Reuters.