Mexican mayor shot dead during public event
Gunmen have shot and killed Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan in Michoacán state, western Mexico, during a public Day of the Dead celebration, authorities confirmed on Saturday, November 1.
The attack occurred in Uruapan’s city center, an area notorious for violence linked to organized crime. Mexico’s national public security agency reported that “two suspects involved in the incident have been arrested, while one of the attackers was killed.”
Videos from the scene captured moments of chaos as panicked crowds ran for safety amid the sound of gunfire.
Manzo, who assumed office in September 2024, was widely recognized for his hands-on approach to public safety. He often joined local patrols wearing a bulletproof vest and had repeatedly called on the federal government to intensify efforts against violent crime. In a video shared on his social media in June, he urged stronger federal intervention to protect Michoacán residents from cartel-related violence.
Michoacán, a state rich in agricultural resources, has for years been gripped by conflict between powerful drug cartels seeking to extort farmers and dominate trade routes.
The mayor’s killing follows a wave of targeted violence against local leaders in Mexico. Just days earlier, farmer representative Bernardo Bravo, who had often spoken against gang extortion was shot dead in the same state.
Last month, the mayor of Pisaflores in central Mexico was gunned down by armed assailants. In June, attackers stormed a mayor’s office in southern Mexico, killing the mayor and a staff member, while another mayor and her husband were murdered the following day in the country’s west.
Mexico has endured nearly two decades of drug-related violence, with thousands of deaths linked to cartel activity. The assassination of Manzo adds to the growing list of political figures killed amid escalating insecurity and impunity across the nation.
