In Uruapan, Mexico, Mayor Carlos Manzo was shot dead by gunmen during a Day of the Dead event. Two suspects were arrested, one attacker killed. Michoacán faces long-standing gang violence, and several local politicians have been killed recently, including mayors in Pizaflores and southern/western Mexico.
In Uruapan, Mexico, authorities confirmed that the city’s mayor was shot dead by gunmen during a public event on Saturday. The area has long struggled with violence and organized crime.
According to a statement from the National Public Security Agency, Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan in western Michoacán, was killed in an attack in the city center.
The agency added that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident, while one of the attackers was killed. Michoacán has long been plagued by violent drug gangs, which operate in rural areas and extort local farmers.
Manzo was killed during a Day of the Dead event. Video footage circulating online shows attendees fleeing the crowded venue after gunfire erupted.
Elected in September 2024, Manzo frequently wore a bulletproof vest while participating in street security patrols. In June, he shared a video on social media of one such patrol, urging the central government to take stronger measures against violent crime.
Only days before his assassination, Bernardo Bravo, a farmers’ representative in Michoacán known for speaking out against gang extortion, was also shot dead.
Mexico, which has suffered from drug-related violence for nearly two decades, has seen numerous local politicians killed in recent years.
Last month, the mayor of Pizaflores in central Mexico was shot dead by armed attackers. In June, gunmen attacked the office of a southern Mexican mayor, killing both the mayor and a staff member. The following day, another mayor in western Mexico was killed alongside her husband.