Sunday, November 2, 2025 - Gunmen have assassinated Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan in western Mexico’s Michoacán state, during a public Day of the Dead event, authorities confirmed on Saturday, November 1.
The attack took place in Uruapan’s city center, an area long
troubled by violence linked to organized crime. Mexico’s national public
security agency said in a statement that “two people involved in the incident
were arrested, and one of the assailants had lost his life.”
Witnesses captured videos showing panic as crowds fled the
scene after gunfire erupted during the event.
Manzo, who took office in September 2024, was known for his
visible approach to security. He frequently joined local patrols wearing a
bulletproof vest and had publicly urged the federal government to take stronger
action against violent crime. In a video posted to his social media in June, he
called for greater federal intervention to protect Michoacán residents from
cartel activity.
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.
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