Carlos Manzo Rodriguez, who served as mayor of the municipality of Uruapan, in the Mexican state of Michoacan, was shot to death last Saturday night while attending the Candle Festival for the traditional Day of the Dead.

According to With the State Attorney General's Office, Manzo Rodriguez was attacked in the main square of Uruapan, known as the Municipal Pergola, where he was socializing with hundreds of people, including family members and children. In the attack, the Mexican official was shot at least seven times and was transported alive in an ambulance to the Fray Juan de San Miguel Hospital, where he died. “The authorities of the Government of Michoacan and the Security Cabinet are securing the area and maintaining patrols to guarantee the safety of the population. This crime will not go unpunished,” the Mexican Security Cabinet reported after the attack. Authorities also reported that the assailant was killed by security personnel, while two other people were arrested. “Following an attack that occurred this afternoon in downtown Uruapan, Michoacan, where Mayor Carlos Manzo tragically lost his life, two people involved in the events were arrested, and one of the “One of the assailants lost his life,” stated the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection. “Authorities from the Michoacan State Government and the Security Cabinet are securing the area and maintaining patrols to guarantee the safety of the population. This crime will not go unpunished,” Mexican authorities specified. Carlos Manzo won the mayoralty of Uruapan in the 2024 election and, during his administration, repeatedly called on President Claudia Sheinbaum for federal support to combat organized crime. According to reports from the State Attorney General's Office, it is estimated that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Knights Templar, and Los Viagras operate in Uruapan, Michoacan.Pueblos Unidos and Los Blancos de Troya.

With information from EFE and Agencia Reforma.