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Mexican mayor killed during Day of the Dead celebrations

Published: 03 Nov. 2025, 10:25

A hat worn by late Mayor Carlos Manzo Rodriguez, who was shot during the Day of the dead celebrations, sits on his horse at his funeral in Uruapan, Michoacán state, Mexico, Nov. 2. [AP/YONHAP]

A mayor in Mexico’s western state of Michoacán was shot dead in a plaza in front of dozens of people who had gathered for Day of the Dead festivities, authorities said.

Local politicians in Mexico are frequently victims of political and organized crime violence.

The mayor of the Uruapan municipality, Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez, was gunned down Saturday night in the town’s historic center. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died, according to state prosecutor Carlos Torres Piña.

A city council member and a bodyguard were also injured in the attack.

The attacker was killed at the scene, Federal Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch told journalists Sunday.

People chant during a funeral procession for late Mayor Carlos Manzo Rodriguez, who was shot dead during the Day of the dead celebrations, in Uruapan, Michoacán state, Mexico, Nov. 2. [AP/YONHAP]

The attack on the mayor was carried out by an unidentified man who shot him seven times, García Harfuch said. The weapon was linked to two armed clashes between rival criminal groups operating in the region, he added.

“No line of investigation is being ruled out to clarify this cowardly act that took the life of the mayor,” García Harfuch said.

Michoacán is one of Mexico’s most violent states and is a battleground among various cartels and criminal groups fighting for control of territory, drug distribution routes and other illicit activities.

People chant during a funeral procession for late Mayor Carlos Manzo Rodriguez, who was shot dead during the Day of the dead celebrations, in Uruapan, Michoacán state, Mexico, Nov. 2. [AP/YONHAP]

On Sunday, hundreds of Uruapan residents, dressed in black and holding up photographs of Manzo Rodriguez, took to the town’s streets to accompany the funeral procession and bid farewell to the slain mayor. They chanted “Justice! Justice! Out with Morena!,” a reference to the ruling party of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

In recent months, the Uruapan mayor had publicly appealed to Sheinbaum on social media for help to confront the cartels and criminal groups. He had accused Michoácan’s pro-government governor, Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla, and the state police of corruption.

At the head of the procession, a man led Manzo Rodriguez’s black horse, with one of the mayor’s signature hats placed on the saddle. A group of musicians, also dressed in black, followed and played mariachi songs.

In the narrow streets of the agricultural town, where avocados are the main crop, dozens of police and military officers stood guard around the area.

People gather to honor late Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez, who was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations, in Uruapan, Michoacán state, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 2. [AP/YONHAP]

The attack on Manzo Rodriguez, a former Morena legislator, was captured on video and shared on social media. The footage shows dozens of residents and tourists, some in costume and with painted faces, enjoying the event surrounded by hundreds of lit candles, marigold flowers and skull decorations. Then several gunshots ring out and people run for cover.

In another video, a person is seen lying on the ground as an official performs CPR while armed police officers guard the area.

Manzo Rodriguez had been under protection since December 2024, three months after taking office. His security was reinforced last May with municipal police and 14 National Guard officers, García Harfuch said, without specifying what prompted the measure.

People carry the coffin of late Mayor Carlos Manzo Rodriguez, who was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations, in Uruapan, Michoacán state, Mexico, Nov. 2. [AP/YONHAP]

Manzo Rodriguez, who some nicknamed “The Mexican Bukele” in reference to the tough security policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, took office as mayor of Uruapan after winning that year’s midterm elections with an independent movement.

The mayor’s killing follows the death of Salvador Bastidas, mayor of the municipality of Tacambaro, also in Michoacán. Bastidas was killed in June along with his bodyguard as he arrived at his home in the town’s Centro neighborhood.

In October 2024, journalist Mauricio Cruz Solis was also shot in Uruapan shortly after interviewing Manzo Rodriguez.

AP