Mexican mayor killed during Day of the Dead celebrations in Michoacan : NPR
People carry the coffin of the late Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, who was shot dead during Day of the Dead celebrations, in Uruapan, Michoacan state, Mexico, Sunday, November 2, 2025.
Eduardo Verdugo/AP
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Eduardo Verdugo/AP
URUAPAN, Mexico — A mayor in the western Mexican state of Michoacan was shot dead in a square in front of dozens of people gathered for Day of the Dead festivities, authorities said.
Local politicians in Mexico are frequent victims of political violence and organized crime.
The mayor of the municipality of Uruapan, Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, was shot dead Saturday evening in the historic center of the city. He was rushed to hospital, where he later died, according to prosecutor Carlos Torres Piña.
A municipal councilor and a bodyguard were also injured in the attack.
The attacker was killed on the spot, Federal Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch told reporters on Sunday.
The attack on the mayor was carried out by an unidentified man who shot him seven times, García Harfuch said. This weapon is linked to two armed clashes between rival criminal groups operating in the region, he added.
“No avenue of investigation is excluded to elucidate this cowardly act which cost the life of the mayor,” declared García Harfuch.
Michoacan is one of Mexico’s most violent states and is a battleground between various cartels and criminal groups fighting for control of territory, drug distribution routes and other illicit activities.
People sing during a funeral procession for the late Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, who was shot dead during Day of the Dead celebrations, in Uruapan, Michoacan state, Mexico, Sunday, November 2, 2025.
Eduardo Verdugo/AP
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Eduardo Verdugo/AP
On Sunday, hundreds of Uruapan residents, dressed in black and holding photographs of Manzo Rodríguez, took to the streets of the city to accompany the funeral procession and bid farewell to the murdered mayor. They chanted “Justice! Justice! Out Morena!”, a reference to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s ruling party.
In recent months, the mayor of Uruapan had publicly appealed to Sheinbaum on social media for help in the fight against cartels and criminal groups. He had accused Michoacan’s pro-government governor, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, and the state police of corruption.
At the head of the procession, a man rode Manzo Rodríguez’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.
On the narrow streets of the agricultural town, where avocado is the main crop, dozens of police and military officers stood guard around the neighborhood.
The attack on Manzo Rodríguez, a former Morena lawmaker, was filmed and shared on social media. Images show dozens of locals and tourists, some in costumes and with painted faces, enjoying the event surrounded by hundreds of lit candles, marigold flowers and skull decorations. Then several shots ring out and people run for cover.
In another video, a person is seen lying on the ground while an official performs CPR while armed police guard the area.
Manzo Rodríguez had been under protection since December 2024, three months after taking office. Its security was reinforced last May by municipal police and 14 National Guard officers, García Harfuch said, without specifying the reasons for this measure.
Manzo Rodríguez, who some call “The Mexican Bukele” in reference to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s strict security policies, took office as mayor of Uruapan after winning that year’s midterm elections with an independent movement.
The mayor’s assassination follows that of Salvador Bastidas, mayor of the municipality of Tacambaro, also in Michoacan. Bastidas was killed in June along with his bodyguard as he arrived at his home in the city’s Centro neighborhood.
In October 2024, journalist Mauricio Cruz Solís was also shot dead in Uruapan shortly after interviewing Manzo Rodríguez.
