Mexican mayor Carlos Manzo shot dead during Day of the Dead event

Mexican mayor shot dead during Day of the Dead celebrations

Gunmen shot and killed Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan in Mexico’s western state of Michoacán, during a public Day of the Dead event on Saturday, authorities confirmed.

According to Mexico’s national public security agency, Manzo was attacked in the city centre during the celebrations. “Two people involved in the incident were arrested, and one of the assailants had lost his life,” the agency said in a statement.

The assault, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media, shows residents and tourists enjoying the festivities before several gunshots ring out, causing panic as people flee for cover.

Manzo, a former Morena lawmaker, had been an outspoken critic of organized crime in Michoacán, one of Mexico’s most violent states, where powerful drug cartels frequently extort local farmers. He had repeatedly appealed to President Claudia Sheinbaum for greater federal support to combat trafficking and violence in the region.

As mayor, Manzo publicly condemned cartels for targeting the region’s lucrative avocado and lime industries and had even vowed to take lethal action against criminal groups. His killing underscores the growing danger faced by local officials in cartel-dominated territories, where violence against public servants remains rampant.