‘Cowardly act’: Mexican mayor shot dead during Day of the Dead celebrations; had been a vocal critic of the government

A mayor in Mexico’s western state of Michoacán was shot dead in a public plaza on Saturday, in front of dozens gathered for Day of the Dead celebrations. Authorities said Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, who had repeatedly appealed to President Claudia Sheinbaum for more resources to combat drug traffickers in the region, was gunned down in the attack.The attack on Manzo, a former Morena lawmaker, was caught on video and circulated on social media. The footage shows residents and tourists enjoying the festivities before multiple gunshots are heard, sending people fleeing for cover.

The assault was reportedly carried out by an unidentified man who shot the mayor seven times, said federal security secretary Omar García Harfuch. He added that the weapon used in the killing had been linked to two previous armed clashes between rival criminal groups operating in the region.“No line of investigation is being ruled out to clarify this cowardly act that took the life of the mayor,” Harfuch added, as cited by the Guardian. Manzo had been an outspoken critic of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s handling of organized crime and had repeatedly urged federal authorities for greater support. In recent months, he had posted videos expressing fear for his safety. Last year, a journalist was fatally shot just moments after interviewing Manzo in Uruapan, as reported by the New York Times.

Michoacán has become a flashpoint for violent clashes between cartels competing for control of the drug trade.Earlier this year, President Claudia Sheinbaum rebuked Manzo after he urged local police to shoot criminals attacking civilians. Manzo, once part of her Morena party, ran as an independent in 2024.On Sunday, hundreds of Uruapan residents dressed in black and carrying photographs of Manzo joined his funeral procession through the town’s streets.

The crowd chanted “Justice, justice. Out with Morena,” in a show of anger toward President Claudia Sheinbaum’s ruling party.The mayor’s killing comes months after the death of Salvador Bastidas, the mayor of Tacámbaro, another municipality in Michoacán. Bastidas and his bodyguard were shot dead in June as they arrived at his home in the town’s Centro neighborhood.