Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who had publicly urged Mexico’s leaders to take a tougher stance on cartels, was gunned down on Saturday during a Day of the Dead ceremony in Uruapan, Michoacán, state officials said. He was shot seven times; one suspected attacker was killed, and two others were detained.
The assassination is just the latest of violent incidents around Michoacán, a state described by The Wall Street Journal as the hub of Mexico’s avocado industry and a long-time battleground for cartels that extort growers.
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What Manzo argued about fighting cartels
Manzo had been a vocal critic of Mexico’s national security strategy. In September, he told local media, “We need greater determination from the president of Mexico,” and vowed not to take “a single step back,” Fox News reported.
He openly acknowledged the danger, saying, “I do not want to be just another mayor on the list … I am very afraid, but I must face it with courage.”
He told The Wall Street Journal that he personally led police operations to “preach by example” and urged federal forces to “clean the mountains of the people who are killing and extorting avocado growers.”
He also criticized the federal “hugs, not bullets” mantra, according to The Los Angeles Times.
“Hugs… are for Mexicans who live in extreme poverty,” Manzo said. “Criminals, assassins… they deserve beatings and the full force of the Mexican state.”
What security looked like and what officials say
Despite his public profile, Manzo had extensive security details. According to the Journal, Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said the mayor’s protection included 14 Mexican National Guard members, as well as municipal police. Officials also stated that the weapon used in the attack has been linked to previous gang activity.
A security consultant, speaking to the Los Angeles Times, described the killing as a “kamikaze attack,” noting the public setting and the presence of the mayor’s security detail.
How leaders in Mexico and the US responded
The assassination drew immediate responses. The Times reported that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on X that the U.S. “stands ready to deepen security cooperation with Mexico to wipe out organized crime on both sides of the border.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the killing an “irreparable loss,” and stated that her administration has strengthened security efforts.
Analysts cited by the Journal said the assassination raises questions about federal intelligence and protection for threatened local officials. Authorities opened a homicide investigation and pledged “no impunity.”
