Mexican mayor slaughtered in entrance of revellers on Day of the Dead
Outspoken mayor Carlos Manzo, 40, was fatally gunned down during celebrations in the Mexican city of Uruapan after he called for cartel members to be beaten into submission or even killed
A Mexican mayor who called for “brute force” against murderous drug cartels was shot dead during “Day of the Dead” celebrations in a public execution. Carlos Manzo, 40, was gunned down in a brazen “kamikaze attack” in front of festival goers on Saturday night.
He was rushed to hospital where he later died, a month after he chillingly said: “I don’t want to be just another murdered mayor. But it is important not to let fear control us.”
A city council member and a bodyguard were also injured in the attack. The gunman, who shot the mayor seven times, was killed at the scene, the federal security secretary Omar García Harfuch said.
The firebrand politician was the mayor of Uruapan, a city in an avocado-growing region beset by crime and violence and he rose to prominence when he suggested authorities should beat criminals into submission — or simply kill them.
His death has sparked a national outcry and even provoked outrage in Washington. Mr García Harfuch said: “No line of investigation is being ruled out to clarify this cowardly act that took the life of the mayor.”
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, a former ambassador to Mexico, wrote on social media: “The US stands ready to deepen security cooperation with Mexico to wipe out organized crime on both sides of the border.
“Here’s Carlos holding his young son at the celebration just moments before the attack. May his soul rest in peace and may his memory inspire prompt and effective action.”
Manzo broke branks with major figures in Mexican politics who wanted a more pragmatic approach to dealing with cartels.
The son of a community activist, Manzo became mayor of Uruapan in 2024 and called on the country’s president Claudia Sheinbaum to take a hard line against cartels.
The city has been the site of some of Mexico’s worst drug war atrocities — kidnappings, bombings, bodies hung from highway overpasses — as a volatile mix of criminal groups battle for control of trafficking routes and profits from the lucrative avocado industry.
He was surrounded by national guard troops at the event, but they were unable to save him from what security consultant David Saucedo described as a “kamikaze attack” as it was clear the shooter would be killed, reports the LA Times.
Saucedo said Manzo had been “brave but reckless” in his bid to tackle cartel violence. He added: “Carlos lacked the human, financial, and material resources to defeat the cartels.”
President Sheinbaum said in a statement following the assassination: ” I condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile assassination of the mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo. I express my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, as well as to the people of Uruapan, for this irreparable loss.”
A funeral was held for Manzo within 24 hours of his killing on Sunday, as is custom in many countries in Latin America and southern Europe, such as Spain.
Hi murder was the latest in a string of violent incidents in Michoacán. Last month, officials announced they had discovered the body of Bernardo Bravo Manríquez, the head of a lime growers association who had repeatedly denounced extortion demands against agricultural producers.
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