Mayor of Mexican city killed during holiday celebrations

The mayor of Uruapan in Mexico’s western Michoacán state, Carlos Manso, was shot dead in the street during a public Day of the Dead event. Gunmen opened fire in front of hundreds of people shortly after Manso inaugurated the city’s candlelight festival. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him with CPR, but he died at the scene.

A statement from Mexico’s national public security agency said one of the attackers was killed on site, while two others were arrested.

At a press conference, federal security minister Omar García Harfuch confirmed that Manso had been under protection for several months.

"Since December 2024, he had assigned bodyguards, and in May, he received additional reinforcements. Unfortunately, the attackers exploited the vulnerability of a public event to carry out the assault," Harfuch said.

Anti-cartel stance

Carlos Manso, who became mayor in September 2024, had taken an outspoken stance against organized crime and drug cartels. He often patrolled the streets personally wearing a bulletproof vest.

In a June video posted on his social media, Manso called on the federal government to do more to combat violent crime.

He is the sixth mayor killed in Mexico this year and the third in Michoacán. In June, the mayors of Tepalcatepec, Martha Laura Mendoza, and Tacámbaro, Salvador Bastida, were also murdered.

Trump's plan to confront Mexican cartels

In May, US President Donald Trump expressed intentions to deploy American troops to Mexico to combat drug trafficking.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected the proposal, prompting Trump to claim she was "afraid of the cartels." During his January inauguration, Trump announced plans to designate the cartels as international terrorist organizations.