URUAPAN, Mexico (AP) – Uruapan Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodrรญguez was fatally โฃshot during Day of the Dead โcelebrations โSunday, November 2,โฃ 2025, authorities confirmed. The killing of the newly elected mayor underscores the escalating violence targeting political figures in โthe mexican state of Michoacรกn.
Manzo Rodrรญguez,whoโ assumed office after winning midterm elections asโข an autonomous candidate,was sometimes referredโค to as “The Mexican Bukele” due to โฃhis advocacy for strong security measures,mirroring those of El SalvadorS President Nayib Bukele.His death adds to a growing list of attacks on localโข leaders in Michoacรกn, a โฃregion plagued by cartel โคactivity. The assassination raises concerns aboutโ the safety of elected officials and the potential for further instability as the state grapples with organized crime.
The mayor was killedโ whileโ participating in Day of the Deadโค festivities, a traditionallyโ vibrant and culturally important holidayโฃ in Mexico. A photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Eduardo verdugo shows Manzo Rodrรญguez’s hat resting on his horse at his funeral.
This incident follows the June killing ofโฃ Salvador Bastidas, mayor of Tacambaro, Michoacรกn, who was โคmurdered alongside hisโ bodyguard upon arriving home.In โoctober 2024, journalist Mauricio Cruz Solรญs was โalso shot in Uruapan shortly after interviewing Manzo Rodrรญguez.