Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Sunday promised that there would be justice for the brazen assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, an independent and vocal critic of organized crime who had repeatedly warned of the dangers he faced.
Manzo, 40, was shot dead on Nov. 1 while attending a candlelight Day of the Dead festival in the central square of Uruapan, a city in the violence-plagued western state of Michoacan. The region has long been a stronghold of criminal groups competing for control of the lucrative avocado trade.
According to Mexico’s security ministry, two suspects were arrested shortly after the shooting, and a third suspect was killed in a confrontation with police.
President Sheinbaum, who took office earlier this year, called an emergency meeting of her security cabinet on Sunday to address the killing, later condemning what she described as a “vile” assassination in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“We reaffirm our commitment to deploy all the State’s efforts to achieve peace and security with zero impunity and full justice,” Sheinbaum wrote.
Carlos Manzo was one of the few independent politicians to win local office in Mexico, assuming the mayorship of Uruapan in September 2024. Known for his blunt speech and visible frustration with government inaction, he frequently appeared in public wearing a bulletproof vest.
In interviews just weeks before his death, Manzo had expressed growing alarm over threats from criminal groups and the lack of adequate protection for local leaders.
“I don’t want to be just another mayor on the list of those executed, those whose lives have been taken from them,” Manzo told journalist Joaquin López-Dóriga in a September interview.
During another appearance on Milenio TV, Manzo accused criminal groups of attempting to “make pacts” with local officials and warned that those who resisted often ended up dead.
“How many mayors haven’t they killed because they opposed making these pacts with organized crime?” he asked.
Security Minister Omar Harfuch, speaking at a press conference on Nov. 2, confirmed that Manzo had been under federal protection since December 2024, with security measures reinforced in May 2025.
The arrangement included 14 National Guard troops assigned to perimeter protection, alongside local police responsible for his immediate safety.
“The aggressors took advantage of the vulnerability of a public event,” Harfuch said. “Be certain that there will be no impunity.”
Manzo had publicly appealed for stronger security support in recent months, directly addressing Harfuch and President Sheinbaum in televised remarks.
“Minister Omar Harfuch, help us,” he said during one broadcast. “Uruapan’s avocado industry gives it strategic importance ahead of the trade deal review with the U.S. and Canada but we can’t build prosperity on fear.”
Uruapan sits at the heart of Mexico’s avocado belt, a region whose booming exports often referred to as “green gold” have made it a target for extortion, kidnapping, and territorial control by cartels. Michoacan’s criminal landscape has long been fractured among rival groups, and local officials who resist pressure frequently become targets.
In recent years, multiple mayors and journalists have been killed across Mexico, underscoring the persistent threat of violence against public officials who challenge organized crime.
A march in the state capital of Morelia on Nov. 2 drew hundreds of residents demanding justice for Manzo and broader reforms to tackle corruption and violence.
The assassination also drew condemnation from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who shared a photograph of Manzo with his young son taken shortly before the shooting.
“The U.S. stands ready to deepen security cooperation with Mexico to wipe out organized crime on both sides of the border,” Landau wrote on X.
Manzo’s death marks another grim chapter in Mexico’s ongoing struggle to rein in cartel violence and safeguard local democracy. For President Sheinbaum, still early in her tenure, the case represents both a test of her government’s resolve and a symbol of the mounting toll of impunity facing those who dare to stand up to criminal power.