Michoacan prosecutor says CJNG ordered killing of former Uruapan mayor one year ago

Carlos Manzo Rodriguez, then mayor of Uruapan in Michoacan, was shot during the Candles Festival on the night of November 1, 2025. He was surrounded by dozens of residents and family members at a Day of the Dead event in the main square. He was taken to a hospital but died from his injuries.

The attack happened around 8:00 p.m. Manzo had shared the candle-lighting event on social media just before the shooting. Videos showed him carrying one of his children and accompanied by members of his cabinet. Although he had seven municipal police bodyguards and National Guard members patrolling the perimeter, a 17-year-old approached him and fired at least six times.

“Objectively, what the exhausted investigative lines indicate is that, indeed, the motive is due to the frontal actions the mayor carried out against criminal groups.”

The teenager, identified as Victor Manuel N from Paracho, was killed at the scene by Manzo's bodyguard. The Mexico Security Cabinet confirmed his death around 9:00 p.m. The killing triggered outrage in Uruapan and Morelia, where marches demanded justice. At least eight people were detained for damaging the Government Palace.

Michoacan prosecutors say the investigation is 90 percent complete. Thirty-four people have been detained, including those identified as the intellectual author and those responsible for planning and coordinating the execution. At least 29 detainees are already linked to criminal proceedings.

Authorities also located the bodies of Fernando Josue N and Ramiro N on the Uruapan-Paracho highway. Both allegedly participated in planning the armed attack. Jorge Armando N, alias El Licenciado, was later detained.

Israel Vega Rodriguez, acting head of the prosecutor's office and deputy intelligence prosecutor, said the main investigative line points to Manzo's direct confrontation with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. He specifically cited the August 27, 2025 arrest of Rene Belmontes Aguilar, alias El Rhino or El Chamuco, identified as the cartel's plaza boss in Uruapan. Prosecutors said Manzo exposed and insulted Belmontes during a Facebook livestream that he deleted minutes later.

Vega Rodriguez said investigators found no indication of a political motive. He stated objectively that the motive was the frontal actions the mayor took against criminal groups in the municipality and Uruapan region, especially regarding the arrest of El Rhino.