Organized crime believed involved in killing of popular Mexican mayor by
teenage gunman
[November 07, 2025]
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The
teenage attacker who shot and killed a popular mayor in western Mexico
was a known methamphetamine addict, but organized crime was also
involved in the assassination, state authorities said Thursday.
Uruapan Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo was shot Saturday night in the town’s
historic center in front of dozens of people gathered for Day of the
Dead festivities. Manzo was hit seven times and died later at a
hospital. |
People carry the coffin of late Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez,
who was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations, in Uruapan, Michoacan
state, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) |
|
On Thursday, Michoacan state prosecutor Carlos Torres Piña named
the gunman as 17-year-old Víctor Manuel Ubaldo Vidales, who was
shot and killed by the mayor’s security detail.
Torres Piña, who told a news conference that the shooter’s body
had been identified by his relatives, said more than two people
were involved and that the attack was tied to organized crime.
He did not provide details.
Investigators have said the gun used to kill Manzo has been
linked to two earlier armed clashes between rival organized
crime groups operating in Michoacan.
The announcement came one day after Manzo’s wife assumed his
position as mayor.
Seven mayors have been killed in Michoacan during the past three
years. Mayors are especially vulnerable to organized crime
groups in Mexico that seek to control territory to move drugs
and extort residents and businesses.
In recent months, Manzo had publicly appealed to Mexico
President Claudia Sheinbaum on social media for help to confront
the cartels and criminal groups.
Last month, Michoacan was shaken by the killing of a popular and
outspoken leader of lime growers, who also suffered extortion
from the cartels.
During the last few years, the Mexican federal government has
sent hundreds of troops to Michoacan but it hasn’t been enough
to control the cells of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the
Familia Michoacana and local criminal organizations that operate
in the state. The state’s persistent violence has resisted
interventions from successive administrations.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
|
