The killing of Carlos Manzo Rodríguez, mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, has caused a major uproar across the state, fueling protests and criticism of the government as violence against public officials continues. Since Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla took office in October 2021, seven mayors in Michoacán have been assassinated.
The growing wave of violence has fueled public discontent with Ramírez Bedolla's administration. On Nov. 2, during Manzo's funeral, the governor was reportedly expelled from the service after attendees accused him of failing to protect Manzo despite the mayor reporting prior threats.
🗳📌 CORREN A BEDOLLA DEL FUNERAL DE CARLOS MANZO ENTRE GRITOS E INSULTOS
— Juan Ortiz 🗳️👁🗨 (@Juan_OrtizMX) November 2, 2025
El gobernador de Michoacán, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, fue expulsado del funeral del alcalde de Uruapan, Carlos Manzo, en medio de gritos, reclamos e insultos por parte de familiares y ciudadanos.
El… pic.twitter.com/vcRajSQajY
According to Infobae México, Manzo's death was the seventh assassination of a Michoacán mayor under Ramírez Bedolla. The first occurred in February 2022, when Enrique Velázquez Orozco, mayor of Contepec, was found dead two days after being reported missing.
Almost five weeks later, César Arturo Valencia Caballero, mayor of Aguililla, was shot and killed while traveling in his own municipality.
In 2024, two more mayors were murdered. Guillermo Torres Rojas, mayor of Churumuco, was killed in April while dining at a taquería in Morelia, the state capital. On June 3, Yolanda Sánchez Figueroa, mayor of Cotija, was shot and killed nearly a year after being kidnapped in Jalisco.
This year, two additional Michoacán mayors were killed, as reported by The Latin Times. In June, Martha Laura Mendoza Mendoza, mayor of Tepalcatepec, was shot along with her husband and son in broad daylight near the town center. Two months later, Salvador Bastida García, mayor of Tacámbaro, was fatally shot alongside one of his security guards while en route to the town's main square.
Alongside these seven mayoral deaths since 2022, Michoacán also has a case of an elected official who remains missing. Gilberto Mejía Salgado, elected mayor of Penjamillo, has been missing since June 2021. Investigators say he was abducted by an armed group while opening his business in the town center, according to Infobae México.
Rubén Ortega Montes, a security specialist at the University of Guadalajara, told El Informador that Manzo's assassination is further evidence of a "failed state," incapable of protecting its own officials.
"Not even this mayor, the second most important in Michoacán after Morelia, was safe. This demonstrates that freedom of expression and the ability to speak openly about governance are limited. Those who dare to speak the truth are silenced by bullets or bribes, and in Carlos Manzo's case, he was silenced with bullets," Ortega Montes said.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
