Residents of the municipality of Uruapan, Michoacán, demanded justice for the murder of Mayor Carlos Manzo Rodríguez, who was killed on Saturday after attending a public event, and called for the resignation of President Claudia Sheinbaum. Hundreds of family members, supporters, and residents of Uruapan accompanied the funeral procession of the mayor from the 'San José' funeral home to the city's main square, where the mayor was shot dead last night. 'Out with Claudia! Out with Morena,' were the slogans that the Uruapan residents chanted during the five-kilometer procession with Manzo Rodríguez's body. Grecia Quiroz, Manzo's wife, called on the people of Uruapan to continue his struggle and defend Mexico against the onslaught of organized crime and the lack of support from the federal government. 'Today I say to the people of Uruapan that we not be discouraged, that we unite, that we rise as he (Manzo) would have liked, that we fight, that we defend our children with all our might, that we defend the Uruapan of before, that we defend our homeland because he would have been the best president of Mexico,' she said before the coffin. The widow of Manzo called on parents to educate their children to prevent them from getting involved in organized crime, recalling that she is also suffering the mother of the hitman killed by her husband's security detail. 'Yesterday not only did he die; two died, and in the end, it is another mother who is crying in her house today. It is another mother who perhaps, if she had educated her son, given him love, given him affection, guided him on the right path, perhaps that son would not have attempted against my Carlos's life,' she explained. The mayor's body was taken to the Catholic temple of San Francisco de Asís, where a mass was held, before continuing with the wake. The mayor was killed on Saturday night in the main square of Uruapan, while mingling with hundreds of residents at the traditional Festival of Candles, as part of the Day of the Dead commemoration. Manzo Rodríguez died from six gunshot wounds at the hands of a hitman who was killed, while two other gunmen were arrested. Manzo Rodríguez won the mayoralty of Uruapan in the 2024 electoral process as an independent candidate, after having served as a federal deputy for the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena). Throughout 2025, the politician had repeatedly asked Sheinbaum for support to face the organized crime operating in Uruapan, the second most economically important municipality in Michoacán. This Sunday, Omar García Harfuch, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, stated that Manzo had federal and municipal protection since 2024, which was reinforced at the beginning of this 2025. Sheinbaum, for her part, condemned the crime 'with absolute firmness' and assured that there will be no impunity. Authorities have identified that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Knights Templar, the Viagras, United Peoples, and the Whites of Troya operate in Uruapan. Just last October 8, Manzo had called the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of Mexico, Omar García Harfuch, and Sheinbaum not to withdraw the National Guard from the municipality, as the agents had only been in the area for a few days. EFE
