Seven bodyguards meant to protect a Mexican mayor are now in cuffs, suspected of playing a role in his brutal assassination during a cultural celebration, NBC News reports.
In a shocking turn of events in Uruapan, Mexico, Mayor Carlos Manzo was gunned down on Nov. 1, 2025, during Day of the Dead festivities in the central plaza, and now seven of his own security detail have been arrested for suspected involvement in the crime, alongside connections to a notorious cartel.
The tragedy unfolded in Uruapan’s central plaza, where Mayor Manzo, known for his bold stance against organized crime, was shot by a teenage gunman amidst a crowd honoring the departed.
Reports suggest the mayor’s own security team took down the young shooter after the attack, but not before raising eyebrows—why was the gunman on the ground before being fatally shot by the detail?
This disturbing detail has fueled suspicion about the bodyguards’ loyalty, and it’s hard not to wonder if some turned a blind eye or worse, given the whispers of betrayal from within Manzo’s inner circle.
Fast forward to a recent Friday in Uruapan, when state and federal authorities, including soldiers and National Guard troops, marched seven suspects out of a city building near the very plaza where Manzo fell.
The Associated Press observed at least five of these arrests, while the Michoacan state prosecutor’s office confirmed that seven public officials were detained for likely participation in aggravated homicide.
An official close to the operation later verified that all seven were part of Manzo’s personal security team—talk about a gut punch to trust in public safety.
Onlookers from Manzo’s staff, now under his wife’s leadership as the new mayor, recorded the arrests, some visibly emotional as colleagues were hauled away.
Adding to the chaos, two anonymous sources noted that some of those arrested were from Manzo’s tight-knit circle, suggesting this betrayal might cut deeper than anyone feared.
Just days before the arrests, on a recent Wednesday, authorities nabbed a man accused of orchestrating the killing, tying the plot to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a criminal outfit with a stranglehold on parts of Michoacan.
While no direct statements from named individuals emerged, the Michoacan prosecutor’s office has made it clear they’re pursuing justice for this heinous act—yet, one has to ask if rooting out cartel influence is even possible when it creeps into the mayor’s own guard.
In Uruapan’s central plaza, candles flicker and handwritten notes mourn Manzo’s loss, with messages pleading for accountability in a city weary of violence.
The mayor’s outspoken fight against crime made him a target, but it also made him a hero to many—now, the pressure is on President Claudia Sheinbaum to rethink her security approach as this killing exposes glaring vulnerabilities.
Sheinbaum’s response, dubbed Plan Michoacan, promises hefty social program funding and 10,000 troops to tackle criminal groups, but skeptics might argue it’s a Band-Aid on a wound that’s been festering for years under progressive policies that seem soft on enforcement.
