Mayor of Uruapan Carlos Manzo, known for publicly denouncing cartel influence in his city, was shot and killed by a 17-year-old during Day of the Dead celebrations on Nov. 1, sending waves of concern throughout Mexico.

The shooting came amid a wave of attacks by criminal organizations across Uruapan after Manzo had publicly voiced his opposition to them. Authorities identified the shooter as 17-year-old Victor Manuel Ubaldo Vidales, from the nearby municipality of Paracho. Authorities also said the weapon used was one commonly associated with criminal organizations operating in the state of Michoacán.

Manzo had been one of the few local leaders in Mexico to directly confront organized crime, condemning the illegal avocado and weapons trades that have taken over Michoacán’s farming regions. He had already received multiple threats in recent months, according to local officials.

Days before his death, Manzo had urged the federal government to send reinforcements, warning that local police were outmatched by heavily armed groups. In response, the federal government increased the presence of the National Guard in Uruapan and across Michoacán.

Manzo was one of many government officials killed in the ongoing conflict with criminal organizations in Michoacán and throughout Mexico. According to Veritas News, at least 63 public officials — including mayors and local administrators — have been killed in the past five years, among them Martha Laura Mendoza, mayor of Tepalcatepec.

However, for both Uruapan and Michoacán, the death of Manzo sparked outrage. On Nov. 2, thousands of protesters dressed in black flooded Uruapan’s streets, carrying candles and chanting for justice.

President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the killing and announced that the National Guard would expand operations throughout Michoacán, calling Manzo’s death “a reminder of the urgent need to restore peace.”

The Uruapan government has now appointed Manzo’s wife, Grecia Quiroz, to serve the remainder of his term.

“Today, this legacy does not end, I swear to you, Carlos, it does not end,” Quiroz said at a press conference. “For our children, for you, for me, for everything you told me you wanted to do — I swear we will keep going. This town, together with you, with our children, we must move Uruapan forward.”