17-Year-Old Identified as Shooter in Mayor Carlos Manzo's Assassination

Post by : Raina Nasser

In a startling development, Mexican authorities have identified a 17-year-old, Victor Manuel Ubaldo, as the shooter who killed Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo during a Day of the Dead event on November 2 in Michoacan.

Official statements indicate that forensic tests have definitively established the teenager as the assailant. This revelation follows Ubaldo's death at the hands of security forces who intervened during the incident. His family subsequently recognized him on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Carlos Torres confirmed that thorough forensic evaluations, including sodium rhodizonate tests, linked Ubaldo directly to the murder of Mayor Manzo. “The forensic evidence unequivocally shows that this young individual fired the weapon linked to the assassination,” stated Torres. He also noted that the suspect exhibited signs of methamphetamine use and had been absent from home for a week before the incident.

Authorities suspect that other individuals may have aided in planning the shooting, tied to the influence of organized crime in the area. Michoacan has long experienced severe gang violence and political violence, with frequent assassinations of public figures.

Experts express alarm that criminal organizations in Mexico are increasingly recruiting minors, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, for perilous tasks like assassinations. A government report highlights that even children as young as six are being lured into the criminal underworld via social media and gaming.

Human rights advocates raise concerns about the vulnerability of youth, estimating that around 200,000 minors in Mexico are at risk of being entangled with criminal entities.

The assassination of Mayor Carlos Manzo emphasizes the rising violence in drug cartel-affected areas and the unsettling trend of youth becoming entangled in organized crime.