Police Director Killed Suspect in Carlos Manzo Murder Case

Uruapan, Michoacán — Víctor Manuel “N”, the 17-year-old recruited as a hitman in the Carlos Manzo case, was executed after he had been subdued and disarmed, with the suspected perpetrator being Demetrio “N”, then director of the Municipal Police, according to the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC).

Based on the mechanics reconstructed by experts presented at the hearing, Víctor Manuel approached through the crowd during the Festival of the Candles. He first wounded a civilian identified as Félix, who was taking a photo with the mayor, then fired six times at Manzo.

According to videos and expert reports, the minor dropped the weapon. After a struggle, Demetrio “N” picked up the pistol from the ground and fired it directly at the shooter, who no longer posed any threat, as established by forensic experts.

Although the former police commander initially stated that he fired from “one and a half meters” away, ballistic studies contradicted this.

The reconstruction of events also included the testimony of a paramedic, who stated that Manzo’s bodyguards prevented him from attending to the wounded teenager and that he was only able to check on him when the National Guard intervened, but the young man had already died.

The hitman could have been handed over to ministerial authorities, as he was detained. “It is being investigated why the hitman was killed at the scene; because the hitman was detained and moments later there was a struggle, and a single shot killed the hitman,” revealed Ramírez Bedolla in a press conference days after the incident.

Manzo’s executor breached the perimeter security of 14 National Guard (GN) elements, evaded the 8 bodyguards of the Mayor, and managed to assassinate him during a Day of the Dead event, in the middle of the public square.

After attacking the Mayor, he tried to run but was immediately detained, and amid blows and shouts, a shot was fired and he died.

A viralized video on social media recorded how, at the moment Manzo was being attended to by paramedics trying to revive him, a few meters away his executor was on the ground with several people surrounding and insulting him.

Minutes before dying after having murdered the Mayor, the attacker received the reproach: “Who sent you?… son of a bitch.”

The execution of Víctor Manuel occurs in the same context in which authorities revealed the existence of an infiltrator in Manzo’s close circle, who leaked his location in real time to the criminal group that planned the attack through encrypted messages on Threema.

Investigations reveal that the criminal structure not only recruited teenagers, one of them killed by Manzo’s bodyguard, but also set up a device of motorcyclists on the streets of downtown Uruapan to move the hitmen and close escape routes.

It was even revealed that a taxi driver was used as a key piece to get one of the implicated individuals out to the San Pedro neighborhood after the attack.

The alleged perpetrators operated under instructions from Ramiro “N”, indicated as the recruiter; Fernando Josué “N”, one of the main operators; and Víctor Manuel “N”, the 17-year-old teenager identified as the shooter who fired at the Mayor.

The state Prosecutor’s Office is preparing more indictments for the next hearing in federal courts, at the Altiplano prison, where Jorge Armando “N”, alias “El Licenciado”, the alleged intellectual author of the crime, remains incarcerated.

In the case, seven of Manzo’s guards were also detained for deliberate omission and extrajudicial execution.

CJNG Put a Price on His Life for 2 Million Pesos

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) offered two million pesos to assassinate the former mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, Carlos Manzo.

During the arraignment hearing for the seven bodyguards and Jorge Armando “N”, “El Licenciado”, prosecutors presented evidence data included in a messaging chat, as well as on a USB, which mention the offer of money to the person who would take Carlos Manzo’s life.

During the session held in Michoacán, personnel from the Attorney General’s Office argued that one of the people close to Carlos Manzo maintained communication with a group of nine people, including Jorge Armando “N”, “El Licenciado”, one of the alleged material authors of the crime.

The information gathered by authorities indicates that the informant alerted them to the presence of the then mayor at the “kiosk”, located in the square where he was murdered.

The infiltrator reported Carlos Manzo’s arrival at the place while he was in Plaza Morelos. In the chat, through which the 10 people with instructions to assassinate the mayor communicated, each of his movements was notified, including when he was carrying a child.

“It doesn’t matter if he has the child, that’s how we have to take him down,” one of the messages states.

“We are ready to break his ass as the boss wants,” is read in response.

After the attack, one of the members received instructions to hide.

During the hearing, evidence was presented to establish that Demetrio “N”, director of the municipal police, was always present during the crime against Carlos Manzo, municipal president of Uruapan.

The evidence presented by experts indicates that the mayor’s assassin, Víctor Manuel “N”, first attacked a person near Carlos Manzo. Then he fired six times at the mayor. After the shots, the aggressor dropped the weapon and was subdued.

Immediately, Demetrio “N” picked up the pistol from the ground, with which Carlos Manzo was attacked, and fired at Víctor Manuel “N” when he was already subdued.

A paramedic declared that Manzo Rodríguez’s bodyguards did not allow him to attend to the aggressor.

Carlos Manzo was assassinated with six shots on the night of November 1 while he was at the Festival of the Candles in the municipal square along with his wife; his security team killed the responsible individual.