The murder of Mexico’s most vocal anti-crime mayor shows that, despite President Claudia Sheinbaum’s crackdown on drug cartels, the battle is just beginning.

Mexican Mayor Carlos Manzo, who opposed drug cartels, was fatally shot during Day of the Dead celebrations in Uruapan on Saturday.

The mayor of the Uruapan municipality, in the western state of Michoacan, was gunned down Saturday night in front of dozens of people who had gathered for Day of the Dead festivities, authorities said.

Carlos Manzo was attacked shortly after 8 p.m. and later died from his injuries at a hospital, officials said.

Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan in the Mexican state of Michoacan, was shot and killed during an event marking the Day of the Dead.

When those who defy organized crime are left unprotected, the state loses its legitimacy.

Mexico is engulfed in chaos as hundreds of demonstrators storm the Government Palace in Morelia, torching areas of the historic building and clashing violently with riot police. Tear gas, explosions,

Mexican Mayor Carlos Manzo, who called for “brute force” against the drug cartels, was gunned down in public Saturday in his hometown.