Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, who was under police protection, was shot dead in front of dozens of people

A mayor in Mexico’s western state of Michoacán was shot dead in a plaza in front of dozens of people who had gathered for Day of the Dead festivities, authorities have said.

The mayor of the Uruapan municipality, Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, was gunned down Saturday night in the town’s historic centre. He was rushed to a hospital where he later died, according to state prosecutor Carlos Torres Piña.

A city council member and a bodyguard were also injured in the assault.