Family services director dismissed after drinking and shooting incident

The director of a municipal family services agency, one of whose activities is combating substance abuse, is out of a job after a drunken spree ended in his arrest in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

José María Cruz Morales’ night on the town in Villa de Álvarez, Colima, went wrong when he and a companion began to fight at the strip club where they were drinking. When Cruz drew a weapon and began shooting into the air, club employees called the authorities.

Cruz and his companion fled when state police and marines showed up, but the pair were chased down and arrested. Police confiscated a handgun and ammunition.

Cruz’s dismissal from the family services agency was announced on Thursday afternoon. Villa de Álvarez Mayor Esther Gutiérrez Andrade called his actions inconsistent with the principles that should guide the officials in her administration.

“The behavior of all functionaries in this government should be exemplary, following the principles of honesty, transparency and trust … that will guide our behavior until the last day of my term,” Gutiérrez said.

With reports from La Jornada and Milenio

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Manzanillo, Colima, México, 13 de marzo de 2026. La doctora Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, presidenta Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos en conferencia de prensa matutina, “Conferencia del Pueblo” desde Colima. La acompañan Indira Vizcaíno Silva, gobernadora Constitucional del Estado de Colima; Omar García Harfuch, secretario de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana (SSPC); Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, secretario de Marina (Semar); Bulmaro Juárez Pérez, divulgador de lenguas originarias, presentador de la sección “Suave Patria”; Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, secretario de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena); Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina, secretario de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes; Bryant Alejandro García Ramírez, fiscal general del Estado de Colima; Fabián Ricardo Gómez Calcáneo; Rocío Bárcena Molina, subsecretaria de Desarrollo Democrático, Participación Social y Asuntos Religiosos de la Secretaría de Gobernación; Efraín Morales López, director general de la Comisión Nacional del Agua (Conagua); Marcela Figueroa Franco, secretaria ejecutiva del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública (SESNSP) y Guillermo Briseño Lobera, comandante de la Guardia Nacional (GN). Foto: Saúl López / Presidencia

Mexico’s week in review: Congress deals Sheinbaum her first legislative defeat

0
The week of March 9 in Mexico was marked by standoffs between allies in Congress and adversaries at the airport. Here's what you missed.
A soldier displays seized handguns

The US and Mexico, growing together and growing apart: A perspective from our CEO

0
From a historic drop in homicides to opposite bets on electric vehicles, Mexico News Daily's CEO breaks down where the U.S. and Mexico are converging — and where they're not.
Veracruz Gov.

Veracruz governor blames private vessel for 200-kilometer Gulf Coast oil spill

1
The spill, which has spread to over 200 kilometers of Mexico's Gulf Coast beaches, has been traced to a private oil tanker off the coast of Tabasco.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity