More Americans Shot in Mexico

Âjust two blocks away from the police station when
By Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter May 8,they tried to stop subjects in a "camioneta" (read
2008 1:00 PM PDTeither p/u truck or SUV).
ÂIn Nogales, Sonora, a shootout between city police and
Four Americans were shot and wounded on Thursday"presumed criminals" resulted in four deaths, one of
as they were leaving the Arriba Chihuahua nightclub inthem an agent. Three persons were arrested and a
the ProNaF tourist zone in the violent Mexican borderwoman relative of the thugs was later killed in
city of Juárez. The shootings wereHermosillo in what was believed to be a follow-up
apparently deliberate attempts on Americans. Theyevent to those deaths.
were targeted not just random bystanders caught upThe partially burned bodies of two men were found
in the wave of violence that has recently engulfedinside bags in Cajeme; one of them had had his legs
Juárez, Mexican authorities said.cut off.
The wounded were identified by police as Juan Manuel"Ministerial" agent Jose Manuel Pena Lopez was
Contreras Machado, 32, Luz Elena Velazquez, 27,driving a vehicle in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, when he was
Jorge Jimenez, 21, and Alejandro Vazquez, 26.shot and killed by subjects riding a motorcycle. And
Mexican police confirmed that all four wounded areMiguel Angel Santa Cruz Armendariz, the state's
Americans and live in the border city of El PasoMinisterial Police investigations coordinator was riddled
Texas.by gunfire.
Police said the victims were taken to hospitals in bothIn Navolato, Sinaloa, the body of a beheaded man was
Juárez and El Paso. Thomason Generalfound with a message on a tag board. Three other
Hospital in El Paso confirmed that Vazquez andcrimes presumable linked to organized crime took
Jimenez are being treated there and are in stableplace in the states of Chiapas, Tamaulipas and
condition.Durango. Meanwhile, four police officers were killed in
Many Americans are wondering when the Bushan ambush in the northern state of Sinaloa and a local
administration is going to raise the travel alert to itsmedia report said another two local police officers had
highest level "travel warning," for American travelers toalso been killed.
Mexico? How many American citizens are going toRival factions of the local Arellano Felix drug cartel in
have to be shot, killed or kidnapped before theTijuana on the Mexico-California border fought each
American government move to prevent needlessother with rifles and machine guns in the early hours of
deaths and issue the proper "travel warning," forthe morning, police said.
Americans?Fourteen bodies lay in pools of blood, strewn along a
At the scene of the shooting, investigators found nineroad near assembly-for-export maquiladora plants on
9 mm bullet casings and a green Chevrolet Malibu withthe city's eastern limits. The corpses were surrounded
Chihuahua plates that had four gunshots in its sideby hundreds of bullet casings and many of the victims'
windows and windshield.faces were destroyed.
Since the start of the year, more than 200 people,A 15th body was found close by after the victim
including several law enforcement officers, have beenapparently tried to walk away before collapsing dead.
killed in Juárez alone, in a war between theEight other men were wounded and taken to a local
rival Sinaloa and Juárez drug cartels. Sincehospital where two more cartel members were sot
the beginning of this year more than 3500 people havedead by Tijuana police.
been murdered in Mexico in what authorities blame onIn the El Refugio section of Tijuana the body of a man
the Mexican cartels and their criminal gangs andwas found inside a vehicle and wrapped in a blanket
para-military forces. Officials claimed the rising death(note: this is a typical sign that an execution has been
toll showed that criminals were panicking about thecommitted); the vehicle was left parked in front of a
clampdown.children's playground.
Last month, and only after pressure from theHeavily armed men killed at least 16 people, all
American press the U.S. State Department updated itsmembers of a ranchers' association, in two different
travel alert for Mexico warning U.S. tourists about themassacres in southern Mexico, Mexican media said.
ongoing violence in Mexico, including the drug battles inSome 40 men riding in luxury vehicles and wearing
Juárez and other border cities. The alert,uniforms of an elite police squad shot nine people dead
which is less serious than a "travel warning," advisesin the town of Petatlan in the state of Guerrero, El
visitors to travel during the day, avoid traveling aloneUniversal newspaper reported. And a group toting
and stick to well-known tourist zones. The four shotautomatic weapons killed seven people in the town of
Americans where in that well-known zone. In fact itIguala, also in Guerrero.
happened in downtown Juarez and within a very shortReforma newspaper said the ranchers were holding a
distance from downtown El Paso Texas.meeting in Iguala and at least two of the sons and
More than 50 people died in several separate incidentsother family members and employees of the
of related Mexican drug cartel crime in Mexico, withassociation's state leader, Rogaciano Alba, were killed
the most gruesome attack by cartel para-militaryin the attack. Alba himself has survived two other
members, occurring in the southern Guerrero state.attacks in the past, Reforma said.
In Ciudad Juarez, despite a huge army deployment inThe newspapers did not say what could have
the violent city across the border from El Paso, Texastriggered the attacks but well-armed drug traffickers
Mexican drug hit men killed a senior police officer.are active in Guerrero, a poor, mountainous state on
Gunmen with assault rifles shot Saul Pena, who wasthe Pacific coast home to the Acapulco beach resort.
due to be named one of city's five policeClashes over land rights or local politics are also
commanders, as he left police headquarters.common in Guerrero.
"It seems they were waiting for him," said policeThe number of dead in the war against narcotraffic
spokesman Jaime Torres. "They shot him withalready exceeds three thousand 500 hundred. On
AK-47s in the back, the stomach and the leg. He diedaverage, 205 members of the different factions have
in hospital this morning."died on a monthly basis between Dec. 2006 and April
Berenice Garcia Corral was executed by killers whoof this year. In contrast, the monthly average of U.S.
went into her private home garage as she wassoldiers killed in Iraq is around 100.
parking her car. She was the commander of thePresident Felipe Calderon has warned that the
Juarez sub-office of the state of Chihuahua's Att'y.narco-war would bring with it an elevated cost in
Gen's. Sexual Crimes unit and also 2nd in command ofhuman lives, but the specialists in the matter point out
the State Investigative Agency.that the level of violence was underestimated. The
Also in Juarez, a private security guard in a bar waspresident of the "CNDH" (Mex. Natn'l. Commission on
found dead an hour after being taken away byHuman Rights), Jose Luis Soberanes, warns that the
commandos. Still in another event, two city policecapacity of the State has been surpassed and that
officers in a parked patrol unit suffered bullet woundsmore forceful means are due.
from a drive by shooting by unknown persons.Since December 2006, President Felipe Calderon's
In a barrage of more than 70 shots were fired in aFederal Government has deployed 36,000 military
roadway shooting that killed two men Lorenzotroops and thousands of police around the country in
Juárez Aguayo, 29, and Agustin Damianan operation aimed at clamping down on Mexican drug
Navarrete, 38, and wounded another along Avenidacartels and other organized crime. Many local and
Vicente Guerrero in Juárez, Chihuahuastate officials think more troops are needed and feel
state investigators reported.like the troops are losing the battle. The Mexican drug
The men were in a gray Crown Victoria and had justcartel violence has plagued the country since before
left a horse race track when they were followed by ahe took office. Just in March of this year, the Mexican
white van, whose occupants fired multiple shots; theygovernment sent more than 2,500 soldiers and federal
received multiple gunshot wounds investigators said.police officers to curb the violence in the border city of
Juan Verdugo, 21, who was in the back seat of theJuárez. Killings slowed for a few weeks
car, was wounded and taken to a Juárezafter the arrival of federal forces but appear to have
hospital in undisclosed condition.recently resumed. Now many Mexicans believe the
The lifeless bodies of three more men were found oncartels have the upper hand and are continuing the
different streets in Juarez. All dead from stab wounds,horrible global drug business that terrorizes many
beat to death and/or shot.Mexican families.
A captain of the Public Municipal Security Dep't., Saul For related articles go to:
Pena Lopez, died after having been shot during aSources:
car-to-car assault in Juarez.Mexico Attorney General's office
In Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, a "heavy caliber"Mexican Military officers
car-to-car gunfire assault killed a lawyer, his wife and aThe president of the "CNDH" (Mex. Natn'l. Commission
third adult and left the dead couple's minor daughteron Human Rights), Jose Luis Soberanes
gravely wounded. Casas Grandes Mexico is some 125Juarez police Dept.
mi. SW of Ciudad Juarez.Reforma newspaper
Chihuahua, Sonora & Sinaloa experienced extremeEl Universal newspaper
violence as seventeen persons were executed, sevenTijuana police
of whom were state and city police officers. At Parral,U.S.
Chihuahua, two city police officers were shot and killed