Thread: 39 killed in Juarez in four days, prosecutor's office

39 killed in Ciudad Juarez in four days, prosecutor's office says

By Nick Valencia and Arturo Chacon, CNN
April 12, 2011 7:35 p.m. EDT

As many as 600 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez in 2011, according unofficial estimates.

(CNN) -- The most dangerous city in Mexico wrapped up another bloody weekend with 39 killings between Friday and Monday, including the murders of three police officers, the Chihuahua state prosecutor's office in Ciudad Juarez said Tuesday.

In one of the most high-profile homicides, Ismael Sergio Apodaca, coordinator of the Police Station "Chihuahua," was executed on Friday. Hours earlier, a municipal official was attacked and taken to the hospital in serious condition, the state prosecutor's office told CNN. In all, eight people were killed that day.

On Saturday, another 16 people were killed, including six victims shot dead at a workshop and another four killed in front of a garage. The victims, all male, were between 20 and 30 years old.

Mexico blames Zetas for new mass grave

Nine people were executed on Sunday. Juarez municipal police officers were operating on high alert after finding "narcopintas" -- graffiti messages left by suspected drug traffickers -- on public walls near a local park. By day's end, another two police officers had been killed by suspects thought to be involved with organized crime, the prosecutor's office said.

Perhaps the most gruesome homicide in the four-day period was that of a man whose torso was found Monday. The body had no head or limbs, officials said. He was one of six killed that day, and has not been identified.

According to unofficial estimates, as many as 600 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez since the beginning of the year. More than 3,000 people were killed in drug-related violence in 2010.

In a visit to the Texas Senate in Austin in the wake of the bloody weekend, Juarez Mayor Hector "Teto" Murguia Lardizabal told reporters that improved communication between U.S. and Mexican officials is a key to combating the drug violence.

While Murguia attempted to downplay speculation that the violence in his city is getting worse, the mayor's newly appointed top cop in Juarez -- Julian Leyzaola -- has yet to give an interview since arriving in office a little more than a month ago. He's received several public death threats since he took office March 10.

Leyzaola is also facing allegations of abuse from Human Rights Watch. The group asked him to respond to allegations that police under his command in the so-called Delta Group were involved in the disappearance of four young men in Juarez in late March.

Three agents from the Delta Group have already appeared before a judge for the crime of forced disappearance.

Leyzaola was named in similar human rights abuse scandals during his stint as the top cop in Tijuana, Baja California. In past statements he has repeatedly denied the claims, dismissing the accusations as smear tactics by his critics.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/ ... gletoolbar

39 is an improvement over last week when:

41 die in four days in Juarez killing spree

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-233646.html

2 Juárez police officers allegedly tried to rob ATM machine

By Marisela Ortega Lozano / El Paso Times
Posted: 04/12/2011 04:52:42 PM MDT

Two Juárez police officers were arrested after they allegedly tried to rob an ATM machine with the help of three other men inside a convenience store, Juárez officials said Tuesday.

The alleged robbery took place Tuesday morning at the Del RÃ*o convenience store on Manuel J. Clouthier and Itzaccihuatl Street in the del Real neighborhood, according to a Juárez police spokesman.

Juárez police officers responded to the emergency call and found five men inside the convenience store trying to open an ATM machine with a blowtorch, the official said in a press release.

Two police officers, identified as Eduardo Chávez Lozoya, 26, and Jesús Alejandro López Huerta, 25, were arrested at the scene.

Another three suspects were also taken into custody. They were identified as Alfredo López MacÃ*as, 36; Juan Carlos Delgado Fierro, 24; and Alfredo Quiñones Enriquez, 29.

The five suspects were found in possession of a handgun, a 1992 Honda Civic without license plates and a blowtorch.

Both Juárez police officers will be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation, officials said.

Last week, another Juárez police officer was found guilty of aggravated robbery after breaking into a Del RÃ*o convenience store at the Juárez Highway.

According to Chihuahua state prosecutors, in September 2010, Vicente Ambriz Villalobos, aka "Big Show," stormed into the store and threatened the cashier with a gun.

No one was hurt.

A judge sentenced Ambriz to one year and six months in prison without parole.

Juárez Mayor Héctor MurguÃ*a said in a statement that his administration will not put up with corrupt city police.

"Police officers are not supposed to be crooks concealed with a police badge who take advantage of their power to their benefit," MurguÃ*a said.

"They should be punished to the fullest extent of the law."

Marisela Ortega may be reached at mortega@elpasotimes.com.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_17828863