At least 57 shots fired in fatal Juarez attack on 2 agents

At least 57 shots fired in fatal Juarez attack on 2 agents

By Lorena Figueroa \ El Paso Times
Posted: 03/22/2013 12:00:00 AM MDT
Reporter
Lorena Figueroa

The bodies of the two federal agents -- killed Tuesday in Juárez by gunmen who fired nearly 60 shots -- will be sent to their hometowns for burial, officials said Thursday.

Private services were held Thursday morning in a Juárez funeral home for Jorge Arturo López Maya, 40, who is originally from Mexico City, and Jesús Arnoldo Espinoza Cota, 35, who is from the state of Sinaloa.

Both agents were working with the Mexico Attorney General's Office, or PGR, when they were attacked with high-powered weapons. As a result of the attack, all PGR agents in Juárez have been placed on alert.

A Mexican government spokesperson said López Maya had been working mainly in Juárez for the past five years, and he was in charge of the agency's warehouse where illegal drugs are stored.

Espinoza Cota had been working on the border for a year, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the PGR is leading the investigation. The agents were in an unmarked blue agency truck in south-central Juárez.

The shooting occurred before noon Tuesday at Tecnológico Avenue and Pedro Meneses Hoyos Street, near Central Park, officials said.

Preliminary reports said that a group of heavily armed men shot at the agents from a moving vehicle. The agents were in the agency truck.

One of the agents apparently got out of the truck in an attempt to escape. He fell facedown on the Tecnológico Avenue a few yards from the truck and died at the scene.

The PGR spokesperson said 57 casings from an AK-47 and a 9 mm weapon were found at the scene. Mexican news media initially reported there were more than 200 casings.

Another man was wounded and taken to a hospital in critical condition. It was unclear whether the third man was traveling with the agents or was a bystander.

The PGR did not disclose the name of the wounded person for security reasons but confirmed he is not a law enforcement officer.

Lorena Figueroa may be reached at lfigueroa@elpasotimes.com; 546-6129.

At least 57 shots fired in fatal Juarez attack on 2 agents - El Paso Times