2008 winds down with 843 killings in Tijuana

The Associated Press 8:29 p.m. December 30, 2008

TIJUANA, Mexico — This border city across from San Diego is winding up a violent year with at least 843 killings so far in 2008, a Mexican official said Tuesday.

Baja California state attorney general Daniel de la Rosa said in a statement that 90 percent of the killings are related to drug trafficking in Tijuana, which is home to 1.5 million people.

Two men were shot to death on the city's streets the same day the tally was issued.

Tijuana's murder rate of about 56 per 100,000 is still below that of the deadliest U.S. city: New Orleans, which had about 95 killings per 100,000 inhabitants in 2007.

Officials estimate that more than 5,300 people died across Mexico in organized crime-related slayings in the first 11 months of 2008.