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U.S. Marine shot dead in border city
AP/EL UNIVERSAL
El Universal
Martes 30 de agosto de 2005
Nuestro mundo, página 1

A 23-year-old U.S. Marine was shot and killed in the border city of Ciudad Juárez on Monday following a heated argument with a motorist.
The victim, identified by relatives as Sgt. Heber Villagran, of El Paso, was leaving a nightclub with three other marines when the driver of a white sports utility vehicle sped by, police said. A fight ensued, and the driver pulled out a gun and shot Villagran, killing him.

The Marine was accompanied by three other men who told authorities they were also Marines visiting Juárez for the day, a spokeswoman for state investigators in Chihuahua state said.

State of Chihuahua Gov. Reyes Baeza said that several witnesses described the scene to police. However, Baeza declined to give further information about the case, saying he did not want to interfere with a statement from the Public Ministry.

Baeza said he did not believe that the death of Villagran would generate tensions between the governments of Texas and Mexico.

Earlier this month, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, citing growing violence along the border, declared a state of emergency in New Mexico's four border counties.

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano followed suit by declaring a similar emergency in her state. And last month, citing concern for the safety of U.S. citizens, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza, temporarily closed his government's consulate in Nuevo Laredo after a wave of violence hit that Mexican border city.