http://www.ktsm.com/news/mayor-cook-spe ... ng-el-paso


and:

UTEP police believe a stray bullet from Saturday's shootout in Juárez may have hit a campus building, and El Paso police are investigating a report that a stray bullet from the incident struck a vehicle in El Paso.

A single bullet struck Bell Hall on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso sometime Saturday night, UTEP President Diana Natalicio said. UTEP police believe the bullet may be related to the shootout in Juárez.

A single bullet struck the south door of Bell Hall, going through a glass panel in the door. The bullet was found embedded in an office doorframe. No one was injured.

"This appears to be the only stray bullet to have struck the campus, and there is no evidence to suggest that UTEP was specifically targeted," Natalicio said in a statement.

Both UTEP and El Paso police continue to investigate.

"At this time, El Paso police have received one report of a vehicle possibly being struck by a stray bullet," El Paso police said Sunday in a statement. "Officers did check the surrounding area for any injuries or other property damage, but none was reported or located."
Police spokesman Detective Mike Baranyay said, "We are still investigating whether the bullet, if it came from Juárez, struck a parked or moving vehicle."

At the request of the U.S. Border Patrol, police closed West Paisano Drive between Santa Fe Street and Executive Center Boulevard for about 30 minutes Saturday.

Officials said the road was closed as a safety precaution because of a shootout that broke out about 5:45 p.m. in Juárez between Mexican law enforcement and armed suspects.

One of the gunmen was killed and three police were injured in the firefight that led police to pursue the assailants through several neighborhoods near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The gunfire was reported in four Juárez neighborhoods, roughly across the border from the 1700 to 1900 blocks of West Paisano, where the former Hacienda restaurant, and several apartments and homes are located.

"Police came by Saturday and asked us to leave in case something happened, and we left," said Amalia Saenz, a homemaker who lives in one of the apartment buildings that used to house Old Fort Bliss on West Paisano. "We left because we were concerned about the safety of our six children," who range in age from 2 to 9 years old.

"This is not the first time stray bullets have worried us," she said. "A couple of months ago, someone on the Juárez side shot at the trash dumpsters behind the building. Another time, we heard bullets hit the towers next to the El Paso Rescue Mission."

The El Paso properties are only several yards from the border in some places.

Roberto Cardona, a neighbor, was in his front yard stirring a pot of pork cracklings. A Rottweiler stood guard next to him.

"We worry about this all the time, but there isn't much we can do about stray bullets," Cardona said. "A couple of weeks ago, we watched a man carrying an AK-47 standing across the border while three of his friends tried to cross illegally. That's why I keep this big dog here, in case someone tries to break into the house."

Behind Cardona's house, Doniphan Park, with its new playground equipment and basketball court, was empty on Sunday afternoon. It lies directly across from the part of Juárez where Saturday's shooting took place.

At least seven stray rounds struck the El Paso City Hall building during another shootout in Juárez on June 29, also between police and suspected organized criminals. The investigation into the source of the bullets continues.

Saenz said she and her family have decided to move in a few months.

"We liked it here, but it's just not safe anymore," she said.

Also Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed two Juárez maquiladora workers in front of their assembly plant. The victims worked for Eaton Inc. in the Omega Industrial Park, west of Elias Plutarco Calles street.

Authorities identified one of the employees as Aaron Aguilar Salazar, 35. The second employee, also a man, had not been identified.

Police said the two men were about to enter their workplace when armed suspects suddenly showed up and opened fire on them.

The shooters got away.

The employees were among a dozen people who were killed in Saturday's spate of violence across the border.

Jaime O. Perez, the El Paso County chief of staff and a candidate for El Paso County Judge, said relatives of an El Paso elected official were the victims of a recent carjacking in Juárez. He said the carjackers pointed a gun at a 7-year-old girl to intimidate the driver into surrendering the vehicle.

"I asked at a meeting of U.S. law enforcement officers why the carjacking wasn't publicized, and they said they did not want to create a panic," Perez said.

More than 6,000 people have been murdered in the Juárez area since 2008 when a war began between the Juárez and Sinaloa drug cartels. Authorities said the tactics used by cartel gunmen are evolving with the inclusion of women in the warfare, including the hiring of female assassins.

Mexican federal police said Azteca gang members in Juárez are carrying out killings accompanied by their wives or girlfriends in an effort to fool law enforcement officers while moving about the city.

The revelation was made Sunday when officials announced several arrests, including suspected members of the Aztecas gang detained after police saw a pickup and a sport utility vehicle speeding on Avenida Ejercito Nacional. During a pursuit, occupants of one of the vehicles allegedly fired at police.

Police seized a 9 mm handgun and arrested Jaime Reyes Hernandez, 21, alias "El Junior"; Maria Azucena Hinojosa, 21; Alejandro Medina Cano, 27; Jesus Campos Resendiz, 27; and a 17-year-old boy.

Officials said a police patrol prevented a homicide in another incident. The encounter began when police noticed a car was following another vehicle. A person pointed a weapon at the driver of the vehicle being followed but the alleged would-be attackers drove away when they noticed police close by.

Police arrested Tobias Alvarez, 30, and Jaime Gaytan Estrada, 40, after a shootout at a house. Police seized an AK-47, a .45-caliber handgun and six "bricks" of marijuana.

In a third incident, police arrested Arturo Roman Chavez, 35, when officers saw him leaving his home after he had allegedly killed someone. Chavez allegedly fired a handgun at police but was stopped a few streets away.

The dates of the recent arrests were not disclosed.

It was another violent weekend in Juárez. There were 16 homicides Saturday and another 16 on Friday, according to information from Chihuahua state police. There had been at least one more homicide by Sunday afternoon.

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quoted from:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_15863324?source=rss