Violence returns to Tijuana after lull in May
Ten killed brings total to 232 this year
By Jose Luis Jiménez
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

June 10, 2008

TIJUANA – After a brief calm, the violence that has battered Tijuana returned this weekend when seven people were killed over a 36-hour period, pushing the number of homicides to 232 for the year, authorities said.

An additional three bodies were found near Rosarito Beach, bringing the number of people killed over the weekend to 10.
Among the victims were a Tijuana police officer, two women and the three men found on the outskirts of Rosarito Beach, at least one of whom showed signs that he was burned.

Mexican officials say that after a comparative lull in May, in which 21 homicides occurred in Tijuana, the record-setting pace returned in June. With nearly three weeks left in the month, there have already been 15 slayings.

Last year, 334 homicides were recorded in Tijuana, a city of nearly 2 million people, according to the state prosecutor's office, which investigates all homicides.

In comparison, San Diego, with a population of about 1.25 million, has had 23 homicides in 2008, and had a total of 58 in 2007, according to San Diego police.

“There was a period of relative calm,â€