Posted on 09/12/2007 11:12:08 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
MONTERREY, Mexico — Two federal police officers were shot dead Tuesday and two more were injured by gunfire in yet another attack on law enforcers in this violence-torn metropolis.
The officers met a hail of high-caliber gunfire around 10 a.m. at a gas station close to a Holiday Inn Express near the center of the city. A least 100 shell casings littered the street around the scene.
Their deaths bring to about 30 the number of officers killed in the Monterrey area this year in attacks blamed on organized crime.
Authorities did not immediately release names of the officers or say what they were doing at the time of the attack.
Local media reported that the officers were staying at the hotel and may have been transporting a prisoner or detainee.
A spokeswoman for the federal attorney general's office said one of the officers killed, and the two wounded, worked for the Federal Investigation Agency, or AFI, Mexico's rough equivalent of the FBI.
The other officer belonged to the Federal Preventive Police, or PFP.
In August, two AFI officers were kidnapped and killed in Monterrey.
Federal officers often operate undercover and do not advise local authorities of their activities due to mistrust between corruption-prone police organizations.
Two men were arrested at the scene of the shooting but their involvement was unclear.
Media reports said a grenade that did not explode was found next to an abandoned vehicle beside the gas station.
Mexico is weathering an ongoing wave of violence perpetrated largely by two rival drug cartels fighting for control of smuggling routes in the multi-billion-dollar illicit industry.
Some 1,700 people have died across the country this year in organized-crime-related deaths.
A widely rumored cease-fire between cartels had been credited for a downturn in violence in parts of Mexico, including Monterrey, which is about a two-hour drive south of Laredo.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mattson.sean@gmail.com
“High caliber” gunfire?
Well I don’t know about everone else, but I think it’s time we drop our borders and join Mexico with a joint security agreement. This is just the sort of security we need in OUR nation. All in favor...
Must have been an M2...
Tho’ I suppose a mini-gun hails high caliber too.
End: ACLU/Bush Administration speak
Ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
RIP.
September 12, 2007
Beyond the Border
Big questions persist over yesterday’s cop-killing shootout in Monterrey
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/mexico/archives/2007/09/big_questions_p.html
Counting bullet casings is just another day in Monterrey?
It’s gotten to the point that the daytime killing of two federal officers in a hail of some 250 high-caliber bullets and a couple of grenades in downtown Monterrey, a major business destination for American investors, is no longer considered news by at least one important international news agency.
In many senses, the killing yesterday of two federal cops is just another statistic. Of the 90-plus narcokillings in Monterrey this year, about 30 have been police officers.
Both stats are just a fraction of the 1,700 or so lives claimed this year by narcoviolence in Mexico.
But something smells funny about this killing.
The biggest unanswered question is what the federal police officers were doing at the time they were killed.
The shooting happened Tuesday morning. Typically, authorities release statements on morning shootings by the evening.
Who was killed and what they were doing at the time of the shooting is typically known by the time the local press heads to deadline. (Or at least the “official” version of the events is released by then.)
Not this time. Local press reported this morning the names of the agents who died in the attack but didn’t cite sources.
They also offered different reasons for the shooting.
One version suggested that the federal anti-narcotics officers were shot at after approaching a vehicle near their downtown hotel.
Another suggested they were ambushed upon leaving the hotel. Reports say a stray bullet hit a person at the hotel.
Other reports said the agents were about to make an arrest or lead a raid.
Local media also suggested that the officers had with them a detainee.
Given credence to this last version of the story, two people were photographed being arrested after the shootout.
Followers of narcoshootouts in Mexico know that the bad guys always, or almost always, get away.
Authorities yesterday said there would be a press conference today. Nothing yet. Hmmm.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.