1 dead in Mexico shootout on border with El Paso

AP via Yahoo News ^ | 8/21/2010 | Olivia Torres & Alicia A. Caldwell

[Qbert]

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – A gunbattle erupted between Mexican police and gunmen near the Rio Grande on Saturday, killing one person and prompting U.S. authorities to close a highway that runs along the border in El Paso, Texas.

There were no reports of bullets crossing into the U.S. side, El Paso police Detective Mike Baranyay said.

The gunmen attacked a municipal police patrol on a boulevard in Ciudad Juarez next to the border river, said Ramon Salinas, a spokesman for Mexico's federal police.

The fighting escalated when federal police rushed to help, he said. One gunman was killed and three municipal police officers were wounded.

El Paso police closed that city's border highway for about 30 minutes because of the shooting. City police said the U.S. Border Patrol asked for the shutdown.

Doug Mosier, a spokesman for the Border Patrol, said Paisano Street was closed "in the interest of public safety." He said that to his knowledge, it was the first time a street in El Paso has been shut down because of a shooting in Mexico.

Traffic was halted on a stretch running from downtown El Paso to the city's northwest, passing the University of Texas-El Paso, which overlooks the border.

The fighting occurred in the same area where a deadly shootout between gunmen and Mexican police sent seven bullets across the border and into the El Paso City Hall on June 29.

[Brilliant]

I think Obama is going to need to send in the Big Red One.

[SgtHooper]

In my fantasy world (dont y’all be mean now), a US citizen can buy a 3- or 5-day license and a “blind” along the Mexican border and shoot everything that moves coming North. The limit would need to be verifiable in some way. Just think of the fun, and the millions of dollars the border states could take in.

[milagro]

Got lost one time in El Paso after picking up my grandsson from school on the West side, and found myself on Paisano--did not realize how close to the Rio Grande it is and was relieved when I finally figured out how to get off of it and head toward Fort Bliss.

It is just so sad that in a little more than 3 years time, the cartels have turned the border into a war zone! Until then, El Paso was considered one of the safest cities in the US, and had a very nice small town feel. And on the local news casts, when a shooting or some other kind of violent act took place, it got a lot of coverage because it was a rather rare event. But--that was then..........

[SwinneySwitch]

Ping!

If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.

[Cindy]

Thanks for the ping SwinneySwitch

[Qbert]

“It is just so sad that in a little more than 3 years time, the cartels have turned the border into a war zone! Until then, El Paso was considered one of the safest cities in the US, and had a very nice small town feel. And on the local news casts, when a shooting or some other kind of violent act took place, it got a lot of coverage because it was a rather rare event. But—that was then..........”

Yeah, that is really unfortunate. And it just seems to be getting worse each month...