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5 Juarez cops die in shooting -- UPDATED

For a map, click here. For a map of Chihuahua state, click here. Updated with new information including identities of the victims and other new information

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Five Juarez municipal police agents were shot to death and another three were wounded in an assault at a residence in Juarez Wednesday night, according to Mexican news accounts.

El Diario de Juarez news daily identified four of the dead as Juan Rodriguez, Maria Romero, Blas Barrera and Brenda Ulloa. The fifth victim was identified only as Ceballos. The police agents were all from Cuauhtemoc and Babicora police stations.

The attack took place at about 2030 hrs near the intersection of calles Oasis de Lisboa and Rafael Murguia in the Praderas de los Oasis subdivision.

The officers were attending a cookout at the residence when they were shot. Uncredited reports say as many as 20 shooters entered the residence and fired on their victims.

El Diario de Juarez
also reported that none of the five officers would be buried with honors since they were off duty when the shootings occurred.

According to La Polaka news daily, the killings were preceded by several narcomensajes or narco-messages against Juarez's controversial mayor , Hector Murguia Lardizabal, and his police chief Julian Leyzaola Perez, both civic functionaries with a hard nosed reputation in the city.

According to La Polaka, a total of 18 municipal police agents have been shot since the start of the year.

Juarez has been in the thrall of a deadly competition between local operatives of the Sinaloa cartel and the Juarez cartel and their enforcement wing, La Linea.

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
Posted by: badanov 2012-03-29
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=341840