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| Gunmen kill police chief in Mexican city |
| By Oscar Villalba |
| Published: 04/27/2009 |
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PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico—Gunmen on Saturday killed the police chief of a town across the border from Texas—less than three weeks after he took over the local force with the aim of purging alleged corruption. Six police officers are being questioned in the attack. Assailants wielding Kalashnikov and AR-15 rifles opened fire on retired Mexican army Col. Arturo Navarro as he drove home in Piedras Negras, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas, investigators said in a statement. Navarro took over as police chief on April 7 and soon after, fired three high-ranking officers as part of a departmental purge. On Tuesday, 70 officers walked off the job to demand Navarro's resignation. They complained that his leadership left them fearful of reprisal attacks from gangs. The conflict was a reflection of mounting tensions between Mexican police and the military, which is leading a nationwide offensive to crush brutal drug cartels. Authorities said they administered polygraph tests to all 120 police officers on the force after Navarro's death and are questioning the six who failed. In appointing Navarro, the Piedras Negras government was following the lead of President Felipe Calderon, who has relied heavily on the military in his fight against drug cartels. Calderon has acknowledged that corruption is pervasive among Mexican police at all levels. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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