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Monday, February 27, 2012

Murguía Plays Down Juárez Link to Gunshot

By Alejandro Martinez Cabrera /
El Paso Times

Juarez police found, chased and exchanged gunfire with car-theft suspects Tuesday morning. The suspects crashed at the intersection of Malecn Avenue and Xochimilco Street, less than half a mile from the border. The gunfire prompted the lockdown of three El Paso schools.

Mayor Héctor "Teto" Murguía disagreed with El Paso authorities and said on Wednesday he doesn't believe a bullet that struck a woman in Downtown El Paso on Tuesday came from Juárez.
Instead, Murguía hinted authorities should investigate whether the bullet was fired from the U.S. or an American weapon smuggled into Mexico.

"I think it is unlikely that the bullet was from Ciudad Juárez. They would be better served looking at 'Fast and Furious' operations," Murguía said referring to the name of a botched U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operation that allowed guns to be smuggled into Mexico.

On Tuesday about 11 a.m., Maria Romero, 48, who was shopping in the 200 block of East Overland Avenue, was shot in the leg by a stray bullet. Romero was treated for a minor wound at Universal Medical Center and released the same day.

The incident could be the first time a person in El Paso has been wounded by a bullet fired in Juárez since drug-related violence began in 2008.

El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said at a news conference Tuesday that he believed the bullet was fired from Juárez during a confrontation between police officers and two car thieves that occurred around the same time near the Rio Grande.

The bullet that hit Romero was a .223-caliber, a type of ammunition used by Juárez police assault rifles, and didn't match the caliber of firearms reportedly seized from the carjacking suspects.

According to the Chihuahua state's prosecutor's office, authorities retrieved 83 .223-caliber bullet casings and nine 9mm casings.

El Paso police estimated the shot was fired from about 3,000 feet (or 0.56 miles) from where the woman was hit. They said it is not an unusual distance for a rifle round.

Juarez Mayor Hector Murgola believes the bullet that hit a woman in El Paso Tuesday came from the United States.

Murguía questioned whether a bullet fired in Juárez could have traveled that far with buildings and cars. Murguía cited city technicians and said the bullet couldn't have gone farther than 750 meters, or 0.47 miles.

"From where the bullet came, and where it landed, the distance is not close," he said.
However, ballistics experts disagreed.

"I'd say it can easily go over a mile," said Max J. Scott, owner of a crime scene reconstruction firm, Forensic Trio, in Lafayette, Colo.

Ballistics experts with RNA Consulting in Los Altos Hills, Calif., said that .223-caliber bullets would not be recommended to shoot a target 3,000 feet away, but added they could travel the distance without much problem.

El Paso Mayor John Cook acknowledged there was no way to conclusively determine whether the bullet was fired from Juárez without a ballistics test on the bullet that injured Romero and the weapons fired during the confrontation. But Cook said that after looking at the evidence, it appeared "very possible" the bullet came from the other side of the border.

"Intuitively, you'd think it's more than coincidental that at the same exact moment there's a gunbattle in Juárez, a bullet hits someone a half a mile away, considering that assault rifles will fire bullets over a mile," he said. "It would seem reasonable there's a possibility that that's where it came from, especially since there were no other reports of gunfire."

Murguía said he would like some proof and a detailed report of what happened on Tuesday and how a stray bullet landed in El Paso before he or anyone else "blames" the Juárez municipal police officers for the incident. And even if the bullet came from Juárez, the incident should be seen as a rare occurrence, he said.

After hearing reports of Murguía's comments, Cook responded by offering to conduct the needed tests in El Paso.

"There's one way we could find out for sure" what happened, Cook said. "We're sending the bullet to ballistic tests, and if he wants to send us all the weapons involved, we can check them. If there were assault rifles in that shooting in Juárez that fire .223s, we can compare bullets that we fire in the fire range. But I doubt that they would allow us to do that."

Wednesday's incident once again raised concerns about cross-border violence -- concerns that both Cook and Murguía have repeatedly tried to abate in their cities.

Cook has defended El Paso's image as the country's safest city by saying there is no evidence that bloodshed in Juárez has spilled over. Murguía, along with Chihuahua Gov. César Duarte and Mexican President Felipe Calderón, often point to declining crime statistics from last year to argue that public safety has improved.

The two mayors said Wednesday they hadn't had a chance to discuss Tuesday's incident. Cook said each has left phone messages for the other, and Murguía said he would contact Cook as soon as possible.

Murguía hinted he was open to a cross-border investigation, but he did not confirm one would take place.

"We're going to do everything possible to collaborate with each other and ensure that Ciudad Juárez and El Paso as a region come out as least-hurt as possible (from this incident) and things don't get tense," he said.

19 comments:

  1. Here is a thought...

    Should the mayor is Jaurez take the view that it was from a gun battle in Mexico. This has a better chance at catching fire and becoming a hot topic in the US. The fact that a gun battle would be so close to the boarder and hurting innocent Americans should create a greater public concern. This I hand would help fuel the fight against the cartels.

    IMHO

    ~Peace

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  2. Does anyone else think it's weird how every Mexican official has a nickname like a narco? Imagine if the presidential nominees in the USA were Barack "the tarantula" Obama, Rick " Dickie Knuckles" Santorum, Newt "the pervert" Gingrich, Ron "bubbles" Paul etc. I think it subconsciously gives a sort of sleazy feeling to the public and it's kind of weird to me at least. Does everyone have a nickname in Mexico? Not trying to be a smartass, I am seriously curious.

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    Replies
    1. He's the mayor from El Paso
      You would find that out if you read the article and didn't judge by his skin color or name

      Delete
    2. John Cook is the mayor of El Paso. "Teto" is the mayor of Juarez. You would find that out if you read the article and didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that everyone is making assumptions based on last names and skin color.

      Delete
  3. nah its not if you heard their nicknamr every day it wouldn't sound weird

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  4. Here we go again, fucking Mexican leadership is weak. Makes all of you look bad! Excuse after fucking excuse!

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  5. February 27, 2012 10:09 PM Teto is what you called people named Hector, is the same as Dave for David or Andy for Andrew or Andres, Franky for Francisco and so on and so on.

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  6. Yes we do just like the guido gangsters. Ur nickname shoul be ANO. for anonymous.

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  7. Here's a thought, how about we send the rounds back to the Mexican Government but in a larger caliber. :)

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  8. The bullet was shot in El paso.. The victim and witnesses said they heard the pop really close they thought some one dired next to them.. Also there are buildings Al around the area where it happened.. If it had come from Juarez it woldnt have penetrated the leg like it did.. Also they said it was a gun battle of car jackers across the border along the 16 de septiembre so other shots would have also been heard from far away not one really loud close pop.. no freakin way thats why this case has gotten alot of attention becauae its almost impossible to have come from Juarez.. I think it was an attempted hit gone wrong of spilled over violence that the El paso people want to cover up being the safest in the us and stuff

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  9. How can it have come from Mesico?
    EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN MESICO IS THE US FAULT.Seriously i didn't think they were such whiners.This is more of that nationalistic shit,the US is to blame.Surely there are Mexicans who can put that gringo shit aside,and not behave and talk like this clown.I tend to think he may get more popular,thanks to this great piece of intellectual thought process.Don't want help,don't offer it

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  10. hereiberto el lazca lazcano aka la situacion

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  11. "El Paso police estimated the shot was fired from about 3,000 feet (or 0.56 miles) from where the woman was hit. They said it is not an unusual distance for a rifle round." Guy named Chris Kyle killed an Iraqi insurgent from over a mile away. One shot. Put a high powered rifle at a 45deg angle and see how far it goes. It's scary. What comes up must come down. I bet Chris would love to do some 'practice' along the border. Hell, I don't see why texans don't take pellet guns and sink the rafts!

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  12. another idiot...

    WHen I posted the story I was interested in the speed and distance the round could travel. I did some research and posted it in the comments section here is a bit:

    The wound was caused by a hard nosed full metal jacket, which they are saying maybe M16 the military version of the AR15. Since the errant bullet was from a shootout while apprehending the carjackers it is feasible the police fired the shot depending on verification of weapon type. I wonder why so many stray bullets enter El Paso. Its just a matter of time someone will be killed....

    "I was interested in knowing how far a M16 could project a bullet. There are so many variables, but essentially the speed is 6336 MPH (30 ft in 1/100th second) and 2 miles distance if one shoot straight up, however horizontal shots are apx 1 mile + depending on weather etc."

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  13. @February 28, 2012 7:56 AM - And all you douche bag LIberal COmmunist fucks who watch CNN or MSLSD are the biggest idiots in the USA..You actually believe the Bullshit Obama feeds you!

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  14. all the people who watch fox news are bunch of idiots

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  15. I dont see why more mexicans shoot across the border the u.s. has proved time and time again they aint gonna do shit

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  16. They're speculating that the bullet came from a Juarez police officers rifle. Unless his police department is using smuggled weapons, his argument is stupid.

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  17. What the hell does THAT mean? Check the fast and the furious? So if it came from that crap, then it definitely CAME FROM MEXICO, idiot. Isn't this the same mayor whose office got shot up a few months ago with bullets from a Juarez gun battle with cops? How stupid do they think we are?

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