Gunmen Kill Nogales Deputy Police Chief and Bodyguard

The assistant police chief in Nogales, Sonora and his bodyguard were killed late Thursday night in a barrage of gunfire.

The deputy police chief in Nogales, Son., Adalberto Padilla Molina, and bodyguard Iván Sepúlveda Espino, were killed Thursday night when police say a small group of men in a pickup truck pulled up to the van they were riding and opened fire, according to reports in the Sonoran newspaper El Imparcial. reported. The victims were traveling in a green Dodge Caravan along the main street called Luis Donaldo Colosio about 9:45 p.m. when the shooting occurred.

Nogales, Sonora - Adalberto Padilla Molina and his bodyguard, Iván Sepúlveda Espino, were driving in a minivan in central Nogales on Periférico Luis Donaldo Colosio and El Greco Boulevard when three people in a gray Ford pickup truck opened fire with AK-47s, said Jose Larrinaga, a spokesman for the Sonora prosecutor's office.

The shooting occurred at 9:45 p.m. near a shopping center parking lot located about three miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. A 17-year-old boy who standing outside of a nearby funeral home was injured as he tried to avoid the gunfire and is in stable condition, Larrinaga said.

Padilla and his bodyguard didn't have a chance to shoot back or avoid the attack, Larrinaga said. Padilla, who has a military background, took over as assistant police chief on Dec. 3.

Adalberto Padilla Molina, the deputy police chief in Nogales, Sonora., and his body guard were killed Thursday night in an ambush.

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Violence grows in Nogales, Sonora

Nogales International

Nogales, Sonora, which has long escaped the level of violence seen in other border communities, can’t say that anymore.

The front pages of local newspapers are heavy on crime and murder as a wave of violence continued this week with the discovery of three bodies Monday, apparent victims of strangulation.

The first case was reported at about 5:10 a.m. when two bodies were found on the south side of the city.

One victim wore a sweat shirt but was naked from the waist down, while the other was fully clothed. Medical examiners determined the cause of death was asphyxiation by choking.

An hour later, another victim was found downtown, about a mile from the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry. The woman’s name was not released, but neighbors said they knew her nickname as “La Chapis.” She had signs of strangulation and had a black cable around her neck.

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