Police captain gunned down in Juárez

Marisela Ortega Lozano / El Paso Times

A Juárez police captain was gunned down Wednesday morning after ending his shift at the Benito Juárez police station, according to the Juárez Department of Public Safety.

Several gunmen shot José Manuel Rivas López, 41, after storming into his home in the 1103 block of Joaquín Soto Mendoza and Teniente Daniel García streets, located in the Oasis Revolución neighborhood, Chihuahua¹s general attorney in Juárez said.

The victim, riddled with bullets, was found dead in the living room, authorities said. Forensics staff members recovered 64 bullet casings. According to an unconfirmed report, Mexican federal police officers arrested two suspects in connection with this shooting.

Forty Juárez police officers have been killed since Juárez Mayor Héctor Murguía took office on Oct. 10, 2010. Fourteen Juárez police officers have been ambushed this year, according to the Juárez Department of Public Safety.

Rivas López joined the local police force on January 2001 and was overseeing the night shift at the Benito Juárez police station, Juárez officials said. According to local police officials, the number of arrests had increased by 300 percent within the last two months.

Around two months ago, Juárez police officers were able to turn over to state authorities between six and 10 alleged criminals, most of them carjackers, Adrián Sánchez, Juárez police department spokesperson, said.

Now local police officers have increased those arrests to between 15 and 20, Sánchez said.

"There is no doubt that the increase of people taken into custody for several offenses had trigged retaliation against our officers," Sánchez said.

"Those arrested try often to bribe the officers with cars or cash, or they threaten them, but the police turn down those offers," Sánchez added. "Just for wearing a police uniform, our officers are at a high risk, and they are aware of that."