Police Insist Juarez Drug Violence Has Not Crossed Border

EL PASO, Texas — “There is no need to panic.” That’s the message from police after a cartel member is slain outside his East El Paso home. They insist the murder does not mean violence has jumped the border.

Residents in the Eastside neighborhood said they are worried.

While police said the man was a mid-level member of the Juarez cartel, police said that does not mean the murder was cartel-related.

“Simply because something is drug related does not mean its related to the ongoing feud between the Mexican drug cartels for control of the Juarez corridor. I would still say that the public has no reason to panic or fear unless you’re involved in illegal drug trafficking,” said El Paso police spokesman Chris Mears.

Police said Wednesday that 37-year-old Jose Daniel Gonzalez Galeana was shot eight times around 10:30 p.m. on May 15.

Officials believe the killer used a handgun and may have had an accomplice.