Gunmen Kill Mexican Policeman, Family In Veracruz
By MIGUEL ANGEL HERNANDEZ, Associated Press Writer
VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) – Gunmen shot up and torched the home of a Mexican police commander Wednesday, killing the officer, his wife and four teenagers believed to be his children.
The interior of the house in the Gulf coast city of Veracruz was completely burned, and its facade was riddled with bullet holes. Inside, police found the bodies of municipal police commander Jesus Antonio Romero, his wife, two teenage girls and two teenage boys, Veracruz state Public Safety Secretary Sergio Lopez said.
The motive was unclear but the pre-dawn attack bore hallmarks of Mexico’s brutal drug cartels. Lopez said police believe the assailants set fire to the house by hurling grenades. He said neighbors reported hearing explosions.
“A family was sleeping peacefully when this assault occurred,” Lopez said. “The house had wood paneling, and that’s why the fire spread quickly and kept the young people from escaping.”
Romero was promoted a month ago to deputy operations coordinator for the Veracruz-Boca del Rio area, a hotbed of drug violence and a stronghold of the Zetas, a group of hit men aligned with the Gulf cartel.
It was unclear if the Romero and his family were killed by gunfire or the fire.
Mexico’s drug war has claimed more than 11,000 lives since President Felipe Calderon deployed tens of thousands of soldiers and federal police nationwide to fight the cartels. Drug gangs have stepped up attacks on police and government officials, often gunning them down in front of their homes – but it is rare for their families to be targeted.
In one of the boldest offensives against the government, 18 federal agents were killed earlier this month in a series of attacks in western Mexico blamed on La Familia drug cartel. Authorities say La Familia was retaliating for the arrest of one of its top members.
On Wednesday, Federal Police announced the capture of six more suspected La Familia members, including a man accused of being a chief financial operator.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
