Auxiliary police officer slain in SLRC

An auxiliary police officer was fatally shot by unknown attackers Wednesday morning in San Luis Rio Colorado, days after the slaying of a former police officer.

The officer, identified by municipal police only as 35-year-old Daniel N., was gunned down at a fruit stand at Avenida 16 de Septiembre (16th of September Avenue) and Calle 12 (12th Street), the newspaper La Tribuna de San Luis reported.

Witnesses told police two unidentified men physically attacked the officer, striking him before producing guns and shooting him repeatedly, the newspaper said.

Police did not identify the law enforcement agency for which the victim served as an auxiliary officer.

No arrests had been made in the case as of Wednesday afternoon.

The slaying came one day after the discovery of the body of a former city police officer in a desert area on the city’s east side. He had a gunshot to the head, according to San Luis Rio Colorado media, quoting official police sources.

The ex-officer had been reported missing the night before. The car he was believed to be driving at the time of his disappearance was found abandoned and burned in the San Luis Valley, located southwest of the city limits.

No arrests had been made in that case as of Wednesday afternoon.

The deaths come during what is shaping up as a record-setting year for murders in San Luis Rio Colorado, a border city across from Yuma County. The Sonora state Ministry of Public Safety has recorded 56 homicides in the city through August, although media tallies place the number at more than 70.

Authorities blame most of the slayings on feuding among rival gangs and drug trafficking organizations.