Shooting in Nuevo Laredo

Shooting in Nuevo Laredo leaves one officer dead (Mexico Shootout)

SAn Antonio Express-News

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico — The bloodshed continued in this border city Saturday when gunfire erupted between federal and city police, leaving one federal agent dead, officials said.

Above: Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, police officers dressed in blue are detained by the Mexican military. Forty-one of the officers were detained after a shootout with federal agents.

Below: Family members of detained municipal police officers protested at the Palacio Federal to have them released. The protest intensified when the officers were trucked out by the Mexican military.

There were conflicting reports as to what sparked the shootout between the two law enforcement groups. A press release issued by Mayor Dañiel Peña confirmed that one agent from the Agencia Federal de Investigación, which is Mexico's equivalent to the FBI, was killed in the melee around 10 a.m. on a road near this city's country club.

The shooting is just the latest to rock this border town, which was already reeling from the shooting death of its newly-appointed police chief on Wednesday. At least 60 people have been slain here this year, most believed to be gang-related, sparking fear among locals and driving away tourists. The U.S. State Department has singled Nuevo Laredo out in a recent advisory, warning travelers to use common sense when visiting Mexican border cities.