Pubdate: Mon, 15 Mar 2010
Source: El Paso Times (TX)
Copyright: 2010 El Paso Times
Contact: http://www.elpasotimes.com/formnewsroom
Website: http://www.elpasotimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/829
Author: Diana Washington Valdez
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/topic/Juarez

THREE SLAIN IN JUAREZ IDENTIFIED AS AMERICANS, TIED TO U.S. CONSULATE

US Aid: $15m Offered to Help Police City

EL PASO -- U.S. and Mexican officials on Sunday angrily condemned
Saturday's shooting attacks that killed three people with ties to the
U.S. consulate in Juarez.

President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and
Mexican President Felipe Calderon issued strong statements concerning
the murders.

The victims were identified as Lesley A. Enriquez, 25, who worked for
the consulate and was four-months pregnant, her husband, Arthur H.
Redelfs, 30, a detention officer for the El Paso County Sheriff's
Office, and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, 37, whose wife also
worked for the consulate.

"The president is deeply saddened and outraged by the news of the
brutal murders of three people associated with the United States
Consulate General in Juarez, Mexico, including a U.S. citizen
employee, her U.S. citizen husband, and the husband of a Mexican
citizen (consulate) employee," said Mike Hammer, spokesman for the
National Security Council.

"In concert with Mexican authorities, we will work tirelessly to bring
their killers to justice," he said.

Redelfs and Enriquez, both U.S. citizens who lived in El Paso, had a
7-month-old baby with them during the attack. The child was unharmed.
Salcido, who was killed in a separate shooting, had two young children
with him and they were injured.

El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles said Redelfs was a 10-year
veteran detention officer with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

"We can't go into any details about the incident or the investigation
because the shooting occurred on foreign soil, and we are not the lead
agency in the investigation," Wiles said Sunday.

"On behalf of the men and women of the Sheriff's Office, I would like
to extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family during
this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Today is
a somber day for the Sheriff's Office as the news of this tragedy
spread throughout our organization," Wiles said in a statement.

Mexican police said the three victims were attacked after they left a
social event in Juarez at the home of another employee of the U.S.
consulate.

Redelfs and Enriquez were traveling in a white 2009 Toyota Rav 4 with
Texas plates when they left the gathering.

Witnesses said a group of armed men in a vehicle began following the
couple at around 2:42 p.m. Saturday in the vicinity of 5 de Mayo and
Malecon.

The couple tried to elude their pursuers by driving toward the Juarez
city hall building, which is between the Paso del Norte and Stanton
Street international bridges.

The couple may have been trying to get to the U.S. side of the
border.

The pursuing vehicle fired on them at the corner of Francisco Villa
and Norzagaray, causing the driver to lose control and veer into a
lane with oncoming traffic. Then, the Toyota crashed into other
vehicles and came to a stop.

Police said the couple died at the scene.

Although their vehicle received multiple gunshots, investigators found
only a single bullet casing in the area from a 9 mm handgun.

Relatives said the couple's 7-month-old baby girl was safe, and was
turned over to family members.

Chihuahua state police said Salcido was in a white 2003 Honda Pilot
when unknown assailants shot at his vehicle.

The attack occurred at around 2:32 p.m. Saturday at the intersection
of Avenida Insurgentes and Articulo 39.

Six bullet casings from two different weapons were recovered at the
scene.

Police said Salcido's children, ages 4 years and 7 years old, were
taken to a hospital after they sustained unspecified injuries.

Ruben Redelfs, Arthur Redelfs' brother, said his family was grateful
to the El Paso Sheriff's Office, the U.S. consulate and other agencies
involved in the investigation.

"They were innocent victims of the escalating violence in Juarez,"
Ruben Redelfs said.

"Both my brother and his wife had unblemished records where they
worked, and were not involved in anything wrong whatsoever. They will
be deeply missed."

Larry Nance, a former DEA official and friend of the Redelfs family,
said he knew Arthur Redelfs since 1990.

"He was just a great kid, a very sweet guy. Everybody would love to
have a son like him," Nance said. "My son roomed with him before they
each married for about three or four years on the West Side. He raised
pythons, from eggs, and sold them. We visited my son during the
Christmas holidays, and went over to (Redelfs') house and saw the pythons."

Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said Sunday he met with police and
military commanders so they could brief him about the incidents.

He said law enforcement officials were viewing Juarez security cameras
for any clues about the assailants.

He also called on citizens to report any tips to the special Crime
Stoppers line for Juarez at 800-220-8477.

Mexican President Calderon said the Mexican government is committed to
solving the slayings.

 From the State Department, Secretary Clinton said she had spoken to
Carlos Pascual, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, about the attacks.

"We are working with the government of Mexico to do everything
necessary to protect our people, and to ensure that the perpetrators
of these horrendous acts are brought to justice," Clinton said.

Pascual said President Obama pledged continued cooperation with
Mexico's government "to break the power of the drug-trafficking
organizations that far too often target and kill innocent people."

In El Paso, Special Agent Andrea Simmons said the FBI is assisting
Mexican authorities with the investigation.

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, also addressed the slayings that
attracted international attention in the media.

"I join President Obama in strongly condemning (Saturday's) brutal
murders," Reyes said. "These brutal murders are another sobering
reminder that Mexico's drug-related violence poses a shared security
threat to the United States, particularly to border communities such
as El Paso."

An estimated 20 U.S. citizens were killed in Juarez in 2009, police
reported.

Since 2008, more than 4,700 people were killed in Juarez. Authorities
have attributed most of the homicides to violence fueled by warring
drug cartels.

A couple of weeks ago, the Juarez consulate received a bomb threat,
but officials did not find anything after an exhaustive search of the
building.

Mexican authorities did not know Sunday whether the attacks are
related, or whether the victims were targeted because they worked for
the consulate, which is a part of the U.S. State Department.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake