Police chief slain hours after taking job in crime-ridden Mexican border city

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico — Alejandro Dominguez was the only person brave enough to be police chief. Hours after he took office, assailants riddled his body with dozens of bullets in this city wracked by a turf battle between Mexico's two main drug gangs.

The streets were virtually empty Thursday, a day after the killing, with only a handful of federal police armed with rifles and automatic weapons making routine patrols in pickup trucks and army vehicles.

"We are defenseless," attorney Zorina Medrano said at City Hall. "It's obvious that the criminals are better organized (than the authorities.) They sent the national army, and even they weren't respected. Who else can we ask for help?"

Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas, is the busiest border crossing for cargo trucks heading to the United States from Mexico.

But frequent shootouts have virtually halted the flood of U.S. tourists who normally pour over the border to drink, shop for arts and crafts and visit the red-light district.

Since January, more than 60 people have been killed in this city of nearly 350,000, including Dominguez and six other police officials. A man and a woman were shot around midnight in the continuing violence.

The United States has warned tourists and others to be careful in the border region, and U.S. officials have said the violence could threaten trade.

Dominguez, 52, knew the odds — but thought he could beat them.

"I don't owe anybody anything," he said before taking office. "My duty is to the citizenry. I think those who should be afraid are those who have been compromised."

When he climbed into his pickup truck late Wednesday, a group of men pulled up in three dark Chevy Suburbans and blocked his car, a witness told reporters.

The assailants opened fire from inside their cars, then got out to shoot more, said the witness, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution. Dominguez was hit dozens of times.

Then the gunmen climbed back in their cars and headed west slowly, lights turned off, the witness said.

Officials said they had no suspects in Dominguez's death, although the assault rifles used were similar to those popular among drug hit men.

Most city officials nervously channeled questions to Mayor Daniel Pena, who spent the day in private meetings, unavailable for comment.