Anonymous - 5-22-2005 at 11:21 AM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20050522-9...
Gunmen escape; 5 people questioned
By Sandra Dibble and Anna Cearley
May 22, 2005
ROSARITO BEACH ? The top police official in this small, rapidly growing resort city south of Tijuana was shot to death early yesterday as he headed to
work.
Carlos Bowser Miret, Rosarito Beach's director of public safety, was attacked at 8:35 a.m. near his home a few blocks from police headquarters,
according to the Baja California Attorney General's Office.
Bowser was alone inside a white Chevrolet Impala when at least two assailants opened fire, investigators said.
Bowser had been on the job for less than six months. He was named to the post by Mayor Antonio Mac?as Garay, a member of the National Action Party, or
PAN, who took office on Dec. 1.
Criticized by some for his lack of experience, Bowser had vowed to eliminate drug houses in the city. He also promised to establish order within the
department of 130 patrol officers.
"We've come with a strong hand for everyone, and anyone who is outside the law will know what to expect," Bowser was quoted in the Tijuana newspaper
Frontera shortly after starting the job.
The Baja California Attorney General's Office did not discuss motives for the crime, but a news release said investigators are looking at Bowser's
position as the possible reason for the attack. For more than a decade, police officials at all levels of government in Baja California have been
targeted by criminal organizations operating in the region.
At the scene of the killing, police found 69 spent cartridges that were from a .45-caliber pistol and an assault rifle. Two blocks away from the
victim's house, they found a Pontiac containing a black ski mask and spent .45-caliber shells, and saw that someone had shot a pistol from inside the
vehicle through the windshield. The vehicle's interior had been doused with gasoline, as though someone intended to set it on fire to destroy
evidence, investigators said.
Five people were questioned and released. By late yesterday, no arrests had been reported.
Rosarito Beach is heavily dependent on tourism for its income, though maquiladora factories are playing an increasing role in the city's economy. The
town of 120,000 residents counts a sizable community of U.S. citizens. Along with Cancun and Los Cabos, it's one of the fastest-growing municipalities
in Mexico.
Residents have grown increasingly concerned about violent crime in the city as well as business and residential break-ins. "Crime Wave Causes Alarm"
said the lead headline in the latest edition of Ecos de Rosarito, a weekly newspaper.
Mac?as was reportedly out of town and City Hall offices were deserted yesterday afternoon. At the northern end of the city, somber officers in blue
uniforms drove in and out of police headquarters.
In recent weeks, Bowser had clashed with the city's director of internal affairs, Juan Gabriel Esquivel Fierro. Esquivel had recommended that Bowser
be fired. Bowser's second in command was Esquivel's brother, and some said the conflict had weakened the department by causing a split among its
members.
Before assuming the post, Bowser had worked as chief bodyguard for the previous mayor, Luis Enrique D?az Felix. Before that, he had been an
investigator for the Baja California ministerial police.
Last night, less than 12 hours after the killing, a group of three dozen friends and relatives gathered by Bowser's casket at a Tijuana funeral home.
"We don't know why this took place," said a woman who would only identify herself as Bowser's sister-in-law. "He dedicated his life to the police."
Another mourner, who said he was Bowser's uncle but also didn't want to be named, said that he was at a loss for words.
"What can one say in these moments?" the uncle said. "He was a hard worker and a family man."
Bruce R Leech - 5-22-2005 at 11:25 AM
Boy I guess they showed Him who really is in control.
Tourist Town Mourns Its Slain Police Chief
Anonymous - 5-23-2005 at 09:34 AM
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rosarito23may23,1,15...
Hundreds attend a funeral for the official gunned down in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. Some fear violence will scare away visitors.
By Richard Marosi
May 23, 2005
ROSARITO BEACH, Mexico ? A funeral procession for the slain police chief wound its way through a dusty hillside neighborhood Sunday as authorities
moved to restore a sense of order in time for the high season in this popular tourist destination.
Carlos Bowser Miret, the 49-year-old director of public safety, was ambushed outside his home Saturday morning by two masked assailants ? one of whom
sprayed his car with several rounds from an AK-47 assault rifle. Police have not identified suspects or determined a motive.
On Sunday, hundreds of police officers and mourners gathered for a closed-casket funeral that ended with the traditional last roll call on an unpaved
street outside police headquarters. Mayor Antonio Macias Garay called out the names of current commanders ? each of whom responded, "Presente." When
the mayor called "Carlos Bowser Miret" a wail of sirens pierced the silence and dozens of officers yelled in unison: "Presente."
Bowser's slaying is the latest in an unprecedented wave of violence in the Tijuana metropolitan area, much of it generated by warring drug cartels.
More than 165 people ? including two Baja California state police officers ? have been killed so far this year in Tijuana, a nearly 80% jump from last
year's total.
Rosarito Beach's strip of rowdy bars and nightclubs have not, for the most part, been affected by the violence, according to Mexican and U.S.
officials. A 57-year-old American woman living in a trailer park was slain earlier this month in what U.S. consulate officials say was an isolated
case.
Still, city officials and local businessmen are concerned that tourists will stay away. The mayor cut short a trip to Mexico City, and the City
Council was expected to name a new police chief within a few days.
"Rosarito is safe for Americans, for Mexicans, for anyone who comes here," said Macias before leaving for the burial in Tijuana.
Rosarito Beach, about 16 miles south of Tijuana, has long been a favored destination for Southern California young people who crowd the dance floors,
and families who enjoy the wide beach and dining at nearby Puerto Nuevo, famous for its lobster dinners.
Hundreds of visitors came this weekend during the 80th anniversary of the landmark Rosarito Beach Hotel, where the lobby features photographs of
famous guests, including Orson Welles, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Glenn Miller.
News of the slaying hadn't reached many people at poolside. The big test will be the turnout on Memorial Day, the traditional start of the busy summer
season, said Hugo Torres, a former mayor and owner of the hotel.
"You can walk around anywhere in Rosarito; it's safe. As long as you don't get involved in drug dealing, you won't have a problem," Torres said.
Walter Steinkrauss, a real estate developer who visits each year from Boston, agreed. "I've never seen the bad side of Rosarito," he said.
But Ruben Navarro of Los Angeles, who was visiting with his wife and daughter, said the slaying concerned him.
"It was a shock. You figure this kind of thing happens in Tijuana, not Rosarito," he said. "Rosarito is known to be a lot safer."
Navarro, who owns a time-share in Rosarito, said he may think twice before returning. "Why take any chances?" he asked.
Bowser's slaying is still shrouded in mystery. Six people detained after the killing were released after questioning.
The state attorney general's office, which investigates homicides, did not announce new developments in the case.
Bowser, a father of three, was a bodyguard and driver for two previous mayors before being appointed as director of public safety in December. Though
considered inexperienced, he earned a reputation for toughness and honesty, according to police officers, local journalists and city officials.
Bowser fired 17 police officers suspected of extorting money from tourists, formed an auxiliary police force and cracked down on stores that sell
narcotics, said Felipe Hernandez Villela, a city spokesman.
Some local officials believe he may have earned the wrath of drug dealers. But police slayings, according to Mexican law enforcement experts,
typically raise suspicions of police complicity with drug cartels.
Bowser's slaying had many hallmarks of an organized crime hit. The killers used high-powered rifles and fled the scene in a convoy of three vehicles.
A black mask, similar to those used by a known group of assassins, was found nearby.
Bowser may have been standing up to drug dealers or taken sides, said David Shirk, director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San
Diego. Shirk compared the current battle for control of the Baja California narcotics trafficking corridor to a shark-infested tank, where victims
float up, but it's difficult to know what's happening beneath the surface.
"It's a narco feeding frenzy," Shirk said.