TIJUANA State authorities announced on Thursday the murders of three people, pushing the number of homicides in the city to 23 in August. Even so, there have been significantly fewer violent deaths so far this year compared to 2010.
The lifeless body of a man was found Wednesday around 1 p.m. in the trash dump of Valle de la Palmas, east of the city, the state Attorney Generals Office said.
The unidentified victim appeared to be in his sixties, had graying hair and a dark complexion and was about 5 foot 8 inches tall. He had injuries to his thorax, authorities said.
Later that afternoon, about 2:45 p.m., two men were found shot to death on a car lot on avenida Los Héroes in the Buena Vista neighborhood, next to the Río zone.
The victims were identified as Ricardo Sotelo Arrellano, 34 years old, and Francisco Javier Covarrubias Rodríguez, 46. The two, who had been shot in the head, were found in the office of the auto business, called Golden Gate.
Investigators found four spent 9 mm shells. Authorities did not immediately announce a motive nor say whether the killings were believed to be related to organized crime.
The murders pushed the total number of violent deaths in the city to 326 through Wednesday, an 18 per cent drop compared to the same period last year.
Omar.millan@sandiegored.com
