By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press Writer
MEXICO CITY- President Vicente Fox condemned “the terrible bubble” of killings and violence at the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, the same day that another killing occurred in the troubled border town of Nuevo Laredo.
Four young assailants pulled out guns and shot down a 22-year-old man as he sat in a truck on the city’s main square with his mother and young son.
The shooting occurred as 500 people held a demonstration to demand the release of 41 city policemen detained for questioning as part of a crackdown on drug-fueled violence in the city.
Prosecutors have said about a dozen of the officers _ including some accused of involvement in a shootout with federal agents _ had criminal investigations pending against them.
Some demonstrators at the Friday protest also carried signs demanding federal agents leave the city.
Fox promised Friday to propose longer sentences for officials convicted of corruption, saying “we cannot accept that our own police forces are those that are contaminated.”
Authorities in both countries blame the violence on a war between two of Mexico’s most powerful drug syndicates for control of key smuggling routes into the United States. Nuevo Laredo is at the center of the battle, with more than 60 people killed since January.
Last week, the chief of police of the industrial border hub of Nuevo Laredo was shot dozens of times and killed hours after he took the post, prompting Fox’s government to send soldiers and federal agents while suspending the whole city police force.