3 killed in inmate hunt shootout near US border
Sep 21, 2012, 3:56 AM
PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico (AP) – Authorities in Mexico say three gunmen have been killed after attacking police hunting for inmates who joined in a mass escape from a prison near the U.S. border.
The Coahuila state prosecutor’s office says the gunmen were in a truck in a residential area of the border city of Piedras Negras when they fired on state police officers Thursday who were helping look for some of the 131 prisoners who fled a nearby prison early in the week.
Investigators have yet to determine whether the dead gunmen were escapees. The statement says the truck matches records of a vehicle stolen in San Antonio, Texas.
Authorities say the Zetas drug cartel orchestrated the prison break apparently with the help of prison personnel. Three escapees have been recaptured so far.
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