Secretary of tourism gunned down in Guadalajara
Jose de Jesus Gallegos Alvarez, 47, was shot dead after a brief pursuit along Paseo Via Acueducto at around 3.15 p.m.
Gallegos was being driven to his home in Puerta de Hierro when he was attacked by gunmen in two vehicles at the crossing with Paseo de los Parques. Gallegos’s driver sped north toward Avenida Patria as the assailants fired on his Toyota Highlander, causing it to crash into another vehicle and come to a standstill near the intersection with Josemaria Escriva.
An eyewitness told Spanish-language daily El Informador that one of the assailants then disembarked from his vehicle, walked over to where Gallegos lay and shot him from point-blank range, before returning to his vehicle and calmly driving away. Gallegos’ chauffeur survived the attack and ran to a nearby construction site in search of help.
Investigators found that 16 shots had been fired from two different nine-millimeter handguns. Of these, 13 hit Gallegos’ vehicle, leaving the rear windshield shattered.
Jalisco’s new Central Prosecutor Rafael Castellanos told reporters that four suspects were arrested but he later announced that they had been released after residue tests showed they had not used firearms.
Surveillance cameras did not capture the moment Gallegos was shot but from the footage investigators were able to identify the killers’ vehicles as a blue Chevrolet Blazer and a dark Volvo.
While political assassinations are relatively common in Mexico, attacks on tourism officials are rare and Jalisco’s Interior Minister Arturo Zamora said the initial investigation indicated that the killing “was probably related to (Gallegos’) business activities before he took the job as secretary of tourism.”
Governor Aristoteles Sandoval, who had named Gallegos in his cabinet last month, wrote on Twitter, “My solidarity and full support for the family of J. Jesus Gallegos, I am with you in the grief that overwhelms you. You are not alone.” Sandoval later added that he had instructed state authorities to get to the bottom of the case and keep Jalisco informed.
President Enrique Peña Nieto also condemned the attack, announcing that he had instructed federal authorities to aid local police in solving the crime and punishing those responsible.
Gallegos, who had studied civil engineering at Guadalajara’s ITESO university, was a property developer who had spent most of his life working in Mexico’s private tourism sector. He was the founder and president of Jegal Project and Construction Management, which developed expensive resorts and luxury towers across Mexico, including the Mayan Resorts chain and Zapopan’s Torre de Hierro and Icon23 towers, both located just a few blocks from where he was killed.
New prosecutor’s office to coordinate state law enforcement
Under the reforms approved by the state Congress last week, the old Attorney General’s Office (PGJEJ) will be merged with the Ministry of Public Security (SSPJ) to form a larger, more centralized institution, which the government hopes will prove more effective in combating organized crime.
The Prosecutor General’s Office will be in charge of the prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime; civil protection; social rehabilitation; and the enforcement of traffic laws in Jalisco.
The structure of the new office appears to be based on a model employed by the Chihuahua state government since 2010, in which the prosecutor general’s office coordinates work by prosecutors and the state and municipal police forces.
The central office will investigate crimes such as murder, corruption, kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking, crimes against women and children, theft of vehicles or cargo, and money laundering, while another sub-office will be established to investigate human rights cases.
Sandoval has chosen Carlos Luis Najera to head the new office, although his appointment must still be ratified by two thirds of the state Congress. Having served as state police chief under the last National Action Party (PAN) administration, Najera will be in charge of the Public Ministry, which in turn controls the state police, and he will appoint a new public safety commissioner.
Najera studied law at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (UAG) and took a masters in constitutional law at the University of Guadalajara (UdeG). He has worked in public security in Guadalajara and Zapopan and this week new Secretary General Arturo Zamora described him as “a great expert, not only in security, but also as a lawyer.”
New Jalisco governor sets ambitious agenda
Sandoval addressed 1,500 special guests, including 22 governors and U.S. Ambassador Anthony Wayne, for just over 45 minutes at Guadalajara’s Instituto Cabanas Cultural. Making numerous pledges, some more general than others, he said his administration will concentrate primarily on sustainable government, security, a competitive and sustainable economy, inclusive social development and innovation.
Sandoval made several pledges regarding transport, vowing to expand Guadalajara’s subway (tren ligero) network and open two more Macrobus routes, as well as introducing free public transport for students. He also said his administration would improve the train line from Aguascalientes to Juanacatlan and finish widening the highways from Guadalajara to Colima and Puerto Vallarta.
On the environment, Sandoval said he would allocate greater resources for the protection of the Bosque Primavera nature reserve and promised that his government will soon unveil a state law against climate change.
On security, Sandoval said he will reinforce Jalisco’s borders and plans to create a single, unified metropolitan police force.
Other announcements included the opening of 20 music schools, aimed at keeping children off the streets and away from organized crime, and the creation of the Department of Innovation, Science and Technology, which will extend broadband internet access to all 125 Jalisco municipalities and help promote Guadalajara’s Creative Digital City project.
Sandoval said he will raise the funds for these projects through “responsible spending and austerity” in other areas of government, yet critics will recall that he failed to fulfill many of the pledges made when taking up office as mayor of Guadalajara.
The Tequila Files 