Inquiry into death of Marine hits snag

Daniel Borunda
El Paso Times

JUAREZ -- The Chihuahua state attorney general described Monday's fatal shooting of a U.S. Marine recruiter and Iraq war veteran as a "savage" act, while acknowledging that the investigation has faced some difficulty.

Attorney General Patricia Gonzalez said Sgt. Heber Villagran, 23, was an innocent victim of random violence early Monday morning, when the El Pasoan was shot after a dispute with men in a sport utility vehicle as Villagran and other Marines left Chamucos nightclub.

"This could happen to any of us coming out of nightclub at that time of night. ... It was a barbaric act," Gonzalez said at a press conference Tuesday.

Gonzalez confirmed that the FBI and El Paso police are serving as advisers and that U.S. military criminal investigators were invited to review the investigation, portrayed by Juárez news media as politically sensitive because of Villagran's military status.

Neither the type of SUV nor the assailants have been identified despite outdoor police security cameras in the ProNaF tourist zone, where the shooting occurred, Gonzalez said. Police were also at a nearby nightclub on a separate call at the time.

"Unfortunately, that camera (which would have recorded the shooting) was pointing almost to the sky," Gonzalez said. "If that camera had been functioning perfectly, we would have had the information on the vehicle."

State investigators today were scheduled to re-interview Villagran's friends to get a description of the vehicle and shooter.

Villagran was shot five times with a .40-caliber handgun when he and three companions exchanged words with men in an SUV that blocked their path as they tried to walk across the street, investigators said. One of Villagran's companions threw a bottle at the SUV and a passenger then opened fire.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102.