Gang Busters Murdered In Northern Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA – The head of the crime commission in the northern Honduran city of Olanchito and his assistant were gunned down on a road in the area, officials said.

Adalid Sandoval and his aide, Carlos Hanania, were killed around 10 a.m. Saturday on a highway in El Juncal, near Olanchito, City Councilman Juan Carlos Molina told reporters.

Molina said two gunmen opened fire on the officials from another vehicle. Sandoval and Hanania were working closely with police in Olanchito, located in the northern province of Yoro, as part of the crime commission’s efforts to reduce the crime and violence in the region, Molina said.

Honduras has been rocked by a wave of violence in recent months.

The violent death rate in Honduras was up almost 15% in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2005, according to a recent study.

During that time, police reported 1,308 violent deaths, or 168 more than in the first three months of 2005, according to the study prepared by a nongovernmental organization.

Honduras has a population of 7 million people, about 1 million less than New York City, which had fewer than 550 murders last year.