Saturday 25 October 2014

2 officers die in 'one-man crime spree'





  • One deputy is killed by surprise gunfire from suspicious car in a motel parking lot

  • Suspects allegedly attempt three carjackings, two of which are successful

  • A deputy in nearby county is killed in another gunfight

  • Marcelo Marquez, 34, and Jannelle Monroy, 38, are in custody after six-hour rampage




(CNN) -- The California shooting rampage began in a parking lot of a $56-a-night motel outside downtown Sacramento when two sheriff's deputies checked on a suspicious car there.


By the time the spree was over, authorities said, the suspects killed two sheriff's deputies in two counties, wounded a third deputy, attempted three car carjackings and shot one of those drivers in the head -- all during a span of six hours Friday, prompting school lockdowns and a massive manhunt.


The dragnet was successful: Marcelo Marquez, 34, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was arrested Friday after police found him in a home in Auburn, about 30 miles from the initial shooting, authorities said. Also arrested was Jannelle Monroy, 38, of Sacramento County, who was allegedly with Marquez during the rampage, authorities said.


Killed was Sacramento County Deputy Danny Oliver, 47, a 15-year veteran with a wife and two daughters. The other slain officer was Placer County Deputy Michael David Davis Jr., 42, an 18-year veteran with a wife and four children. Davis died exactly 26 years later to the day that his father, a Riverside County sheriff's deputy, was killed in the line of duty, authorities said.


The wounded deputy, Jeff Davis of Placer County, was shot in the arm and later treated and released, and the driver, Anthony Holmes, 38, was in serious condition in a hospital, according to authorities and CNN affiliates.


"A one-man crime spree"


The two suspects' motive remained a mystery on Saturday as authorities continued their investigation and weighed what charges to file. Investigators will take weeks in putting together the string of crime scenes, police said. Officials believe Marquez is responsible for all the shootings, according to reports.


"This guy was on a one-man crime spree today. He has no idea of the damage he did," Placer County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dena Erwin told reporters after Marquez's arrest.







Added Placer County Sheriff Ed Bonner at a news conference: "I think there's those people who would say, 'You know what, I wish you'd killed him.'


"Now, that's not who we are. We are not him. We did our job," Bonner told reporters.


Shot in the jaw


Events began shortly before 10:30 a.m. when Oliver and his partner found themselves being fired upon by at least one of the suspects in a vehicle in the parking lot of Motel 6, authorities said.


The gunfire surprised Oliver, who wasn't able to fire a shot, but his partner did return fire, and the suspects fled, authorities said. Oliver was shot in the forehead, police said.


Then a total of three attempted carjacking occurred, two of them successful, according to CNN affiliate KCRA, citing authorities.


The first was Holmes' vehicle, but he fought the carjacking attempt, police said. He was shot in the jaw, CNN affiliate KOVR reported.


"Anthony Holmes is a strong guy," friend Tyrone Murphy told KOVR. "He wouldn't let someone take his car, but officially the guy had a gun, and he couldn't beat the bullet."


Holmes fell back into his car, police said.


"By his falling back (into his car), that could explain why the suspect was unable to carjack that vehicle," Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said.


Final carjacking


The two suspects carjacked a Mustang and ditched it. They then carjacked a red Ford F-150 truck and drove to Placer County, KCRA reported.


Another gunfire erupted again in Auburn, when two Placer County sheriff's deputies were wounded, police said.







Authorities arrested Monroy in or near the hijacked truck, and Marquez allegedly ran from the scene, said Erwin.


All Auburn schools were locked down while police hunted for Marquez, authorities said. Placer High School's homecoming football game on Friday was postponed until Saturday, KCRA reported.


A SWAT team, police armored vehicles and gun-drawing officers formed a perimeter around the neighborhood and set up checkpoints to inspect the car trunks of passing motorists, the Sacramento Bee reported.


"It looks like a TV show around here," Hazel Haase, who lived next door to the home where Marquez allegedly was hiding, told the newspaper by telephone during the siege.


The owner of the home where Marquez was found helped police by drawing a floor plan, the newspaper reported.


Marquez was arrested without putting up a struggle and was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to his hand, according to a CNN affiliate.


His ID was found on the dashboard of one of the vehicles he allegedly carjacked, KCRA reported.



'Constantine': What's the verdict?






Comic book-based movies are all over Hollywood in recent years ("Guardians of the Galaxy," anyone?). But this season, TV is following suit in a big way. The 2005 Keanu Reeves movie "Constantine" didn't exactly launch a franchise, so NBC is giving it a go with a new version of the comic book antihero, played by Matt Ryan (second from left with Harold Perrineau, Angelica Celaya and Charlie Halford).Comic book-based movies are all over Hollywood in recent years ("Guardians of the Galaxy," anyone?). But this season, TV is following suit in a big way. The 2005 Keanu Reeves movie "Constantine" didn't exactly launch a franchise, so NBC is giving it a go with a new version of the comic book antihero, played by Matt Ryan (second from left with Harold Perrineau, Angelica Celaya and Charlie Halford).

AMC's "The Walking Dead" got the comics-on-TV trend going in 2010, and it's now <a href='http://ift.tt/1kXneUd' target='_blank'>one of the top five most-watched shows on TV.</a> It recently kicked off its fifth season.AMC's "The Walking Dead" got the comics-on-TV trend going in 2010, and it's now one of the top five most-watched shows on TV. It recently kicked off its fifth season.

The CW has a popular new series this season with "The Flash." Critics are praising Grant Gustin's performance as the "fastest man alive."The CW has a popular new series this season with "The Flash." Critics are praising Grant Gustin's performance as the "fastest man alive."

One of the hottest new series is Fox's "Gotham," which examines Batman's city many years before Batman began.One of the hottest new series is Fox's "Gotham," which examines Batman's city many years before Batman began.

The fan base for "Arrow" has grown over the past two seasons. This new take on Green Arrow is a guaranteed action extravaganza each week.The fan base for "Arrow" has grown over the past two seasons. This new take on Green Arrow is a guaranteed action extravaganza each week.

Fans enjoyed last season's finale of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," which took a nod from the events of "Captain America: Winter Soldier." The Marvel TV and movie universes are sure to collide again this season on the ABC series. Fans enjoyed last season's finale of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," which took a nod from the events of "Captain America: Winter Soldier." The Marvel TV and movie universes are sure to collide again this season on the ABC series.

"Marvel's Agent Carter" will debut in early 2015 while "S.H.I.E.L.D." takes a break. This series chronicles the beginnings of S.H.I.E.L.D. as co-founded by Captain America's World War II-era girlfriend, Peggy Carter."Marvel's Agent Carter" will debut in early 2015 while "S.H.I.E.L.D." takes a break. This series chronicles the beginnings of S.H.I.E.L.D. as co-founded by Captain America's World War II-era girlfriend, Peggy Carter.

Rabid fans of Guillermo del Toro's vampire comic book series "The Strain" have praised the FX adaptation.Rabid fans of Guillermo del Toro's vampire comic book series "The Strain" have praised the FX adaptation.

Rob Thomas of "Veronica Mars" fame is loosely adapting the cult comic book favorite "iZombie" for the CW in 2015. Rose McIver ("Masters of Sex," "Once Upon a Time") stars as a zombified woman who tries to live a normal afterlife ... when not snacking on brains.Rob Thomas of "Veronica Mars" fame is loosely adapting the cult comic book favorite "iZombie" for the CW in 2015. Rose McIver ("Masters of Sex," "Once Upon a Time") stars as a zombified woman who tries to live a normal afterlife ... when not snacking on brains.

 Following right on the heels of the big comic book TV season is "Riverdale," based on Archie Comics, which aims to premiere next fall on Fox. Following right on the heels of the big comic book TV season is "Riverdale," based on Archie Comics, which aims to premiere next fall on Fox.

Marvel is giving "Daredevil" a shot on Netflix in 2015, and we can already tell this won't be like the 2003 Ben Affleck movie. Charlie Cox will play the "Man Without Fear."Marvel is giving "Daredevil" a shot on Netflix in 2015, and we can already tell this won't be like the 2003 Ben Affleck movie. Charlie Cox will play the "Man Without Fear."


Warner Bros. recently announced a live-action online series based on the DC Comics hero Static Shock, previously adapted for Saturday morning TV.

Warner Bros. recently announced a live-action online series based on the DC Comics hero Static Shock, previously adapted for Saturday morning TV.








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  • 'Constantine,' the latest comic book based series, premiered Friday

  • Matt Ryan plays rebellious exorcist John Constantine

  • Critical response mixed




(CNN) -- NBC's "Constantine" joined the growing party of comic book-based TV series with its Friday night premiere on NBC. But critics couldn't quite agree on whether it was worth staying home (or even DVRing) to catch it.


Matt Ryan stars as John Constantine, a rebellious and not very likable exorcist with an affinity for trench coats and cigarettes -- at least, that's how he appears in "Hellblazer," the DC comic book upon which the show is based. To adhere to network standards, Constantine ditches his bad habit for TV, a source of contention for Hitfix.com critic Alan Sepinwall and others.


"The absence of John's most physically self-destructive habit is symbolic of a larger issue," he said. "And as John will tell anyone who listens... symbols have meaning, and when you take them away, you can take away the power they represent."


'Constantine' adds to TV's comic-book trend


That's not all that worries critics about Constantine, who introduces the real world of demons and ghouls in the premiere. Fans and critics believe Ryan's performance will make this show sink or swim, similar to Hugh Laurie on "House" or Benedict Cumberbatch on "Sherlock." For some of them, it's not looking good.


"Ryan is a particular problem, I'm sorry to say," Vulture's Matt Zoller Seitz said. "I don't know if he was miscast or poorly directed, but something about his grooming, makeup, and line delivery make him sound like (and sometimes resemble) Jim Carrey in comic high-dudgeon mode."


Others, however, took a more positive view of his performance.


"More cynical than Supernatural's Winchester brothers, almost as quippy as the beloved Buffy, Ryan's Constantine is terrific company for any monstrous apocalypse," Matt Roush of TV Guide said.


USA Today's Robert Bianco was also in the favorable camp.


"Falling somewhere in the middle of the dark/light scale between Gotham and Flash, tonight's promising premiere boasts a few good jolts, a welcome bit of visual flair, and an appealing star turn from Welsh actor Matt Ryan, who conveys just the right mix of tortured soul, biting wit and hunky hero."


David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle is holding out hope that the show will improve.


"There's good stuff in the pilot — the special effects, for one — and not-so-good stuff, leaving the question up in the air about whether writers David Goyer and Daniel Cerone, who developed the series, can make the fixes necessary to do justice to Hellblazer. "


Viewers were similarly mixed on Twitter.


"It wasn't mind-blowing," comics fan Da Nerdette said. "The pacing was off at times. But, I enjoyed Matt Ryan as #Constantine. It's worth another chance."


"The best thing about the show is Matt Ryan's rowdy and committed performance as John Constantine," another viewer, David Prush, said on Twitter. "For a pilot it was very impressive."


What did you think? Will you watch again? Tell us in the comments.



First 'dead' hearts are transplanted





  • Doctors transplant three hearts that had stopped beating in donors

  • All three recipients are doing well

  • Doctors say the method could increase the number of donor hearts

  • The method is widely researched and already performed with other organs




(CNN) -- Pioneering heart transplant surgery announced Friday in Australia may lead to a new option for patients awaiting transplants by boosting the number of donor hearts available.


Doctors at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney said they performed three successful transplants of hearts that had naturally stopped beating in the donor, rather than using the typical method of removing donor hearts from patients who are brain-dead but still have cardiovascular function.


The donor hearts had stopped beating for as long as 20 minutes before surgeons were able to remove them from the patients.


The three surgeries were done in the past few months. All patients are doing well; one of them told reporters she feels like a "different person" who can perform more physical activity than before the surgery.


The procedure involves injecting the hearts with a preservation solution developed by the institute and hospital, then placing them in a machine that perfuses them with warm oxygenated blood. The machine keeps the heart replenished with oxygen, nutrients and hormones during transport, according to TransMedics, the maker of the machine.


Typically, donated organs are transported on ice, which carries the risk of damage.


The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney, which worked with St. Vincent's on the procedure, said it "will result in a major increase in the pool of hearts available for transplantation."


The transplanting of hearts that have naturally stopped beating in donors -- which are called DCD hearts, for "donors after circulatory death" -- is already the subject of research internationally, said Dr. Joseph Woo, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Stanford Health Care and chairman of cardiothoracic surgery at Stanford Medicine in Palo Alto, California.


Stanford researchers have been studying the process in human DCD hearts, and researchers elsewhere are studying it in pigs and other animals, he said.


Transplants involving other DCD organs such as kidneys, livers and lungs are already widely accepted, he said.


In 2008, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine reported the successful transplants of DCD hearts into infants at Denver Children's Hospital. Three babies younger than 18 months received hearts from donors who had died from cardiocirculatory causes; the recipients' six-month survival rate was 100%, according to the article.


The authors, all members of the hospital's Pediatric Heart Transplant Team, said the results were promising for others awaiting critical transplants.


"Donors who died from cardiocirculatory causes offer an opportunity to reduce waiting time and waiting-list mortality among children whose survival depends on a heart transplant," wrote the authors.


"For pediatric heart donation and transplantation involving patients who die from cardiocirculatory causes to become a more frequent option for end-of-life care and to affect significantly the nationwide risk of dying while waiting, the concept of distant sharing of donated organs from these donors should be considered."


Woo said the number of heart transplants in the United States has remained at around 2,000 for years, limited by the number of viable donors. New methods like the one performed successfully in Australia may help save more lives.


"The thinking is if you change the way that families are able to permit donation, that you might have more donors," he said.


Two of the patients who received the new hearts in Sydney beamed as they spoke to reporters Friday.


Michelle Gribilas said she feels years younger. Before the surgery, she couldn't walk more than 100 meters (about 110 yards) at a time.


"I'm a different person altogether. Like I walk 3 kilometers (almost 2 miles) a day, I go up the stairs, about 120 to 100 stairs a day," she said.


"It's a wild thing to get your head around, that your heart's (come from) a stranger, someone you don't know -- part of them is now inside you," said another recipient, Jan Damen. "It's a privilege. It's an amazing thing."



Remains ID'd as Hannah Graham


Hannah Graham, 18, went missing in Charlottesville before dawn on September 13.


Hannah Graham, 18, went missing in Charlottesville before dawn on September 13.



(CNN) -- Human remains discovered last weekend in Albemarle County, Virginia, belong to University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, authorities said Friday.


Graham, 18, went missing before dawn on September 13 after being last spotted on several surveillance cameras in Charlottesville's Downtown Mall area.





UVA suspect Jesse Matthew's past




Graham suspect indicted in 2005 rape case

The remains were discovered last Saturday on an abandoned property eight miles from where Graham was last seen.


Graham's parents, John and Sue, acknowledged the confirmation of the remains' identity, announced by the Virginia Medical Examiner's Office and the Albemarle County Police Department.


"When we started this journey together we all hoped for a happier ending," the couple said in a statement. "Sadly that was not to be, but due to the tenacity and determination of (Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy) Longo, Hannah is coming home to us and we will be eternally grateful to him for this."


Hannah Graham suspect indicted in 2005 assault



'Breaking Bad' star upset at store






"Breaking Bad" may be history, but the show is still in the spotlight. After a final stretch of Emmy wins in August, the series, which starred Bryan Cranston, right, and Aaron Paul, is now under contention because of action figures based on the drama. Here are some indelible scenes from the past five seasons that put "Breaking Bad" on the map: (SPOILER ALERT: Read no further if you don't want plot points revealed)."Breaking Bad" may be history, but the show is still in the spotlight. After a final stretch of Emmy wins in August, the series, which starred Bryan Cranston, right, and Aaron Paul, is now under contention because of action figures based on the drama. Here are some indelible scenes from the past five seasons that put "Breaking Bad" on the map: (SPOILER ALERT: Read no further if you don't want plot points revealed).

This scene from Season 1 offers one of the first glimpses into how smart and ruthless Walter White (Cranston) can be when cornered. Here, Walt leaves with a bag of cash after igniting an explosion at the lair of Tuco, a midlevel meth dealer.This scene from Season 1 offers one of the first glimpses into how smart and ruthless Walter White (Cranston) can be when cornered. Here, Walt leaves with a bag of cash after igniting an explosion at the lair of Tuco, a midlevel meth dealer.

Jesse Pinkman (Paul), Walt's apprentice, does heroin with his neighbor girlfriend Jane in Season 2. Soon after, Walt discovers Jane choking on vomit in her sleep and does nothing to save her, a decision that made his character unredeemable in the eyes of some viewers.Jesse Pinkman (Paul), Walt's apprentice, does heroin with his neighbor girlfriend Jane in Season 2. Soon after, Walt discovers Jane choking on vomit in her sleep and does nothing to save her, a decision that made his character unredeemable in the eyes of some viewers.

Walt's brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris), a DEA agent, tracks down the RV that Walt and Jesse have been using as a meth lab, trapping Walt and Jesse, who are hiding inside. But Walt orchestrates a fake emergency phone call to lure Hank away and escape without being identified.Walt's brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris), a DEA agent, tracks down the RV that Walt and Jesse have been using as a meth lab, trapping Walt and Jesse, who are hiding inside. But Walt orchestrates a fake emergency phone call to lure Hank away and escape without being identified.

Drug lord Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito, left), livid over an act of betrayal by Walt and Jesse, sends a brutal message in this soon-to-be bloody scene from Season 4.Drug lord Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito, left), livid over an act of betrayal by Walt and Jesse, sends a brutal message in this soon-to-be bloody scene from Season 4.

In this dramatic Season 4 showdown, Gus takes Jesse and loyal henchman Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) to Mexico to meet with the vicious leader of a drug cartel. One poisoned bottle of rare tequila later, the three are fleeing for their lives.In this dramatic Season 4 showdown, Gus takes Jesse and loyal henchman Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) to Mexico to meet with the vicious leader of a drug cartel. One poisoned bottle of rare tequila later, the three are fleeing for their lives.

Jesse, Walt and new accomplice Todd (Jesse Plemons) encounter an unfortunate surprise witness when they stage a daring train robbery in the New Mexico desert.Jesse, Walt and new accomplice Todd (Jesse Plemons) encounter an unfortunate surprise witness when they stage a daring train robbery in the New Mexico desert.

As a seasoned fixer, the unflappable Mike is usually the one pointing a gun at someone. But Walt, growing increasingly volatile, turns the tables on him in this momentous scene from Season 5.As a seasoned fixer, the unflappable Mike is usually the one pointing a gun at someone. But Walt, growing increasingly volatile, turns the tables on him in this momentous scene from Season 5.

Walt and wife Skyler (Anna Gunn), a reluctant accomplice in his tenuous drug empire, visit a storage unit where she reveals to him a massive stack of unlaundered cash. "I want my life back," she pleads. "How big does this pile have to be?"Walt and wife Skyler (Anna Gunn), a reluctant accomplice in his tenuous drug empire, visit a storage unit where she reveals to him a massive stack of unlaundered cash. "I want my life back," she pleads. "How big does this pile have to be?"

In the last episode before "Breaking Bad's" final run, Hank discovers some incriminating bathroom reading in Walt's house. What will he do with this startling information? The answer may drive the narrative for the show's final eight episodes.In the last episode before "Breaking Bad's" final run, Hank discovers some incriminating bathroom reading in Walt's house. What will he do with this startling information? The answer may drive the narrative for the show's final eight episodes.

Walter White confronts Elliott and Gretchen Schwartz in the series' final episode.Walter White confronts Elliott and Gretchen Schwartz in the series' final episode.









  • Aaron Paul is upset about Toys R Us pulling "Breaking Bad" action figures

  • Toys R Us said figures "have taken an 'indefinite sabbatical' "

  • Florida mother started petition to get figures pulled




(CNN) -- Aaron Paul is still upset that Toys R Us pulled "Breaking Bad" action figures from its stores and noted that a petition to keep the figures has gained signers.


"Dear @ToysRUs, We have close to 30,000 signed on the petition, that is 3 times the amount that caused you to remove the toys. Talk to me. Ap," he tweeted.


Paul played Jesse Pinkman, the assistant to Bryan Cranston's meth-dealing Walter White, on the hit AMC show.


The toy store chain decided to pull the action figures thanks in part to an online petition that urged the store to stop selling them at their stores and online. The petition, issued by Susan Schrivjer of Fort Myers, Florida, received more than 9,000 signatures.





Bryan Cranston responds to upset mom




The evolution of Walter White

Using the name Susan Myers on Change.org, Schrivjer noted the store's "selection of toys for children of all ages." However, she added, "their decision to sell a Breaking Bad doll, complete with a detachable sack of cash and a bag of meth, alongside children's toys is a dangerous deviation from their family friendly values."


On Wednesday, Toys R Us gave in. "Let's just say, the action figures have taken an 'indefinite sabbatical,' " the company said in a statement.


Mother wants 'Breaking Bad' action figures removed from Toys R Us


But that wasn't what Daniel Pickett of Manhattan Beach, California, wanted to hear. He's the one who started the Change.org petition in favor of keeping the toys.


"Toys R Us' decision to sell a line of Breaking Bad ACTION FIGURES, complete with a detachable sack of cash and a bag of meth, in an aisle designated for adult collectors, featuring properties of a more mature nature that might appeal to older collectors, and away from the other 'kid' toys, shows that TRU understands there is more than one group of collectors that regularly come through their doors each day," he wrote.


Paul started poking at Toys R Us in tweets starting Thursday afternoon.







"Wait, so @ToysRUs pulled all of the Breaking Bad figures from their shelves and still sells Barbie? Hmmmm...I wonder what is more damaging?" wrote Paul.


He then posted another, more pointed, tweet.


"And what about all of the violent video games you sell @ToysRUs? Do you still sell those? Florida mom really messed it up for everyone," he wrote.


Cranston took a more light-hearted approach.


" 'Florida mom petitions against Toys 'R Us over Breaking Bad action figures.' I'm so mad, I'm burning my Florida Mom action figure in protest," he initially tweeted.


Cranston cracked wise again Wednesday after Toys R Us put out its statement.


"Toys R Us puts Breaking Bad toys on 'indefinite sabbatical.' Word on the street is that they were sent to Belize. Nicely played Florida Mom," he tweeted.


Ironically, Schrivjer told CNN affiliate WFTX of Fort Myers that she likes "Breaking Bad," the show. But seeing the action figures at Toys R Us was just too much.


"Kids mimic their action figures, if you will," she told the station. "Do you want your child in an orange jumpsuit?"



43 students missing, Mexico gov. quits





  • The Guerrero state legislature must now find a replacement

  • Forty-three students intending to protest in Iguala vanished September 26

  • Police say ex-mayor and his wife are responsible for the disappearance

  • Activist priest says the students were shot, bodies burned




(CNN) -- The legislature of Mexico's Guerrero state must now find a replacement after the governor effectively stepped down, yielding to a growing political crisis over a mass kidnapping.


After weeks of calls for his resignation, Gov. Angel Aguirre on Thursday asked for a leave of absence to put the focus back on solving the case of the missing students.


By law, governors in Mexico cannot resign, so asking for a leave of absence can be a euphemism for stepping down in a crisis situation. The state legislature must name a new governor to finish Aguirre's term, which ends next year.


His critics said Aguirre didn't act quickly enough in the days after 43 students went missing last month or take measures to minimize the impact of the crisis.


The governor did not agree with that assessment.





Ex-mayor linked to missing students




Mexico: Where are 43 abducted students?








Forty-three students remain missing after armed men ambushed buses carrying students in southern Mexico on on September 26 .The Mexican state of Guerrero posted images and offered a reward of 1 million pesos ($74,000) for information leading to the missing students. Images of three missing students were not available.Forty-three students remain missing after armed men ambushed buses carrying students in southern Mexico on on September 26 .The Mexican state of Guerrero posted images and offered a reward of 1 million pesos ($74,000) for information leading to the missing students. Images of three missing students were not available.































































































































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Photos: Missing Mexican studentsPhotos: Missing Mexican students



"From the very first hours" of the disappearance, the governor said, "the state government took immediate measures to detain police officers who were directly involved and other individuals who were identified as participants in these criminal acts with the purpose of locating the missing students and pay the necessary attention to the victims."


Mexico's attorney general this week issued arrest warrants for the former mayor of Iguala, the city where the students were kidnapped; that official's wife; and the city's former public safety director. Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam called the three the "probable masterminds" of the September 26 events in Iguala.


That day, students from a teachers college in nearby Ayotzinapa were on their way to stage a protest in Iguala. When former Mayor Jose Luis Abarca and his wife learned the protest would disrupt an event led by the latter, they gave orders to Public Safety Director Felipe Flores Velasquez to send police forces to prevent the students from protesting.


"The order to confront those people came from the police department's command center, straight from A-5, code name used to identify the Iguala mayor," Murillo said. The attorney general said his office learned the information from interrogations of police officers and gang members detained in the last month and allegedly involved in the incident.


Police blocked the highway leading into the city and shot at the students as they arrived in buses and a van. One student was killed.


Footage from the scene showed a white van left in the middle of the road with its windows blown out and the doors wide open.


Officers took the students away, Murillo said, then handed them to a local criminal gang known as Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors), which not only had infiltrated the police department but was also complicit with Abarca, his wife and the public safety director. All three disappeared the day after the clashes between police and the students.


Members of the Mexican federal police and army have taken over the Iguala Police Department and assumed all security responsibilities.


The students remain missing, and 53 people, including 36 officers and 17 suspected gang members, have been detained.


The recent discovery of 28 bodies in mass graves in Guerrero turned out not to be connected to the missing students.


A Roman Catholic priest and well-known activist who works with migrants and trafficking victims revealed details this week about the kidnappings, saying the students were forced to walk to a remote location and then shot.


"Some who were wounded but still alive, with others who were already dead ... were put on top of firewood and set on fire with diesel," the Rev. Alejandro Solalinde said. He said he has given his information to prosecutors.


The case has become a political crisis, with opposition lawmakers asking President Enrique Peña Nieto to dissolve the entire Guerrero state government and take charge. Peña Nieto has said his government will not spare any efforts until the students are found and justice is done.


"Violence, whatever its origin, goes against what we are as a country. Violence will never be a solution or pave the way toward a better future," the President said.


Mexican authorities are offering a reward of nearly $5 million for information leading to the students and solving the case.