TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) -- Prosecutors now believe the gangland-style assassination of Tijuana's police chief last month may have been an inside job.
Interviews with six men arrested in the shooting initially led prosecutors to believe the killing was orchestrated by a drug gang trying to muscle in on Tijuana action.But prosecutors said Thursday that after questioning the suspects further, a new theory emerged: The police chief's deputy and one of his officers put a hit on him.
Baja California Attorney General Juan Manuel Salazar said Thursday the testimony made investigators think the two officers were linked to the drug dealers and had orchestrated the shooting of Police Chief Alfredo de la Torre, then fled to the United States. Details of the connection weren't clear.
De la Torre was gunned down Feb. 27 while driving to his office. Investigators said gunmen fired at least 99 bullets at his car, 57 of which hit him. He died instantly.
The attack caused a public outcry in what may be Mexico's most violent city. Tijuana, with a population of 1.2 million, has seen more than 70 murders so far this year -- more than one a day.
The six suspects arrested Wednesday include a former city official and a former police officer.
According to testimony, the six were to be paid $15,000 by Assistant Police Chief Juan de Dios Montenegro for the hit but never saw the money, Salazar said. U.S. officials are searching for Montenegro and officer Praxedis Osuna Solis.
In a news conference Wednesday, Salazar said the men admitted working for Vicente Zambada Niebla, whom he identified as the son of drug trafficker Mario Zambada from the northwestern state of Sinaloa.
Salazar said the men had killed 14 other people, including attorney Rodolfo Gallardo, a former state judge who was shot to death along with his wife, son and a local policeman on Feb. 9.
Officials believe the traffickers wanted to create confusion that would help them operate without interference, but Salazar said investigators were looking into other motives as well.
Zambada apparently has been trying to compete with the Arellano Felix brothers, a notoriously violent drug gang based in Tijuana.
The attorney general said police confiscated several automatic rifles and other weapons from the suspects.