Mexico soldiers kill teenager at military checkpoint

ASSOCIATED PRESS

4:31 p.m. January 13, 2008

MEXICO CITY – Soldiers opened fire on a pickup truck that failed to stop at a checkpoint in western Mexico, killing a male 17-year-old, officials said Sunday.

The victim, identified as Victor de la Paz, was behind the wheel Friday when troops fired at his vehicle in the Michoacan state town of Huetamo, the Defense Department said in a statement.

Soldiers were shooting at the tires, but at least one bullet struck and killed the youth, according to the statement.

A 19-year-old passenger was taken into custody.

Human rights groups have alleged abuses by soldiers deployed for more than a year as part of President Felipe Calderón's nationwide anti-drug offensive.