Luis Donaldo Colosio

Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta (10 February 1950 – 23 March 1994) was a Mexican politician who was murdered during a stop on his presidential campaign.

Assassination

In the early evening of 23 March 1994, at a campaign rally in Lomas Taurinas, a poor neighborhood of Tijuana, Colosio was shot in the head from a distance of a few centimeters. He collapsed, and was subsequently rushed to the city's main hospital. His death was announced a few hours later.

Related Topics:
23 March - 1994 - Lomas Taurinas - Tijuana

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Although the shooter, arrested at the site, never wavered from his story that he had acted alone, rumors still surround Colosio's assassination. The poor handling of the shooter by the authorities, who shaved, bathed and gave him a prison haircut before showing him to the media, started rumours about whether that man, who looked so different to the one arrested, was really the murderer. Colosio received three bullet wounds, and it was never clear if they could have been done by a single person. The case has been officially closed after many different prosecutors investigated it, but after the many mishandlings of the investigation and contradictory versions, the controversy continues.

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Blame was initially laid at the feet of aforementioned Manuel Camacho Solís, allegedly very upset at having been passed over as Salinas successor. The finger of suspicion also pointed in the direction of organized crime, particularly the Tijuana drug cartel. With the passage of time, however, the most persistent rumor, not induced but maybe magnificated later by Zedillo, enemy of Salinas being president and beneficiary of Colosio´s death, is that Colosio was shot on the orders of Salinas himself, because of a speech Colosio gave, talking about the Mexico´s people "thirst" for justice and future. According to this rumour Salinas felt those words were a break-off between Colosio and him. The material murderer, Mario Aburto, is imprisoned at the high-security La Palma facility.

Related Topics:
Manuel Camacho Solís - Tijuana

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