Lawmaker gunned down in Honduras

Tegucigalpa, Dec 4 (IANS/EFE) A congressman with Honduras’ ruling National Party was fatally shot by unknown assailants in the western city of La Entrada, authorities said.

Juan de Jesus Deras Madrid, 33, was attacked Thursday while returning in his car from a public event to hand out government benefits to poor residents of Copan Ruinas.

The lawmaker managed to get out of the vehicle and run into a nearby shop, but the shooters pursued him inside and killed him, according to preliminary accounts.

One of the two people traveling with Deras Madrid was wounded and the other emerged unscathed, Copan provincial police chief Jorge Barralaga said, withholding the individuals’ named “for security reasons”.

Shell casings from AK-47 assault rifles were found at the scene and the shooters apparently fled toward the nearby Guatemalan border, Barralaga told reporters.

The Honduran Congress observed a moment of silence during Thursday’s session after receiving news of Deras Madrid’s death.

The deputy leader of the National Party bloc, Ricardo Diaz, told the press a congressional delegation would attend Deras Madrid’s funeral and called on authorities to track down the killers.

–IANS/EFE