Cruise Bruise Blog
June 7, 2009
June 7, 2009
Acapulco Mexico War Zone Battle Intensifies In Tourist Area
Eighteen people, including two soldiers, were killed June 6, 2009 in a gun battle between the Mexican army and organized-crime suspects in the Mexican resort town of Acapulco, the Mexican Ministry of Defense said Sunday.
Tourists were evacuated from several hotels in the neighborhood that had been famous as hotel destinations for stars like John Wayne. The location of the gun fight was only a couple miles from the cruise ship terminal.
The incident began about 1900 hours, when the soldiers went to a location called Avenida Rancho Grande in Acapulco "to exploit information obtained through an anonymous tip," the ministry said in a statement.
Gunmen in the home opened fire at the soldiers
when they arrived at the house and hurled about 50 grenades at them. To be clear, these were GRENADES, commonly used for mass damage in a wide area.
Once inside, they found four Guerrero state police officers who had been held hostage, were handcuffed in the garage.
Five people were arrested in connection with the shootout. Two soldiers and 16 gunmen were killed and nine soldiers were wounded, the statement said.
The gunmen were not identified, but the statement called them "members of organized crime."
Authorities seized 36 large-caliber weapons, 13 small-caliber weapons, two grenade launchers, 13 fragmentation grenades, 3,525 rounds of various caliber ammunition, 180 magazines and eight vehicles, the ministry said.
More than 18,000 people have died since December 2006 in drug-related violence.
There is no sign at all that the major cruise lines are pulling their Mexican cruise port call at Acapulco. Essentially, passengers will pay for this port of call, then either the ship will not call there, or if the passengers are smart, they don't get off the ship.
Either way, if the cruise is already booked, the passenger will lose out.
June 7, 2009
Cruise Ship Pianist Trial Starts In Murder And Murder-For-Hire Case
If you listen to Cook County Illinois prosecutors, they will tell you that Steven L. Zirko, a man who played piano on Florida cruise ships was so angry at the mother of his children, that he tried to get a chiropractor to find a hit man and asked a fellow in his anger management class to kill her.
Mary Lacey was shot and stabbed more than 40 times in an attacked in her home in the 2600 block of North Sheffield Avenue in Glenview community of Chicago, Illinois. Lacey, who was on Social Security disability, had moved to the home only four months prior from the Wilmette home she once shared with Zirko to the Glenview residence she rented from a relative.
This is a story of a woman who moved, went to police over and over, had an order of protection, and even after a doctor came to the police and told them his patient had tried to get the doctor to contract with a hitman, the system failed her.
The details are for the most part are the same as any other domestic violence murder case. When there is blood on the floor, then police will do something.
You can read the story here.
