5 Honduran police charged with killing 7 in gang

5 Honduran police charged with killing 7 in gang
By ALBERTO ARCE
Associated Press
Jun 4, 9:00 PM EDT

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) -- A Honduran court has issued arrest warrants for five national police officers accused of killing seven gang members, a prosecutor's spokesman said Tuesday.

The officers are accused of assassination, illegal breaking and entering, and abuse of authority in connection with a 2011 case in the northern city of San Pedro Sula, said Elvis Guzman of the Honduran Attorney General's Office.

The victims were members of the 18th Street gang, one of Honduras' two most powerful and violent criminal organizations. The gang has accused Honduran police of running death squads that commit extra-judicial killings rather than bring gang criminals to justice.

An Associated Press investigation found that since January, at least five people affiliated with the 18th Street gang in the capital city of Tegucigalpa disappeared or were found dead after being seen in police custody.

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