Controversial former top cop shot in Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez

A controversial former top cop credited with reining in violence in two Mexican cities but widely criticized as having a heavy hand was shot repeatedly Friday by gunmen who apparently stalked him, authorities said.

Julian Leyzaola, who once headed public security in the border cities of Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, was attacked at midday after leaving his home in Juarez with his wife and daughter. Juarez Mayor Enrique Serrano confirmed the shooting and said two people had been detained.

Leyzaola was hit in the face and chest by four bullets and was in critical but stable condition, authorities said. He was apparently shot after stopping his vehicle for his wife and daughter to get out and enter a store, news reports from Juarez said. One of the gunmen reportedly leaped from his SUV to open fire.

A colorful, fearless and flamboyant character, Leyzaola often boasted that he had defied death, faced down threats and escaped attacks during his tours as police chief and then public security director in Tijuana from 2007 to 2010. The following year, he was hired for the same job in Ciudad Juarez, at the time, Mexico’s most deadly city.

Leyzaola was credited with helping to turn around Tijuana, reducing a skyrocketing murder rate and ushering in something of a renaissance for the city. He was headed down the same path in Juarez, winning kudos for cracking down on crime and purging unprofessional police forces. Homicides also declined significantly in Juarez, but Leyzaola had to step down in 2013 with a change in local government following elections.

A retired military officer before taking on the police posts, he angered the drug gangs and corrupt cops whom he challenged and routed. But Leyzaola also drew sharp attack for many of his tactics.

Human rights organizations accused him of participating and condoning torture while in Tijuana, and in Juarez he was investigated for a possible role in the disappearance of several civilians. One human rights leader called his hiring in Juarez “reprehensible” given his history in Tijuana.

And a secret U.S. diplomatic cable disclosed by WikiLeaks cited reports suggesting he crushed one drug gang in Tijuana by striking deals with its rivals.

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Cecilia Sanchez of the Times’ Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.