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Shooting death shown on Mexican TV
Circumstances of gunman's death unclear
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December 31, 1996
Web posted at: 2:10 p.m. EST (1910 GMT)MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- A bank robber who held up to 25 people hostage was shot dead in a real-life drama that was broadcast live on Mexican television. Two police officers and a third person were wounded during the six-hour siege.
It was not immediately clear if Jorge de Jesus Ruiz killed himself, as police said, or if he was shot by police.
"None of the police agents fired," said Mariano Herran, deputy attorney general for Mexico City, contradicting a comment made by a police officer just after the ordeal. The officer told a Mexican television station he regretted having to kill the assailant but added it was necessary to save the hostages.
Getaway car
Ruiz was shot in the head Monday evening as he entered the back seat of an escape car with the bank manager and another employee, police said. At least two shots were fired.
Before the shooting, Ruiz negotiated for the getaway car and came to the door of the bank holding the two hostages at gunpoint, waiving a pair of pistols at police, the hostages and reporters gathered outside the bank.
A live television broadcast showed Ruiz sitting in the back seat between the two hostages, pointing a pistol at each one.
Distracted
Police apparently distracted Ruiz by screaming at him. Suddenly, two policeman threw open the rear doors and pulled down the seated hostages, while one of them grabbed Ruiz's gun. A third policeman fired from behind through the rear windshield.
Ruiz shot back, critically wounding a police officer.
Earlier in the ordeal, television pictures also showed Ruiz inside the bank holding a terrified woman at gunpoint.
The holdup began shortly after lunchtime on Monday when Ruiz and two other assailants entered a branch office of Bancomer, Mexico's second-largest bank, firing pistols into the air, police said.
A bank guard and one other person were injured. Police captured two of the assailants, a man and a woman.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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