A Juárez police commander was gunned down on his day off on Sunday outside a home in the town of Nuevo Casas Grandes, officials said.

Cmdr. Adrian Matsumoto Dorame served as an assistant chief heading the intelligence unit of the Juárez police department, authorities said.

The killing of Matsumoto occurred more than a month after Juárez police were hit by a series of coordinated attacks allegedly carried out by La Linea crime organization and the Mexicles gang in late January.

Juárez has had a rise in violence over the past year. There were 93 homicides in February compared with 105 deaths in January, according to a tally by Channel 44-XHIJ

On Sunday afternoon, gunmen attacked Matsumoto on the street outside a relative's home in Nuevo Casas Grandes, El Heraldo de Chihuahua reported.

Nuevo Casas Grandes is about 125 miles southwest of Juárez.

Following Matsumoto's death, state police investigators raided several homes in Nuevo Casas Grande, El Heraldo reported.

The Chihuahua attorney generals office on Monday reported that one person was arrested and the body of an unidentified man was found at a suspected "safe house."

Investigators seized six rifles, two handguns, five stolen vehicles, including a bulletproof vehicle as well as a briefcase containing a cellphone, photos, cards and other items.

Matsumoto had a lengthy law enforcement career in Chihuahua state including leadership roles in the state police agencies, state custodial police coordinator and had been police chief in Casas Grandes, the Juárez police department said.

In years past, Matsumoto faced allegations of abuse of authority, kidnapping, robbery and making threats, El Heraldo de Chihuahua reported.

Matsumoto's death followed the Feb. 23 killings of Cuauhtémoc police chief Efren Peñaflores Rodriguez and Officer Leobardo Alejandro Lopez Rivero.

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The Chihuahua attorney general's office said four men were arrested in connection with the police deaths in Cuauhtémoc, which is about 50 miles west of Chihuahua City.

On Saturday night, the bodies of five men were found shot to death on the roadway in the highway between Cuauhtémoc and Chihuahua City.

The western region of Chihuahua has been experiencing drug-trafficking related violence for years.

In 2017, the U.S. Consulate in Juárez warned U.S. citizens about travel to the western region of Chihuahua because of the rise in bloodshed.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at 546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.

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