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A 77-year old man died Tuesday evening after his gun discharged a bullet that struck his left hand and knee, police said. 

Police responded to a shots fired call in the 1800 block of Glen Campbell around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Mariano Palacios was working on his handgun in the living room of his home when the gun discharged a bullet still in the chamber. 

Palacios was transported to Del Sol Medical Center where he died, police said. 

Police said there were no signs of foul play. 

El Pasoans say they aren't surprised about Tuesday morning's Juarez violence spill over.

Even though it's not the first time bullets have traveled across the border, people in the borderland aren't panicking about a 48-year-old woman getting shot in the leg by a stray bullet.

It reportedly happened shortly after 11 a.m. at 200 Overland when the woman was pushing her daughter on a stroller while shopping downtown.
"It's bound to happen. There's something that happened at City Hall about two years ago, so it was bound to happen. Unfortunately, it hit somebody," said Mike Beltran of central El Paso.

"There's no precaution they can take. The only thing they could do is build a large wall and that's not possible," said Beltran.

Hundreds took to the Downtown streets Tuesday night to celebrate Mardi Gras without fearing they would get hit by a stray bullet.

"Honestly, the only precaution that you can hope for is the protection of the border patrol or homeland security. Hopefully, they're doing their job you know."

Others say they're more afraid of getting robbed or assaulted downtown than getting struck by stray bullet. However, people admit that the possibility is in the back of their minds and perhaps they will cut down on the time they spent downtown.

"One of the main reasons why (people) they stop shopping for frequently is because of the violence spreading from Juarez," said Lizbeth Yanez.

In a press conference city officials and authorities reiterated that El Paso continues being the safest large city and that the community faced no immediate danger.

A stack of credit card statements spanning from 2009- 2011 show frequent travel and dinning by the Anthony, Texas city council and mayor on the city's dime.

The documents, obtained through open record laws, are visa credit card statements under the name of Art Franco representing the town of Anthony. In addition to expected charges of gasoline for city vehicles and party supplies for city holiday gatherings, there is a fair amount of travel funds including airfare, rental cars, and dining out.

"Of course all of these are business trips, they're not personal, none of them were," Franco said. "We get per diem and then we'd spend a little more and get dinner. Even if we spent a little more than we were supposed to, the trips were done in an official capacity. I can personally vouch for the council."

In 2011 alone, the city budget provided funds for more than five trips to Houston, Austin, and Alpine, Texas. Franco said the business trips involved meeting with other city councils to discuss city strategies. An earlier trip in Oct. 2009 lists $2,422 spent between five rooms at a Sheraton hotel for one night in Fort Worth, Texas.

"When we meet with these other cities we learn that we handle our money a lot better than they do," said Franco. "For the first 14 years I was mayor, I went on two trips that paid for out of my own pocket and I didn't have a city vehicle. Financially we are better off than we've been in a long time."

Concerned residents who also requested the credit card statements accuse the mayor of holding business lunches at Hooters and the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino as recently as summer of 2011.

"I'd meet with other local mayors at the racetrack restaurant, we never gambled or anything," Franco said. "They also said 'Well, you go to hooters!' I love hooters, but I don't buy beer or anything like that when I'm there for work. It's all part of my mayoral duties. We once met with a man who is involved with Love's convenience store at Hooters and now they're building a Love's in Anthony."

Just a week ago Texas Rangers and FBI agents raided the home of Anthony, Texas Mayor Art Franco, removing boxes on an executed search warrant. Neither agency has commented on the ongoing investigation.

A city leader said it may come down to blacklisting a well-known downtown El Paso hotel.

City manager Joyce Wilson said it's a possible strategy against the Camino Real Hotel.

Wilson said it's because the hotel doesn't seem to want to take part in the downtown revitalization effort.

She said that means the hotel isn't up to par with what El Paso needs for a quality convention hotel.

Wilson said the next step is to recruit another hotel chain to the Sun City to bring in big conventions.

Wilson said, "The bottom line is we're going to have to address it without their help. So the alternative is we just need to come in, a new hotel that becomes the conference hotel and basically blackball them so they don't participate in anything."

According to Wilson, her office is, "Trying to think of a way to get control of that hotel." She said the hotel has harmed El Paso's tourism business.

Revitalizing downtown is clearly a big priority for the El Paso City Council.

Changing how people see it is also a big project, some representatives said.

"There is some perception that some areas of our downtown are not safe," El Paso city representative Cortney Niland said.

"Sometimes perception is reality. Whether it's perception nationally, or perception with going on in Juarez," she added.

Niland also says the homeless rate can be a problem, and she is trying to change all that

The Central Business Association is also on board.

"We're working together and we just hope that the businesses become included in the dialogue of how to keep downtown on its path toward revitalization," Dennis Melonas said.