Gunmen shoot and kill Mexican journalist in the eastern state of Veracruz

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Gunmen shot and killed a journalist Thursday in Mexico’s eastern state of Veracruz, authorities said. It was the country’s second killing of a media worker this year — both of them in Veracruz, known as exceptionally dangerous for journalists.

The Veracruz prosecutor’s office confirmed the killing, while the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists identified the victim as Luis Ángel López Valdez. He was the director of a local media outlet and a reporter for the Vanguardia de Veracruz newspaper.

According to Vanguardia, López Valdez was walking along a street in the city of Poza Rica when he was intercepted by gunmen who shot him at close range before fleeing. He specialized in police and security reporting.

A reporter who worked with López Valdez and spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons told The Associated Press that the journalist was under state protection measures. The AP asked the state commission to confirm this detail, but did not receive an immediate response.

In addition to his journalism work, López Valdez served as a deputy delegate for the relief organization Cruz Ámbar.

So far, authorities have not reported any arrests or a possible motive for the attack, though the prosecutor’s office indicated that one line of investigation links the killing to his journalistic work.

A reporter who covered crime in Veracruz was killed in same city in January. He was identified at the time by local media outlets as Carlos Castro, director of an online outlet called Código Norte Veracruz, who also collaborated with other regional outlets.

Meanwhile a search continues for journalist Roxana Guzmán Ramírez, director of the digital news site Pulso Informativo, who has been missing since early June in the municipality of Nanchital, in the southern part of the state. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said that federal and state authorities are handling the case.

International organizations consider Mexico one of the most dangerous countries for practicing journalism outside of war zones. Reporters covering organized crime, corruption, and public security frequently fall victim to threats, attacks, and murders.

For years, Veracruz has topped the list of recorded attacks against journalists. Freedom of expression organizations such as Article 19 have documented 31 murders of journalists in the state since 2000 that could be linked to their reporting work.

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