Ismael Villagómez, a photojournalist for El Heraldo de Juárez, was murdered early Thursday in the Fronteriza Alta neighborhood of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. The reporter’s body was found in his car with a gunshot wound to his left eye, that state’s attorney general’s office reported.
This Friday, the authorities arrested three suspected perpetrators of the murder, Juan Eduardo “C”, Carlos Miguel “H” and Jesús Adrián “C”, who were also found to be in possession of cocaine and several weapons, according to the Efe agency. One of them would be the nine-millimeter pistol with which they shot the journalist.
Villagómez worked as a photojournalist and supplemented his salary as a platform driver, which was very common. Many journalists and photographers in Mexico are forced to work more than one job due to low salaries and poor working conditions. Although the authorities have not yet ruled out any hypothesis, in the last few hours it has become increasingly confirmed that the three men attacked Villagómez in order to rob him after using his services as a driver.
During the fight, one of the suspected killers left behind his cellphone and a voter ID card that allowed authorities to track him down within hours, according to the latest information on the case. The journalist’s wallet and two cell phones were stolen. Prosecutors could bring those arrested before a judge this Friday to try to establish an allegation and its connection to the trial.
Forensic investigators at the scene of the murder of Ismael Villagomez in Ciudad Juárez on November 16, 2023. JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ (Portal)
Villagómez’s body was found in the passenger seat with a gunshot wound at about 1:53 a.m. Local police were first on the scene, thanks to neighbors’ emergency call to 911, warning of the attack between Article 27 and Sinaloa streets.
The attack on the reporter joins a long list of journalists murdered in the last 20 years in Mexico, one of the most dangerous countries in the world to practice journalism, according to Reporters Without Borders. An attack on the press is estimated to occur every 13 hours in the country, and Chihuahua is one of the most dangerous states in which to practice this profession. Since 2000, 162 journalists have been murdered, according to Article 19, an organization that defends human rights and freedom of expression. Unfortunately, Villagómez is journalist 163. This year alone, eight more reporters have been murdered in Mexico.
Just last week, Mexico hosted the annual general meeting of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA), which noted in a report that violence remains “the biggest threat” to journalism in the country in 2023, as well as the president’s “hostile speech.” Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
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