Mexican photojournalist shot dead in front of his home in Tijuana

Mexican photojournalist, Margarito Martinez (49), was shot dead outside his home in Tijuana. While the police say that the reasons for the attack are still not clear, Martinez had reportedly been threatened.

Martinez was found with a gunshot wound to his head on Monday, Al Jazeera writes. The murder was reported at 2.45 a.m. near his home in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The journalist had reported on police and crimes for various local, national, and international media, according to Televisa.

reports that the reasons behind the assassination are still not clear. However, media rights group Yo sí soy periodista (I Am a Journalist) told Imagen that people connected to organized crime had threatened Martinez prior to the murder.

Mexican journalists grieve the loss of a colleague they describe as hardworking, brave, generous, and funny. Other than being a devoted journalist, Martinez was also a husband and a father. Sadly, he was among more than 70 people killed in Tijuana this month alone, and more than 100 journalists murdered in Mexico since 2000.

There are no words to describe this senseless loss: Margarito was the one of the bravest & dedicated journalists in Mexico. He moved through tough & grim situations with tact & respect. Most of all, he loved his family. He was a proud father & husband. https://t.co/Pzjeo5eRfD

— Marcus Yam 文火 (@yamphoto) January 18, 2022

A fundraiser on GoFundMe has been started after Martinez’s murder in an attempt to support his family.

[via Al Jazeera]