Mexican journalist killed near US border

MEXICO CITY (MEXICO) — A Mexican journalist who covered crime in north-western Mexico has been shot dead by an unknown assailant in his home near the US border, local authorities said.

47-year-old Santiago Barroso was shot multiple times at point-blank range after the gunman knocked on his front door on Friday.

He was later pronounced dead at a hospital, the Sonora state’s prosecutor office said in a statement on Saturday.

Barroso was a multimedia journalist based in the border town of San Luis Rio Colorado, situated about 32 km southwest of Yuma, Arizona in the United States.

The scribe was also a host of a local radio show and a contributor to a weekly newspaper called Contrasena. He was also the director of Red 563 news website.

Barosso is the fourth journalist to be killed so far this year in Mexico. It is yet to be ascertained whether his killing was linked to his work.

The three other deceased Mexican journalists are — Reynaldo Lopez, Jose Murua and Jesus Ramos.

Mexico is one of the dangerous countries to practice journalism, where it ranks 147 out of 180 countries, according to 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

The Latin American nation is only second after Syria where practicing journalism is a risk, as per Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based NGO advocating press freedom.

Over 100 journalists have been killed since 2000, according to the organisation.