Israel Vásquez Rangel, a 31-year-old journalist from Mexico, was shot dead Monday in Guanajuato while investigating human remains found on the side of a road in Salamanca.
Vásquez Rangel, a reporter at El Salmantino, arrived at the crime scene before authorities did, according to BBC. However, by the time authorities arrived, Vásquez Rangel was critically injured and had been shot several times. He later died in the hospital, per the same report.
The newspaper said Vásquez Rangel travelled to the crime scene in a car that was clearly marked with the logo of the website and that he was easily identifiable as a reporter.
His outlet confirmed his death, saying Vásquez Rangel was the victim of a “cowardly and atrocious attack … while he was carrying out his honorable work as a journalist,” according to the CT Post.
On Nov. 2, journalist Jesús Alfonso Piñuelas was shot and killed. Piñuelas founded Zarathustra Press and El Shock de la Noticia, both publications report on crime and security in Cajeme, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Piñuelas was riding his motorcycle when he was shot and killed instantly. His killer plead guilty 6 days later, per the same report.
“The brutal shooting death of Jesús Alfonso Piñuelas underscores Mexico’s abysmal status as one of the world’s deadliest countries for reporters,” Jan Albert Hoosten, CPJ’s Mexico representative said, per the report.
These deaths are not unusual in Mexico. (RELATED: Over 2.5 Times More People Were Killed In Latin America And The Caribbean Than In Syria, Iraq And Afghanistan Combined)
Mexico is one of the most dangerous places for a journalist to work. In 2017, 11 journalists were murdered in Mexico – only Syria surpassed this number, per NBC News. Since 2000, 115 journalists have been killed, but more than 99% of the murders go without prosecution, according to Article 19, a rights organization to protect journalists.
⚠️115 periodistas asesinados desde 2000, el 99.6% de estos crímenes, impune. ¿Cómo hablar de #LibertadDePrensa cuando periodistas viven con miedo?
¿Qué proponen? @JoseAMeadeK @lopezobrador_ @Mzavalagc @RicardoAnayaC @JaimeRdzNL #MéxicoSinMiedo2018https://t.co/lJjna4KOZd pic.twitter.com/XuWXUdHRuY
— ARTICLE 19 MX-CA (@article19mex) May 3, 2018
This is part of a larger issue in the Mexican judicial system in which over 90% of crimes are not prosecuted, per NBC.