Journalist Jamie Castano Zacarias was killed after taking pictures of dead bodies left on the side of the road in the Mexican state of Zacatecas, The Guardian reported.
Zacarias reportedly found the bodies Wednesday morning after reports of a fight between drug cartels in Jerez.
#MEXICO: CPJ is distressed to learn of the murder of photojournalist Jaime Castaño, who was shot on Wednesday by unknown gunmen in Jerez (Zacatecas state) and calls on the authorities to swiftly and credibly investigate the murder. https://t.co/kBtiT4U3gb
— CPJ Américas (@CPJAmericas) December 11, 2020
The gunman allegedly tracked down Zacarias as he left the scene on a motorcycle and then shot him. (RELATED: Mexican Journalist Shot And Killed While Investigating Human Remains)
Police found a memory card in Zacarias’ camera with images of the crime scene he was trying to photograph, according to The Guardian.
The state of Zacatecas has become a battleground for cartels as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel disputes territories with other drug-running cartels.
Zacarias is reportedly the ninth journalist to be killed this year in Mexico.
At the time of the shooting, Zacarias was a photographer for the Jerez municipal government and worked part-time as a journalist.
Mexico allegedly leads the world with the most amount of journalists killed in four of the last five years.