Discovery Channel Videographer Murdered in Acapulco

A group of four gunmen murdered a videographer for the Discovery Channel and National Geographic in an apparent robbery-gone-wrong in Acapulco.

The murder took place this week when Erik Castillo Sanchez and his family were visiting the tourist hotspot after completing a project for the Discovery Channel, Mexico’s Film Association announced. La Jornada reports Castillo and his wife were in a convenience store when gunmen tried to kidnap Castillo and his wife. The woman managed to run away.

The incident comes at a time when Mexico has seen 13 other journalists or media staff murdered since December 2018, when President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) took office. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the perpetrators of violence against the cohort almost always escape justice.

Castillo’s murder also comes at a time when Acapulco and the entire state of Guerrero continue to see record-setting levels of violence, despite multiple assurances given by officials. Breitbart Texas reported this week on an apparent mass kidnapping in Guerrero, where videos and photographs show gunmen torturing villagers. Officials are claiming the allegations are not true. Guerrero is home to one of the country’s main shipping ports and a vast drug growing operation. Various cartels continue to fight for control of the region, causing a dramatic spike in violence throughout the once peaceful state.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.

Tony Aranda from Breitbart Texas’  Cartel Chronicle’s project contributed to this report.