Gunmen Murder Mexican Journalist in Bar — 14th Killing in 2022

Gunmen shot and killed a Mexican journalist at a bar in the central state of Guanajuato. The murder is the fourteenth of its kind in 2022.

The murder took place on Tuesday night at a bar in San Luis de La Paz, Guanajuato, when gunmen shot Ernesto Mendez and three other people, the press freedom group Article 19 revealed. The bar belonged to Mendez’s relatives.

⚠️ ARTICLE 19 conoce del asesinato de Ernesto Méndez, director del medio “Tú Voz,” ocurrido ayer alrededor de las 23 hrs en San Luis de la Paz, #Guanajuato

El crimen se perpetró cuando un comando armando irrumpió en un bar propiedad de la familia de Méndez

: Zona Franca pic.twitter.com/FekBVdSNpT

— ARTICLE 19 MX-CA (@article19mex) August 3, 2022

Mendez was the director of a local news outlet Tu Voz in Guanajuato. According to Article 19, he had been previously threatened for his work.

ARTICLE 19 también sabe que el periodista tenía antecedentes de amenazas por lo que llama a la FEADLE de la @FGRMexico a atraer el caso y consideren su labor informativa como móvil del crimen.

— ARTICLE 19 MX-CA (@article19mex) August 3, 2022

Mendez’s murder comes at a time when the once peaceful central state of Guanajuato has become a hotspot of violence as criminal organizations fight for control of lucrative drug distribution areas and clandestine fuel theft markets.

While press freedom groups mark Mendez’s murder as the 13^th in 2022, Breitbart Texas’ independent count shows Mendez as number 14.

Mendez’s murder comes weeks after gunmen in Tamaulipas murdered Antonio “Tony” De la Cruz in Ciudad Victoria. Even though the investigation into that crime has been turned over to federal agents, the case remains unsolved.

Article 19 and the Committee to Protect Journalists list Mexico as one of the deadliest places for media workers since more than 90 percent of crimes against journalists go unpunished.

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.