A Mexican journalist was killed in a shooting while working at his family's bar, authorities in the central state of Guanajuato said Wednesday.
Ernesto Mendez's murder was the 13th so far this year in a series of killings in Mexico plaguing journalists.
The attack occurred late Tuesday night at a bar owned by the Mendez family in San Luis de la Paz municipality, according to authorities.
Preliminary reports indicate that an armed commando stormed into the bar and fired at Mendez and a businessman as well as two other people.
Mendez had reportedly been threatened on a number of occasions and reached out to authorities for protection.
Article 19, an international human rights organization committed to freedom of speech, denounced the latest killing and called on the Special Prosecutor's Office for Attention to Crimes Committed Against Freedom of Expression to take charge of the investigation.
"With Ernesto, there have been 13 murders of journalists in 2022, and at least nine linked to their work. We demand that the Mexican State act urgently to stop this phenomenon, and we join in the grief of Ernesto's family, friends, and colleagues," said a statement on their Twitter page.
Organizations such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) recently labeled Mexico as the most dangerous country in the world for journalists.
