Unidentified assaults shot and killed journalist Mauricio Cruz Solís at around 10 p.m. on October 29, 2024, in Uruapan, a city in the southwestern state of Michoacán, moments after he interviewed Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo about a recent local market fire.
The Michoacán state prosecutor’s office (FGE) that same day posted a statement on the social media site X saying they had launched an investigation.
Cruz, 25, was a news anchor for broadcaster Radiorama Michoacán and founder of news website Minuto x Minuto. He reported on general news, including politics and security, according to his friend and colleague, Julio César Aguirre, who spoke with CPJ. Aguirre said he was unaware of any threats to Cruz’s life.
He was the first of two journalists killed during the first month of Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration.
On November 4, Michoacán state governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla told media in a press conference that state authorities had identified the suspects and the vehicle they used but declined to give further details as to the number of suspects and the possible motive, citing the ongoing investigation.
The governor added in the press conference that the FGE leads the investigation but that he does not rule out the possibility of the case being handed over to the office of the Federal Special Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes committed against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), which operates under the auspices of the Federal Attorney General’s office (FGR).
An official for the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, a federal agency, told CPJ via messaging app on October 29 that the agency had not registered any threats against Cruz or assigned him any security measures. They spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, as they are not allowed to speak publicly on the matter.
CPJ called the office of Governor Ramírez Bedolla and the FGE in November 2024, but no spokespersons were available to comment. A request for comment via messaging app to Ricardo Sánchez Pérez del Pozo, who heads FEADLE, did not receive a reply.