After a
high-speed pursuit through the streets of
two unidentified gunmen shot García at least 20 times at close range in front
of the Hotel Ruán, where the reporter lived, according to news reports. As many
as 50 shell casings, most from an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, were found at the
scene, police told reporters.
García,
28, covered agriculture, education, and, at times, crime in
Michoacán. One of García’s final stories centered on a local public school
teacher accused of abusing a student in a neighboring town. García had not reported
any threats to his colleagues or family, La Opinion Deputy Editor Jaime Márquez Rochin told CPJ. State and
federal authorities told CPJ they had not identified any suspects or
motives.