After a high-speed pursuit through the streets of Uruapan, 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 Uruapan, the second-largest city 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.