Al-Buni, a photographer for the state-owned daily Al-Thawra, was shot by a group of armed men while on his way home from work at the newspaper's office in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, according to Al-Thawra who cited the state news agency SANA. Other news reports said al-Buni was on his way to work when he was shot.
SANA reported that the gunmen were a "group of armed terrorists," a catch-all phrase the government has used to describe all armed opposition forces. The report did not offer further details.
Al-Buni, 56, was a professional photographer who had worked for Al-Thawra for two decades covering local news and events, the reports said. His photographic work was featured in several local exhibitions, according to the same sources.