José Carlos González Herrera, 39, was ambushed and shot dead by unidentified men around 6 p.m. on May 14, 2025, in Acapulco’s city center, in the southern state of Guerrero, according to news reports. He died at the scene as his attackers fled. González was leaving a studio interview when he was attacked.
González used Facebook as his news site’s platform, where he frequently published short articles, videos and photos on local politics, crime, security, sports, culture, and social protests to his over 143,000 followers. González also posted commentary videos, in which he donned a lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) mask under the pseudonym “Ave Fénix,” without his name or a byline.
González was previously injured in a June 2023, attack, according to a report in El Financiero, a Mexico City newspaper. It is unclear whether he had received any death threats leading up to his killing.
An official with the Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, a federal agency that provides protection to reporters at risk, told CPJ that González was not incorporated into a protection program sanctioned by the office. The official asked to remain anonymous due to not being authorized to publicly comment on the matter.
The Guerrero state public prosecutor’s office has not publicly commented on the killing, and several phone calls by CPJ seeking comment went unanswered.