Choy, 39, was shot
dead outside his home in Lima by an unidentified assailant, according to news
reports citing witnesses. The witnesses told police that Choy was leaving
his house when a man persuaded him to get out of his car. The two spoke
briefly before the man shot the journalist twice in the abdomen and once in the
head. The gunman then fled the scene in a waiting vehicle, news reports said.
Choy was a photographer for the leading Peruvian daily El Comercio. News accounts did not immediately report whether Choy had covered
any crime or corruption-related issues before he was killed.
Choy also sold cars and was in the process of selling his
own vehicle. Antonieta Sandoval, Choy’s mother, told the RPP
radio network in the capital that the gunman had tricked her son by
pretending he was a client interested in purchasing the car. News accounts
reported that the gunman did not steal Choy’s car or the large amount of money
found in the journalist’s pockets.
Cesar Cortijo, director of police criminal investigations, said
in a press conference on February 24 that authorities had yet to
determine a motive in the murder. Raúl Salazar, Peru’s national police chief,
announced that a special police unit was being formed to investigate the
murder.
Choy’s murder occurred amid a string of homicides in Lima. Authorities
released statistics
in February that showed the number of homicides and abductions had more than
doubled since 2000.