An unidentified person shot Ricardo Alcides Ávila, a journalist with the independent broadcaster Metro TV, while he rode his motorcycle in the Honduran village of Santa Cruz at about 5 a.m. on May 26, 2022, according to news reports and the Honduran press freedom group C-Libre.
Ávila was taken to a hospital in Tegucigalpa, the capital, where he died on May 29, according to those reports.
Honduran police initially said that Ávila had been the victim of a robbery, according to reports. However, C-Libre Director Amada Ordoñez told CPJ in a phone interview that the journalist’s money, cellphone, and motorcycle were found with him, and added that “C-Libre has confirmed that it was not a common robbery.”
Ávila, 25, worked as a camera operator and hosted a weekend news show for Metro TV, where he covered social movements in Choluteca department and protests against economic development policies, Ordoñez told CPJ. Metro TV was the only local outlet to cover those protests, Ordoñez said.
CPJ messaged the Honduran security minister via messaging app and messaged Metro TV on Facebook for comment, but did not receive any replies.