Martínez, a photographer for the daily Prensa Libre, was shot and killed by private security guards in Guatemala City. Two other journalists were injured in the incident.
Martínez was shot while covering a demonstration against a bus fare increase. During the demonstration, private security guards opened fire on protesters who were trying to loot an auto parts store. Journalists at the scene detained the two security guards and turned them over to police, according to CPJ sources and press accounts.
Martínez, 37, was hit twice and later pronounced dead at the San Juan de Dios hospital. A woman standing close to Martínez was also killed. Christian Alejandro García, a cameraman for the television news program “Noti7,” and Julio Cruz, a reporter with the Guatemala City daily Siglo Veintiuno, were hospitalized with injuries.
At the time of the attack, Martínez was carrying a camera and was surrounded by colleagues who also carried cameras and other professional equipment, clearly identifying them as journalists.