Single shooter killed reporter with 18 bullets, Veracruz prosecutor says

State authorities in Veracruz have determined that a single shooter was responsible for the murder of journalist Luis Ángel López, who was killed by 18 gunshots early Wednesday in Poza Rica. The state's Attorney General, Lisbeth Aurelia Jiménez Aguirre, provided an update on the investigation into the killing of the journalist, who worked for the newspaper Vanguardia.

Security camera footage shows López driving his taxi with his attacker inside before he fled the vehicle and was subsequently shot. Investigators believe he may have sustained some of the 18 bullet wounds before exiting the taxi. The Attorney General's office is actively seeking to identify the individual who carried out the shooting and is not ruling out the possibility of an intellectual author behind the crime.

López was a colleague of Carlos Castro, director of the digital outlet Código Norte, who was also murdered in Poza Rica in January. Both journalists had requested protection measures in 2024, citing a linked issue. Jiménez Aguirre stated that while both cases are being investigated, she could not definitively confirm a direct link between the murders, as it is not yet objectively substantiated.

In January, Castro, a journalist known for covering crime, was killed in the same municipality. He had reportedly gone into self-exile after receiving threats and was killed upon his return. The investigation into López's death includes ballistic evidence collection, interviews with first responders, family members, and analysis of the victim's phone records to determine his communications prior to his death.

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But I cannot affirm if they are linked (both cases), it is not something that is objectively substantiated.