MEXICO CITY - A Mexican crime reporter was shot dead early Thursday, the newspaper that employed him in the eastern state of Veracruz reported.
The coastal region is plagued by drug violence and is considered a particularly high-risk region for journalists.
Luis Angel Lopez Valdez had already received threats due to his reporting, and local authorities had taken measures to protect him, the Vanguardia newspaper said on social media.
"Lopez Valdez was killed early Thursday morning in (the city of) Poza Rica, after being intercepted by armed men while driving," an article published on its website stated.
The publication called for "justice" so that the reporter's death "does not go unpunished."
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to practice journalism, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The organisation has recorded more than 150 journalists killed in the country since 1994.
Journalist Carlos Castro was also shot dead in Veracruz in January.
And in recent days, two individuals broke into the home of journalist Roxana Guzman.
The video-recorded incident resulted in Guzman's abduction, and her whereabouts remain unknown. - AFP