Unidentified motorcyclists shot Elidio Ramos Zárate, who wrote under the pseudonym Guillermo Parie, in the neck on June 19, 2016 in Oaxaca in southern Mexico while he was photographing a robbery in progress at a convenience store. The journalist had been covering ongoing teachers’ union protests, which turned deadly when police reportedly shot at protesters blockading a major highway, killing six civilians. The shooters also killed Raúl Cano López, brother of the owner of regional newspaper Punto Crítico, who was with Ramos at the time.

Authorities said that they could not identify a clear motive for Ramos’ killing, but noted that he had connections to people who committed “illegal acts”, an apparent insinuation that they thought his murder may not be related to his work. A crime reporter, Ramos had not reported having received threats in connection with his daily work. However, the day before his death, masked men threatened him and other reporters covering protests not to document acts of violence.