Police testify over Mexican journalist's murder

Eight Mexican police officers appeared before investigators Thursday to testify over the murder of a journalist, as his family accused agents present during the homicide of letting the killers flee.

Pedro Tamayo Rosas, a 45-year-old newspaper reporter who covered crime, was gunned down late Wednesday in front of his wife and two grown sons in the town of Tierra Blanca, eastern Veracruz state.

Mexico, plagued by drug violence, is among the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with 19 reporters killed in Veracruz alone since 2010.

The Veracruz prosecutor's office said in a statement that the state police officers "appeared voluntarily" before investigators and gave their "version of the moment they arrived at the scene of the homicide." 

The statement did not describe the legal status of the officers. The prosecutor's office said it would look at all lines of investigation.

Tamayo's relatives, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said a state police vehicle was parked near his home during the attack.

The family told investigators that the police vehicle blocked access to other vehicles but that the two assailants were able to arrive in their car.
Tamayo was working with his wife and sons at the family's food stand in front of their house after 10:00 pm when the two men arrived and ordered a hamburger.

After the killers opened fire, they left "calmly, they didn't run, they weren't in a hurry or concerned. They got into their car and left," one of the relatives said.

A family member ran to the police for help, but the officers did not act and "laughed" before leaving, the relative said.

Another relative said the killers even drank beers at a bar a few blocks away following the murder.

The prosecutor's office said in a previous statement that preliminary investigation indicates "there were two assailants who approached Tamayo to greet him at a business in his home."

The gunmen opened fire and fled in a vehicle, the statement said. Tamayo succumbed to his wounds in a hospital.

The authorities are "not ruling out any line of investigation, including his journalistic work," as a motive, the statement said.

Tamayo worked for the media outlets El Pinero de la Cuenca and Al Calor Politico.

Earlier this year, he covered the disappearance of five young people in Tierra Blanca who, according to the authorities, disappeared after they were abducted by state police officers in January.

After the disappearance garnered international media attention, Tamayo fled Tierra Blanca over safety concerns for about three months. 

Eight officers have been charged over the disappearance of the five young people. Authorities say the four young men and 16-year-old girl were handed over to members of the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel, who killed them.

Murders against journalists have spiked since Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte took office in 2010. He has come under criticism for suggesting that some reporters are linked to organized crime.

Source: AFP