### Journalist Alejandro Martínez Murdered in Celaya, Guanajuato
On the afternoon of August 4, 2024, journalist Alejandro Martínez Noguez, known as “Hijo del Llanero Solititito,” was tragically killed after being attacked by gunfire near Celaya, Guanajuato.
According to the Celaya Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Martínez Noguez was ambushed on the federal highway 45 Villagrán-Celaya by individuals in a truck who opened fire with long guns. Two bodyguards accompanying Martínez Noguez, assigned as part of a journalist protection protocol he had been under for about two years following a prior attack, were also injured in the assault.
Local reports reveal that before his death, Martínez Noguez had been covering a story in the Mexicanos community in Villagrán and had conducted a Facebook live broadcast.
The SSPC of Celaya has coordinated with state and federal authorities to implement an operation to apprehend those responsible. However, no arrests have been reported as of yet.
Data from the civil organization Article 19 indicates that this marks the 47th murder of a journalist during the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, equalling the number of journalist assassinations during the preceding Enrique Peña Nieto administration. Since the year 2000, a total of 167 journalists have been killed in Mexico.