MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -A journalist and three other people were killed when gunmen stormed into a liquor store that he owned in Mexico's central Guanajuato state, local authorities said Wednesday.
Ernesto Mendez, who headed local outlet "Tu Voz," had previously received threats, human rights organization Article 19 said.
In addition to his work as a journalist, Mendez was also a local businessman and had been planning the town's fair.
Article 19 called on local authorities to consider the crime as related to his work as a journalist.
"With Ernesto, that adds up to 13 murders of journalists in 2022, at least nine of those tied to their work," Article 19 said.
Authorities said Mendez and the three others were killed when gunmen burst into his store late Tuesday.
"It wasn't just the owner of the establishment who was killed but sadly others were as well," the mayor of the town, San Luis de la Cruz, told a news conference on Wednesday.
The attack also left one person gravely wounded, Mayor Luis Gerardo Sanchez said.
Violence against media workers in Mexico has skyrocketed under the administration of current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, according to a report by Article 19.
(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz and Kylie Madry; Editing by Nick Macfie and Angus MacSwan)
