A Mexican journalist, Fredid Román, was killed on Monday afternoon in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero state in the south. He was shot while seated in his car on Prolongación Valerio Trujano in the Progreso district. Local authorities reported that Román sustained injuries during the attack, and by the time medical responders from the Red Cross arrived, he had already succumbed to gunshot wounds in multiple parts of his body.
Officials from the Guerrero State Attorney General’s Office stated that Ministry personnel and forensic specialists were dispatched to the scene to perform the appropriate investigative procedures and collect evidence to clarify what happened. The FGE also confirmed that an investigation had been opened against an individual identified as Fredid ‘N’ on suspicion of murder with a firearm.
Fredid Román Román was a columnist for the local publication La Realidad Escrito, which remains active in regional media. Earlier in his career, he helped establish the now-defunct print newspaper La Realidad, and he led the publication Popular Expression while contributing to various media outlets in Guerrero’s capital.
At this time, the motive behind the shooting has not been publicly disclosed, and officials have not released a definitive version of events. In a related development, the Guerrero Journalists’ Club issued a letter to the FGE urging a prompt and transparent investigation into the incident, including concerns about possible information leaks related to a separate request for justice involving a colleague who was killed in Ocotito, within the same municipality.
In the letter, the club asked the Guerrero Attorney General’s Office to investigate the murder swiftly and to address any alleged leaks tied to their call for justice, while the FGE indicated that investigations and follow-up actions are underway to clarify the facts and hold those responsible accountable under the law.
The death of Fredid Román marks a tragic moment for the region, contributing to a troubling pattern of violence against journalists in Guerrero and across Mexico. Since 2000, the state has seen multiple fatalities among local reporters, underscoring ongoing safety concerns for media workers in the area. International observers have repeatedly highlighted the risks faced by journalists in Mexico, calling attention to the broader pattern of violence against the press. In this context, the United Nations human rights office has noted these killings as a matter of serious concern, while advocacy groups report hundreds of journalists killed across the country since the turn of the century. Figures from organizations tracking press freedom indicate that hundreds of other cases involve threats, disappearances, or physical attacks against members of the media, reflecting a complex environment in which reporting can carry significant personal risk. In the current presidential administration, the volume of reported attacks against the press has remained substantial, with a number of fatalities and many more investigations continuing to unfold.