The editor-in-chief of La Tribuna newspaper, Manuel Acosta Medina, was hospitalized after being shot six times May 23 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the Associated Press reports. The attack was the third in less than two weeks, taking place three days after a TV owner was gunned down in front of his station and 13 days after a reporter who covered local land conflicts was killed.
The police believe that the attack was a failed car robbery, though they are still investigating whether it could have been an attempted kidnapping or murder, La Tribuna explains. Despite his wounds, Acosta was able to continue driving the car and escape to a nearby hospital.
The case is being investigated by Honduras’ special crimes against journalists taskforce, and, according to the Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ), five suspects have been arrested.
Honduras’ Human Rights prosecutor, Germán Enamorado, wants to ensure that – unlike most crimes against journalists in the country – the perpetrators are found and brought to justice, El Heraldo adds.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
