Brazilian journalist Evaldo de Oliveira, 49, was shot while distributing local newspapers on the evening of Sept. 26 in Franco da Rocha, a city in São Paulo state.
The journalist was taken to a hospital, and his health is stable, according to CBN radio. Residents of Franco da Rocha told television channel SBT that Oliveira had been receiving threats for four months and subsequently submitted at least two police reports.
A friend of the victim said that Oliveira is the owner of the newspaper Voz das Cidades, (Voices of the Cities), in which he also writes content, according to TV Band.
The journalist started publishing reports of wrongdoing in the newspaper, also according to the station. "He went on to annoy a lot of people," said an acquaintance, according to the report.
"He denounces the situations that disadvantage the population in Franco da Rocha and other cities as well," said a friend, the TV channel reported. The colleague said he also distributed the paper with Oliveira on the day of the attack. "We started to suffer threats during the day, people filming us," he told TV Band.
Witnesses said Oliveira was in front of a pharmacy when two suspects approached, according to SBT. One of the men got off of the motorcycle and shot the journalist. The attackers fled without stealing anything, the report said.
According to the CBN, the police are searching for the suspects, but no one has been found. Motives for the attack remain unknown.
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.
