The director of a Brazilian radio station in in the city of Jaru, Rondônia, was shot and killed on Oct. 12. Another broadcaster was also injured during the attack.
The victim was Cláudio Moleiro de Souza, director of Jaru's Rádio Meridional. Radio host Alberto Dutra Duran also received non-life threatening injuries.
According to the International Press Institute, Moleiro de Souza was at the radio station when he noticed the presence of an intruder inside. Miller then ran to the station's studio where Duran was to seek help. Duran closed the studio door behind Moleiro de Souza, but the intruder shot and injured Duran in the left arm.
Both stayed inside the studio but shortly afterward, when they came out thinking that the intruder had left, Moleiro de Souza was shot in the neck and died at the scene.
Authorities have not determined the reason for the crime but according to the newsportal G1, the Federal Police have ruled out robbery since no objects were taken from the site.
"We urged local authorities to quickly launch a comprehensive investigation and bring those responsible to justice," said the International Press Institute's press freedom manager Barbara Trionfi.
According to the Brazilian Association of Radio and Television's latest freedom of the press report, the number of attacks on journalists and violence against the media in Brazil doubled between 2011 and 2012.
The association registered over 136 violations against journalists between October 2011 and October 2012, representing an increase of approximately 166 percent compared with the previous year.
Moleiro de Souza is the sixth journalist killed in Brazil this year, according to IPI's Death Watch.
Recently, violence against journalists in the country has escalated dramatically, turning Brazil into one of the most dangerous places for the media.
Globally Latin America is one of the regions with the highest death rate of journalists, according to IPI.
Correction 10/23/2013: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the director Rádio Meridional director as Cláudio de Souza Miller. His correct name is Cláudio Moleiro de Souza. The error has been corrected.
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.
