Brazilian journalist Laécio de Souza was shot to death the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 3, in the metropolitan area of Salvador, the capital city of the state of Bahia, reported G1. Police said the radio reporter had received threats on his cell phone minutes before he was killed, according to the news site Itaberaba Notícias.
Witnesses said two men shot the journalist while he worked to construct a storage facility for the local community on his property, according to Agência Estado. Souza was shot three times and died on the spot.
Police have not released a motive for the crime, but initial findings indicate that local drug traffickers were upset with the journalist's plans to construct a social project on his land, reported the newspaper A Tarde.
Souza was a local news reporter for the radio station Sucesso FM, and he aimed to run for city council, according to Correio 24 Horas.
