Overview
- Carlos Castro, director of the local outlet Código Norte Veracruz, was fatally shot on January 8 inside La Troguebirria in Poza Rica’s Colonia Cazones.
- Initial reports say gunmen entered the restaurant and opened fire, and some witnesses reported the attackers fled on a motorcycle.
- Municipal and state police and the National Guard cordoned the area, and the Veracruz state prosecutor’s office opened an investigation.
- The state journalists’ commission CEAPP confirmed his death and condemned the killing, and CPJ notes he is the first journalist killed in Mexico in 2026.
- Colleagues say he had CEAPP protection measures since 2024 after threats and had recently returned to Poza Rica after time away for safety.