Journalist Gunned Down in Broad Daylight at Mexican Restaurant

Mexico’s press corps suffered another devastating blow on Thursday. Crime reporter Carlos Castro, a well-known journalist in the state of Veracruz, was shot dead inside a crowded restaurant in Poza Rica, according to local officials and multiple regional news outlets.

Castro covered drug violence and gang activity for Código Norte Veracruz. Colleagues say he never backed down from reporting on the brutal turf wars consuming the region. His death adds yet another name to a staggering list of journalists murdered in a country long labeled a war zone for the press.

Police say multiple gunmen entered the restaurant shortly after noon and opened fire. Witnesses told local reporters the attack was “swift and professional,” with the killers fleeing before anyone could intervene. No arrests have been made.

Friends say Castro understood the danger of his beat.

“You can’t cover crime in Veracruz without knowing you’re on borrowed time,” a former coworker told a local station. “Carlos kept going anyway. He said the public deserved the truth.”

The State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists condemned the killing within hours.

“This case demands a full investigation,” the agency said in a statement. “Those responsible must be identified and brought to justice. The cycle of impunity must end.”

Veracruz has long been a battleground for rival organized-crime groups fighting for control of drug routes along the Gulf of Mexico. Reporters who cover cartel activity walk a razor’s edge. Many have been threatened. Many have disappeared. Many have died.

Castro’s murder follows the October killing of journalist Miguel Ángel Beltrán, whose body was found dumped along a highway in northwestern Mexico, wrapped in a blanket with a threatening message accusing him of “false accusations.” Investigators have released no suspects in that case either.

Mexico ranks among the world’s worst nations for violence against the press. More than 150 journalists have been murdered since 1994, according to Reporters Without Borders. In 2025 alone, at least nine were killed — making Mexico the second most dangerous country on Earth for media workers last year.

The numbers barely scratch the surface. Artículo 19 reports at least 174 murders and 31 disappearances of journalists since 2000. Most cases are never solved.

“Impunity is the norm in crimes against the press,” the Committee to Protect Journalists warned in a 2024 report, noting that nearly every killing goes unpunished.

An Amnesty International–CPJ investigation released that same year found Mexico’s government continues to fail catastrophically in efforts to protect reporters, despite promises of sweeping reforms.

Castro’s colleagues gathered Thursday night to remember him as fearless, stubborn, and committed to exposing corruption.

“He always said, ‘If we stop reporting, they win,’” one journalist said. “Now he’s gone. And the people who killed him know they’ll probably get away with it.”

For many Mexican reporters, that’s the most terrifying part — not just the violence, but the certainty that their killers will never see a courtroom.

Mexico’s press community now mourns yet another colleague. And once again, the message from the gunmen is unmistakable: Tell the wrong story, and you could be next.