“We are shocked by the brazen killing of journalist Gerardo Delgado in broad daylight in Manta and urge Ecuadorian authorities to fully investigate whether he was targeted for his work,” CPJ Latin America and the Caribbean Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick. “While we are glad to see that authorities have acted swiftly to identify the gunmen, they must continue investigating to identify the masterminds and motive behind Delgado’s murder.” Delgado, 39, posted videos about crime and neighborhood news on a Facebook page that he founded called @olamantatv. Journalist Rody Vélez, a close friend of Delgado, told CPJ that Delgado was well-known in Manta and sometimes criticized the Manta city government for the lack of public services in poor neighborhoods. César Ricaurte, director of the Quito-based @fundamediosorg, told CPJ that since July, two Ecuadorian media workers—including Delgado—have been killed and that a third journalist remains missing after his abandoned car was found in a ditch. Ricaurte added that violent crime in and around Manta is rising in part due to disputes between drug-trafficking groups who are increasingly using Ecuador’s Pacific coast to export cocaine. Read the full story on CPJ.org