A Mexican photojournalist has been killed in the second media killing in the country this year.

Margarito Martinez was shot dead while leaving his home, according to his wife and reports from media he worked for on Tuesday.

The 49-year-old specializes in crime reporting and worked for local and international media in the north-western Mexican city of Tijuana, on the border with the United States.

Criminal gangs were active in Tijuana and are known for kidnappings, smuggling drugs and migrants into the US.

The reasons behind the killing were initially unclear. Some colleagues said Martinez had a difference of opinion with someone who was apparently involved in the illegal narcotics trade.

Meanwhile, one of the outlets he worked for said that Martinez had an argument with a neighbour.

A week ago, Jose Luis Gamboa, the director of an online news portal, was killed in the eastern Mexican city of Veracruz.

Mexico was deemed the most dangerous country for journalists in 2021 for the third year in a row by Reporters without Borders.

According to the group’s annual report, seven journalists were killed in connection with their work in the North American country in 2021,Afghanistan came second with six killings.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has repeatedly publicly denounced journalists as liars.

Nationwide, almost 100 homicides were currently registered per day in Mexico; much of the violence in the country of around 126 million people is the work of cartels and gangs.

NAN