Local free newspaper owner fatally shot at home, witness’s testimony awaited

The motive for the fatal shooting of journalist and local free newspaper owner Wanderley dos Reis during an armed intrusion in his home in Ibitinga, in São Paulo state, on the evening of 16 October is still unknown, but the testimony of Moisés Fernandes da Silva, 20, who shared his house and who was present during the intrusion, may still shed light on the case. It was Silva who reportedly opened the door when he heard a man outside asking if he could speak with Reis. Three gunmen burst in, grabbed Silva and Reis, and shut them in a bedroom. At first they thought it was an ordinary break-in. But then, for still unclear reasons, the gunmen took Reis on his own to the kitchen. The subject of the ensuing conversation is not known. Then a gunshot was heard. It turned out that Reis had received a shot in the leg that severed the femoral artery. The gunmen immediately fled without taking anything. Reis was rushed to hospital losing blood and died the next morning. Aged 42 and a reporter specialising in politics and urban infrastructure, Reis was the owner of Jornal Popular News, a local free newspaper covering the Ibitinga area that appeared irregularly. It was opposed to Ibitinga’s current municipal authorities. As theft does not seem to have been the motive for the armed intrusion, Reporters Without Borders hopes the police will investigate the possibility that it was linked to Reis’s work as a journalist. We also look forward to learning what Silva told the police, who have so far refused to disclose his testimony for security reasons, and we offer our condolences to Reis’s colleagues and family. Last June, Reis interviewed the family of a local saint, Nelsinho Santana. He appears in this video: