TV cameraman gunned down in bus near San Salvador

Alfredo Hurtado, 45, a cameraman employed by the privately-owned TV station Canal 33, was gunned down in bus in the town of Ilopango, near the capital, yesterday evening as he was on his way to work. The motive is not yet known. Reporters Without Borders expresses its support for Hurtado’s family and colleagues and the entire Salvadoran media, now in mourning. The police have launched an investigation in the area of the shooting in Ilopango, where two gangs, Mara 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, are active. According to the autopsy, Hurtado was shot 11 times, three of them in the head. No immediate information was available as to the possible motive for a shooting of such violence. Hurtado’s family said he had not been threatened. “We urge the authorities to do everything possible to shed light on this tragedy,” Reporters Without Borders said. “El Salvador’s extremely high level of criminal violence may account for it but, although gangs are active in the area, the police should not rule out other possibilities.”