TEHUITZINGO, PUEBLA — Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas, a 35-year-old local photographer and independent content creator, was shot and killed in Tehuitzingo, a municipality in the Mixteca region of Puebla. The attack occurred on August 29 inside his local cleaning products business.
Zúñiga was widely known in his community for documenting local events and using his digital platforms to raise awareness about municipal issues.His work included reporting citizen complaints regarding local services and public safety, as well as expressing vocal opposition to the local administration led by Mayor Jorge Estrada Gervacio.
Following the fatal shooting, attention immediately turned to previous warnings issued by the photographer.On May 9, Zúñiga published a pinned message across his social media profiles disclosing that he had received threatening phone calls urging him to stop criticizing the local government.According to his post, the caller warned him to stay out of politics or face personal consequences, leading Zúñiga to write: “So folks, if anything happens to me, you already know.”
The violent incident occurred just days after the Puebla State Secretariat of Public Security assumed direct operational control over municipal security in Tehuitzingo following a request from the local government.
As news of Zúñiga’s murder spread, residents, colleagues, and followers launched public calls for justice. Demands are mounting for state prosecutors to treat the prior threats linked to his political commentary as a central line of investigation. Authorities have launched an investigation into the homicide, though official sources have not yet identified suspects or confirmed a direct link between the prior warnings and the fatal attack.
Source: Vanguardia
