Journalist killed while broadcasting on Facebook Live

Gunmen entered a radio station in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday morning and opened fire, killing two people, including a journalist reporting on Facebook Live.

Luis Manuel Medina, the host of FM 103.5's news program Milenio Caliente, was broadcasting live when he was shot dead, and producer and director Leo Martinez was killed in an adjacent room. Viewers watching Medina's livestream could hear shots and a woman screaming, before the video abruptly stopped, The Guardian reports. The station's secretary was also shot, and rushed to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. Police say three men have been arrested, but no charges have been filed and there is no motive.

Medina, who was also the announcer for the Estrellas Orientales baseball team, had a well-known show in San Pedro de Macoris that covered politics and social issues, and in recent weeks, he repeatedly spoke out against pollution in the Laguna Mallen lake. Experts say that while it's rare for journalists to be murdered in the Dominican Republic, those who report on organized crime and corruption are often harassed and intimidated.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up