The Rag Blog: Sad News in Oaxaca

28 October 2006

Sad News in Oaxaca

American Journalist Slain in Mexico Shootout
By COLLEEN LONG, AP

NEW YORK (Oct. 28) - Undeterred by violence, journalist Bradley Roland Will felt compelled to document what he called human rights abuses around the globe, so he headed to the volatile city of Oaxaca in Mexico.

As the situation turned increasingly dangerous, Will decided to stay. Despite his fears, he wanted people to know what was happening in Oaxaca.

"I am entering a new territory here and don't know if I am ready," Will wrote Tuesday in an e-mail to an ex-girlfriend. "Life is crazy."

The 36-year-old videographer from New York was killed Friday in the Mexican city where protesters have barricaded streets and occupied government buildings for five months in a bid to oust the governor.

[snip]

Santa Lucia del Camino Mayor Manuel Martinez Feria said five men had been turned over to state authorities for possible involvement in Will's killing. He identified them as two members of the local city hall, two municipal police officers and the former justice of the peace of a nearby town.

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