Colombian Journalist Shot Dead at Radio Station
By the Committee to Protect Journalists
HAVANA TIMES – Colombian authorities must swiftly complete their investigation into the killing of journalist Oscar Gomez Agudelo, who was fatally shot as he entered his office on Friday, January 24, at the community radio station Rumba del Café in the western Colombian city of Armenia, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.
“The special prosecutor appointed to investigate the killing of radio broadcaster Óscar Gómez Agudelo must conduct a transparent investigation to determine if he was targeted for his work and to bring the perpetrators to justice,” said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, in New York. “Authorities must also take steps to ensure the safety of his colleagues after this brazen shooting.”
Security camera footage shows Gómez trying to get away as the gunman opens fire. News reports said the shooter escaped on a motorcycle.
The Bogotá-based Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) said Gomez was well known for his morning news program on Rumba del Café that regularly denounced alleged corruption by local government officials as well as the sale of illegal drugs on the streets of Armenia.
FLIP and the Bogotá news magazine Semana reported that Gómez had received threats in connection with his reporting, including a 2023 incident in which a politician in Armenia threatened him with a gun during a meeting. FLIP said Gómez did not report these threats to the authorities because he distrusted them.
Following Gómez’s death, Rumba del Café’s nine remaining journalists asked the Colombian government’s National Protection Unit for protection, according to Semana.
Juan Miguel Galvis, governor of the Quindío department that includes Armenia, offered a $100 million pesos (US$ 23,809) reward for information leading to the capture of those responsible for GOmez’s shooting.
Quindío police chief Col. Luis Fernando Atuesta told journalists his agents are investigating the crime and their “commitment is to clarify what happened.”
The Colombia Attorney General’s office is also investigating the crime, a spokesperson Germán Gómez told CPJ.