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Venezuelan journalist possibly murdered by hitman: official

Xinhua, January 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

Preliminary investigations into the death of Venezuelan journalist Ricardo Duran have revealed that he might have been murdered by a hitman, a local official said Wednesday.

Duran, 45, was shot dead near his home in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Caracas, said Mayor Jorge Rodriguez from the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

"We have found the murder involved a hitman. (The opposition party) should not try to cause problems and hinder the true motives of the murder," said Rodriguez.

After a thorough investigation, there will be punishment for everyone involved in the "vile assassination," said Rodriguez.

The mayor rejected claims of local media being silenced in the South American country.

"They speak a lot about freedom of press, but the murdered journalist was a revolutionary who worked alongside the Venezuelan people," said Rodriguez.

A prosecutor has been assigned to further investigate Duran's murder in the metropolitan area of Caracas, Rodriguez added. Endi