Outcry over slain Mexico reporter

The Pacific resort has been hit by violence linked to drug gangs

Journalists and relatives have called for a probe into the murder of a prominent television reporter in the Mexican resort of Acapulco.

Amado Ramirez, a correspondent for TV news network Televisa, was shot dead on Friday as he left a radio station.

Security officials said two gunmen were waiting for him as he neared his car.

In recent months, Acapulco has been hit by a wave of violence believed linked to the drug trade and control of key coastal smuggling routes.

In February, seven people were killed in simultaneous attacks by gunmen on government offices in the resort.

The attacks came just weeks after President Felipe Calderon ordered 8,000 troops and federal police into the city to tackle drug-related crime.

'Execution-style killing'

The motive for the killing of Mr Ramirez - who had reported from Acapulco for more than a dozen years - was not immediately clear.

"He was a reporter on radio and television," said his brother, Honorio Ramirez.

"This hurts me very much, I hope there is justice. What else can I say, I don't have the words."

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called for a federal probe into the killing.

"There must be a major effort to establish the circumstances of this journalist's execution-style killing and to identify those responsible," the group said.