Honduras Arrests 18 Gang Members in Murder of Journalist

State security forces captured at least 18 gang members on Thursday for their alleged connection to the murder of Honduran journalist Igor Padilla, who was shot dead in San Pedro Sula on Tuesday.

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The detainees, including two who have confessed to killing Padilla, were seized with large-caliber weapons and ammunition, bulletproof vests and police and military uniforms, the National Institutional Security Force said in a statement.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez congratulated the authorities for the "quick response," to his call to capture those involved in the crime.

Padilla was a reporter for the channel "Hable Como Habla,” or HCH. After the attack, he was taken to a hospital where doctors said he was already dead with several bullet wounds when he arrived.

The reporter had stepped outside to answer a phone call and was shot by men in police uniforms, according to a witness. Among those arrested are several gang leaders who have criminal records, police said.

Since 2003, 69 media workers have been killed in Honduras, according to the National Human Rights Commission. Civil organizations often speak out against Honduras´ high impunity rate, with 91 percent of murders going unpunished.

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The Violence Observatory of the National Autonomous University of Honduras estimates that the country's homicide rate is 60 per 100,000 inhabitants, six times the U.N.-established global average of 8.9.

Since the 2009 U.S.-backed coup that overthrew President Manuel Zelaya, more than 59 journalists have been murdered in Honduras. At least four journalists were killed in Honduras and 2016 and another 12 in 2015.