Gunmen Kill Satiric Tijuana Columnist

Hector (Gato) Felix Miranda, a widely read newspaper editor whose columns often satirized Mexican government officials and others, was gunned down in broad daylight on a Tijuana street Wednesday morning as he drove to work, authorities said.

Felix, 47, one of Tijuana’s best-known citizens and a journalistic institution here, was killed by two shotgun blasts to his left side--one striking his neck and shoulder, the other hitting the abdomen area--shortly before 9 a.m., said Gustavo Romero Meza, commander of the Baja California State Judicial Police, which is investigating.

Amid widespread talk in the stunned city that the slaying may have been a payback by one of Felix’s many political targets, authorities declined to speculate about a motive. There were no known suspects and no witnesses, Romero said.

Link to Column Seen

“It could have been related to his work; it could have been related to his personal life,” said Romero, the top state police official in Baja California.

But co-workers who mourned Felix on Wednesday had no doubt that the assassination was linked to his acerbic columns, which poked fun at everyone from the president to the man in the street. His column--”Un Poco de Algo” (“A Little of Something”)--appeared in each edition of the feisty weekly Zeta, a publication famous for its unforgiving attacks on corruption among the power elite in Mexico.

“I think this is definitely related to his work here,” said J. Jesus Blancornelas, Zeta’s co-editor, who was clearly shaken by the death of his colleague.

Vows to Continue

But Blancornelas and other Zeta staffers declined to speculate on who might be behind the slaying.

“That’s best left to the police,” said Blancornelas, who spent much of the day fielding telephone calls from journalists and others seeking information on the killing.

Blancornelas also vowed to continue the newspaper’s muckraking style. “This is a great loss,” he said, “but we cannot change our policies.”

Felix’s slaying is not the newspaper’s first brush with violence. In March, 1987, unknown assailants sprayed Zeta’s modest Tijuana office with machine-gun fire.

Same Route Every Day

Felix, a bachelor, was killed as he drove his 1981 Ford sedan in the Montebello neighborhood, down a street known as Avenida Lopez Velarde. He took the same route every day at about the same time, said co-workers, who noted that he was often the first to arrive at the office.

Romero, the state police official, said two assailants probably took part in the attack--one driving the vehicle, believed to be a pickup, and the other pulling the trigger on the shotgun. The attackers knew Felix’s route and were waiting for him, said Romero, who added that there were no witnesses.

“They were professionals,” Romero said.

The killers apparently approached Felix’s car as it slowed or was stopped on the bumpy road, police said. Although Romero said that the journalist was struck twice, other accounts said he had been hit three times.

Underscores Risks

Felix died instantly, Romero said. His car continued down a hill for half a block, then crashed into a wall and came to a stop, Felix’s body slumped over the seat.

The slaying underscores the risks independent journalists take in Mexico, where much of the press is controlled by government sources or exercises self-censorship in the face of official pressure.

Felix’s name is added to the list of more than two dozen journalists who have been killed in Mexico in the last 16 years. None of the killers have been brought to justice, according to Mexican journalists. Among the best-known victims was Manuel Buendia, former columnist for Excelsior, Mexico City’s leading daily, who was gunned down almost four years ago as he left his office in a posh shopping area of the city.

Anniversary Party

“I suppose it’s one of the risks we take,” said Miguel Cervantes Sahagun, a reporter for Zeta who also contributes to a number of U.S. publications, including The Times.

Just two days ago, Felix, Blancornelas and other Zeta staffers celebrated the newspaper’s eighth anniversary at a Tijuana restaurant. Photographs of that event show Felix, a robust man with a hearty smile, enjoying the party.

Felix’s death marks the end of a journalistic era in northwestern Mexico.

For years, devoted readers have eagerly awaited Zeta’s Friday-afternoon publication. They pored over Felix’s weekly column like avid investors examining the latest stock prices, devouring the dozens of gossipy tidbits with glee. Regular readers reveled in his unorthodox style, which was full of double meanings, nicknames, insider code words, a touch of vulgarity and other trademark devices. On a given day, Felix might mention a politician’s penchant for drinking and womanizing, a citizen’s request for help in finding a lost wallet, and a meeting of a neighborhood club.

Criticized Chilangos

Most recently, Felix had been involved in a continuing campaign denouncing various chilangos --transplanted Mexico City residents who have arrived in Tijuana in large numbers in recent years, often taking prime government jobs. Tijuana residents often resent their presence--a sentiment shared by Felix. The nickname chilango refers to a migratory fish.

Among Felix’s favorite targets were Baja California Gov. Xicotencatl Leyva Mortera and Tijuana Mayor Federico Valdes. He hounded both men mercilessly about their purported alcohol problems, depicting them as corrupt drunks.

“He never showed fear,” Blancornelas recalled. “He would say, ‘I have seven lives, like a cat.’ ”

Offered No Apologies

In an interview first published in 1984 and reprinted Wednesday in El Heraldo, a Tijuana daily, Felix spoke about his unique style, which was often criticized in Mexico. He offered no apologies for publishing what sometimes turned out to be rumors.

“I confess,” he said, “that at times I do it to provoke a reaction from people, to create interest, to satisfy . . . people’s vanity, their curiosity about what bad words El Gato is going to write.”

His nickname, El Gato (The Cat), was an allusion to the cartoon character Felix the Cat.

A native of Choix in the state of Sinaloa, Felix originally came to Tijuana as an accountant, a job he held for many years. In the early 1970s, he began writing sports for the Tijuana daily Baja California; his column evolved out of that experience. In 1977, he joined Blancornelas at another daily, ABC, then a hard-hitting publication.

Relative Calm Recently

When Blancornelas and others were forced out in 1979, allegedly because of pressure from then-Gov. Roberto de la Madrid, Felix left ABC as well. Out of that dispute, Zeta was born, in 1980--although, for more than a year, Blancornelas had to edit it from San Diego County because of a legal dispute.

Despite the shooting at Zeta’s office last year and the government confiscation of an entire edition several years ago, Blancornelas said things had been relatively calm recently.

Legendary for his sense of humor and witty sayings, Felix was all business on Thursdays, when he wrote much of his column, Blancornelas said. He eschewed computers, writing on a typewriter. And he only wrote with his shoes off.

Word Spread Quickly

“He felt more comfortable that way,” Blancornelas said. “He would get up and walk around with his socks on.”

Word of Felix’s slaying spread quickly through Tijuana on Wednesday, and everywhere readers were going over the afternoon dailies, reading accounts of his demise.

“They killed El Gato,” an incredulous taco stand owner informed one of his clients.

El Heraldo, in an editorial, called on the governor to put “all means necessary” into finding Felix’s killers. To not do so, it said, would encourage speculation that the slaying was politically motivated.

Felix is survived by two sisters, a brother and his mother, all of whom live in the Mexican city of Los Mochis, co-workers said.