Armando Montaño

Who is Armando Montaño?

Armando Montaño, a 22-year-old American student who had just recently graduated with a bachelor's degree from Grinnell College, was working as a news intern for the Associated Press in Mexico City, Mexico, when he was found dead in an elevator shaft in an apartment building in the Condesa neighborhood of the capital.

One of his last stories was about violence at the Mexico City International Airport between Mexican federal police and corrupt officers as they were on a mission to arrest drug traffickers. He was not on assignment when he died. The circumstances of his death, as well as the reputation that Mexico has for being a dangerous reporting assignment, led to widespread media coverage.

At least two awards have been established in his name.