Tim Hetherington, a journalist who was nominated for an Oscar for his work as director of the Afghanistan war documentary Restrepo, was killed in Libya on Wednesday. Three photographers working with him—Chris Hondros, Guy Martin, and Michel Brown—were wounded, and both Hondros and Martin are in grave condition, according to a source at the triage center where they were being treated, The New York Times reported. “Their prospects for survival were not immediately clear,” the source said.
Hetherington’s last Twitter post, from Tuesday morning, said that the group was “in besieged Libyan city of Misrata," where he reported "Indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO.” The four were there to cover the ongoing fighting in the city, where hundreds of Libyans have been killed in intensive combat.
According to a colleague at the scene, there were 8 to 10 journalists on the front lines in Misurata when shooting broke out. They split into two groups, and Hetherington's group was hit by mortar or rocket-propelled grenade fire. Hetherington was rushed to the hospital, but died shortly after arriving. He is now the third journalist to have been killed in the Libyan conflict.
The news was first reported on the Facebook page of photographer André Liohn, who was at the hospital with the wounded men. Early reports stated that both Hetherington and Hondros—a Pulitzer Prize-nominated war photographer—had died, but Hondros was later confirmed alive, albeit with a severe brain injury. According to a source at the triage center, Martin has shrapnel wounds and was undergoing surgery, and Brown also has shrapnel wounds, but his condition is not life-threatening.