Sao Paulo, Mar 11 (IANS/EFE): A 38-year-old reporter was gunned down at his home in Ipatinga, a city in Brazil's Minas Gerais state, officials said.

Rodrigo Neto de Faria, who hosted a program on Radio Vanguarda and was a current events columnist for the Ipatinga daily Vale do Aco, was killed Saturday.

Neto de Faria had denounced corruption among the police in Ipatinga, located 220 km from Belo Horizonte, the state capital, and had been receiving frequent death threats.

The journalist was shot by two unknown killers on a motorcycle when he arrived home after participating in an evening event with friends that was a regular habit of his.

Neto de Faria, married and with one child, was taken to Ipatinga's Municipal Hospital, but doctors could not save him and he died a few minutes later.

The journalist's death "has characteristics of an execution, a crime against life and an attack on human rights freedom", Human Rights Minister Maria do Rosario said in a Twitter posting.

State police "will spare no effort to discover the authors of the crime", Minas Gerais Gov. Antonio Anastasia said.

Neto de Faria had denounced police involved with organized criminal groups in the state, the chairman of the Human Rights Committee in the state legislature, Durval Angelo, said in a statement.