Tim Hetherington, the co-director of Oscar-nominated war documentary “Restrepo,” was killed in the Libyan town of Misrata today.
Reuters reports, Hetherinton was among a group of photographers caught by mortar fire on the main street leading into the center of rebel-held town in western Libya which has been bombarded by Gaddafi’s forces for weeks.
Interestingly Hetherington had sent a Tweet just yesterday — he hadn’t sent one since attending the Oscars in February — about the shelling in Misrata.
In besieged Libyan city of Misrata. Indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO.
Hetherington, co-directed “Restrepo,” a 2010 documentary about the Afghan war, with Sebastian Junger.
During his career, Hetherington had also done work for ABC News’ “Nightline.”
“Tim was one of the bravest photographers and filmmakers I have ever met,” said former “Nightline” now “GMA” EP James Goldston. “During his shooting for the Nightline specials he very seriously broke his leg on a night march out of a very isolated forward operating base that was under attack. He had the strength and character to walk for four hours through the night on his shattered ankle without complaint and under fire, enabling that whole team to reach safety.”
Hetherington appeared on CNN’s AC360 last August to discuss the war-crimes trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who, in an odd twist, had been trained as a guerrilla fighter in Libya. Two years ago Hetherington worked in Afghanistan with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Hetherington and Junger talked about the filming of “Restrepo” in an interview with FNC’s Shepard Smith in November. After the jump…