Top Mexican officials have vowed to ensure the safety of fans ahead of World Cup games following a shooting at the famous Teotihuacan pyramids that killed a Canadian tourist. They said the shooter appeared to have been influenced by violent incidents abroad.
Carrying a gun and carrying a knife in his backpack, a 27-year-old man caused panic by opening fire from the top of a pyramid inside the sprawling archaeological complex, one of Mexico’s top tourist attractions, authorities said. Then he took his own life.
Mexican authorities said he acted alone, shooting 14 times at the victims and the National Guard.
Documents in his possession referenced the 1999 Columbine school massacre in Colorado and indicated psychopathic behavior, said Luis Cervantes, attorney general for the state of Mexico, where Teotihuacán is located.
“Among his belongings, authorities also found literature, images and documents allegedly related to acts of violence that may have occurred in the United States in April 1999,” he said.
Cervantes added that the shooting appears to have been planned and that the shooter had visited Teotihuacán, about 50 kilometers from Mexico City, many times before. In addition to the gun, the shooter carried a plastic bag with 52 .38 Special caliber cartridges. “This act was not spontaneous,” Cervantes said.
A tourist who witnessed the shooting said visitors also heard the attacker mention Columbine, one of the most notorious mass shootings in U.S. history, which allegedly inspired other attackers.
Another person who also witnessed the shooting said they feared a higher death toll.
“He was shooting nonstop and the shots made different sounds,” said Barak Hardley, a tourist from Los Angeles.
“I don’t know why he stopped at just one person. Thank God he stopped.”
Reinforced security measures at tourist attractions
Mexico’s security cabinet said on Monday that 13 people were injured, including a 13-year-old Brazilian woman. They were from Canada, the United States, Colombia, Russia, Brazil and the Netherlands. Seven of the victims suffered gunshot wounds, Cervantes added.
“The State’s response was immediate and forceful,” said Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch, adding that security forces will reinforce protection at archaeological sites and other tourist attractions.
Teotihuacán, a collection of towering pyramids and temples that were first occupied from 100 BC to 500 AD and later taken over by the Aztecs, attracted 1.8 million visitors last year, according to Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism.
The valuable site will be reopened this Wednesday (22) with reinforced security, said president Claudia Sheinbaum.
She reiterated Mexico’s security guarantees during the world’s biggest football event, which will begin on June 11 in Mexico City, before matches in other major Mexican cities, and said on Monday that she met with representatives from FIFA (International Football Federation), organizer of the World Cup, to discuss logistics.
“We all know we’ve never seen anything like this in Mexico,” she said. “From what prosecutors indicated, this person showed signs of psychological problems and was influenced by incidents that occurred abroad.”
Sheinbaum had already faced questions about security surrounding the World Cup after the capture and death of drug trafficker El Mencho in March triggered episodes of violence in several regions of the country.
