Fabiola Sánchez and Megan Janetsky
Mexico City: A man armed with a gun opened fire at the historic Teotihuacán pyramids, leaving one Canadian tourist dead and six people injured at the archaeological site an hour north of Mexico’s capital, authorities said.
The shooter later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a statement on Monday (Mexico time).
The local government said four people were wounded by gunshots and two were injured from falls. The victims were taken to hospitals for treatment. They include Colombian, Russian and Canadian tourists, the local government said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.
Video and photos published by local news organisations show a man standing with a gun on top of one pyramid while people duck for cover. A number of gunshots ring out in the videos.
A tour guide, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to put his job at risk, said he was leading a group down one of the pyramids about 11.30am when the man began to shoot. A number of people stumbled in fear and fell down the stairs.
“When he saw that we were descending he began to shoot downward,” the guide said, adding that the shooter seemed to fire alternatively into the air and then at people’s legs.
He said he heard between 20 and 30 gunshots ring out before security officials arrived.
In the past years, staff at the archaeological site used to carry out security scans before people entered the area but had stopped doing this since.
The guide showed a video that he took showing a woman limping and her back covered in blood and another man’s arm being bandaged.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on social media that the shooting would be investigated and that she was in touch with the Canadian Embassy.
“What happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the affected individuals and their families,” she wrote.
Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said on X that as a “result of a horrific act of gun violence, a Canadian was killed and another wounded in Teotihuacán” and that her “thoughts are with their family and loved ones”.
The Teotihuacán pyramids are a series of massive structures on the outskirts of Mexico City built by three different ancient civilisations. As one of Mexico’s most important touristic destinations, the site drew more than 1.8 million international visitors last year, according to government figures.
Security officials found a gun, a knife and ammunition after the shooting.
AP
Lifeline 13 11 14. Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
