Teotihuacan pyramids shooting leaves Canadian tourist dead and 13 injured in Mexico.

NEWS:

A gunman opened fire at the Teotihuacan pyramids near Mexico City, killing a Canadian tourist and injuring 13 other people in an attack recorded on video at one of Mexico’s best-known archaeological sites.

Authorities identified the shooter as Julio César Jasso Ramírez, a 27-year-old Mexican citizen. The State of Mexico Prosecutor’s Office said preliminary information indicated that he acted alone. Officials said he died at the scene after taking his own life.

The attack happened on Monday, April 20, at the Pyramid of the Moon, one of the main structures inside the Teotihuacan archaeological zone, located roughly 30 miles northeast of Mexico City. Security officials said authorities received the first report of gunfire at about 00:11:20 a.m. local time.

Video from the scene shows a man armed with a gun on the pyramid as visitors duck, lie down and run for cover. Gunshots can be heard as tourists move down the structure and away from the exposed platform. The footage directly shows the panic at the site and the presence of an armed attacker on the pyramid, but it does not establish a motive.

Authorities said a firearm, a bladed weapon and live cartridges were seized at the site. Prosecutors later said the attacker had a backpack containing ammunition and materials that referred to violent incidents in the United States in April 1999. Officials did not release all details about those materials because of the investigation.

Cristóbal Castañeda Camarillo, the security secretary for the State of Mexico, said National Guard personnel arrived about ten minutes after the shooting was reported. He said the attacker fired at National Guard members, who returned fire. According to the official account, the attacker was wounded in the leg and later died by suicide at about 00:11:45 a.m.

Officials said 13 people were injured. Seven suffered gunshot wounds and six were injured in falls while fleeing or trying to escape the gunfire. The injured included foreign nationals from the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Russia, the Netherlands and Canada. Authorities said the youngest injured person was 6 and the oldest was 61.

The Canadian government confirmed that one Canadian citizen was killed and another was wounded. Mexican authorities said they were in contact with foreign embassies and working to support the injured victims and their families.

Witness accounts described tourists hiding on the pyramid’s platform, jumping down ledges and running across the grounds after shots rang out. One witness said the shooter appeared to fire in multiple directions. Another account described people throwing themselves to the ground to avoid being hit. Those descriptions remain witness accounts, but they are consistent with the visible panic shown in the footage.

The attack took place at a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is among Mexico’s most visited tourist destinations. Teotihuacan drew about 1.8 million visitors last year, according to government figures. The complex includes the Pyramid of the Moon, the Pyramid of the Sun and other major pre-Hispanic structures.

The shooting also came less than two months before Mexico was set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the United States and Canada. Mexican officials said the attack led to an immediate review of security at tourist and archaeological sites.

Teotihuacan was closed after the shooting and reopened two days later under heavy security. Authorities deployed National Guard members, municipal police and Mexico City police around the site. Basic bag and backpack checks were put in place at the entrances, and access to the Pyramid of the Moon remained suspended after the reopening.

Visitors faced long delays when the site reopened. Officials said some tourists waited more than three hours to enter and were offered free admission as compensation. The increased security presence included armed patrols and checks at the site’s access points.

The National Institute of Anthropology and History later announced additional security measures at several major archaeological zones, including Teotihuacan, Chichén Itzá, Tulum, Monte Albán and Palenque. The measures included metal detectors, more inspections of belongings and increased coordination with security forces.

The attacker’s suspected motive has not been officially established. Authorities said they found writings and images connected to past violent incidents in the United States, but they did not provide a final conclusion about why the Teotihuacan shooting happened. Prosecutors said the investigation remained focused on the attacker’s actions, preparation and materials recovered after the assault.

Officials said the attack was carried out by a lone gunman. No other suspect was announced in the immediate aftermath.

News story written by DarkGore.

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