A Canadian national was fatally shot by a lone gunman and 13 others, including a Russian visitor, sustained injuries in Teotihuacan
A lone gunman has killed a Canadian tourist and wounded several others, including a Russian national, at the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan, Mexico. The assailant took his own life after being injured and surrounded by security forces, according to the Mexican authorities.
The UNESCO-protected pre-Columbian archaeological site near Mexico City is one of the country’s top tourist attractions, drawing around 2 million visitors annually.
At around 11:30 AM on Monday, the man, armed with a handgun, ordered a group of tourists to lie prone atop the pyramid before firing multiple shots at them, as seen in eyewitness videos circulating online.
In a video apparently recorded by one of the hostages, the gunman is heard threatening foreign tourists and saying the pyramid was originally built for human sacrifice.
At one point, some of the terrified visitors apparently made a dash for their lives, suffering injuries as they tumbled down the structure, while others sustained gunshot wounds.
According to the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico, National Guard troops responding to the incident shot the attacker in the leg. He took his own life with his revolver once he was surrounded.
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A revolver, ammunition, knife, and voter ID card were recovered from the scene. According to local media, the document belongs to Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez, 27, from Mexico City.
Additionally, an AI-generated image of the assailant alongside Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold – the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre – was reportedly recovered at the crime scene. Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the tragedy.
On Tuesday, the Canadian Embassy in Mexico confirmed that “as a result of a horrific act of gun violence, a Canadian was killed and another wounded in Teotihuacan.”
According to the Mexican authorities, a total of 13 people were injured in the incident, with eight remaining hospitalized. Among them are a Canadian woman, three Colombian nationals, six Americans, a Brazilian citizen, a Dutch woman, and a Russian man.
Anastasia Krychkova, Russia’s vice-consul in Mexico, has told Russian media that the Russian national is in non-life-threatening condition and is being treated for a tangential gunshot wound to his leg.