Two cartel gunmen stormed a bar near Cancun, shooting 12 at random. It remains unclear if there were any tourists among the victims.
The shooting took place Monday night at the Cerveceria bar in Playa Del Carmen, approximately 40 miles from Cancun. The area draws thousands of international tourists year-round.
The Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office confirmed the shooting and claimed to be working to identify the two gunmen. Authorities have not named the victims, nor their tourist statuses.
A video taken by citizen journalists moments after the shooting revealed that at least one woman was killed at the scene. Various men can be heard calling for authorities to help another injured woman.
The incident follows a series of area bar shootings which are tied to a turf war between cartels over drug distribution and business protection rackets.
According to La Jornada, the Playa Del Carmen tourist area has seen 86 murders, including four women. In Cancun, authorities recorded 159 murders–including four police officers. In February, four cartel gunmen carrying rifles and handguns stormed a bar in Cancun and began firing indiscriminately, striking 12.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Border / Cartel Chronicles. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Border / Cartel Chronicles. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.