Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — Two of the three Canadians involved in a broad daylight shooting at Hotel Xcaret have died. Shortly after the Friday afternoon shooting, one of the three rushed to hospital died upon arrival.
Since then, a second man involved in the shooting has also died. The third person, a woman, remains in Playa del Carmen hospital. The Prosecutor’s Office has identified the three victims as Ceara N, Robert N and Thomas N, all of Canadian nationality.
During a news brief, more details of the deadly shooting have been made public. The State Attorney General’s Office has confirmed the shooting took place between guests at the hotel.
On Friday night, State Prosecutor Óscar Montes de Oca Rosales said that one of the deceased was considered “dangerous” in Canada where he had an extensive criminal record.
The first person who died in the shooting, Thomas N, had a criminal record related to drug trafficking, weapons, robbery and false identity use, among others, according to information provided by Canadian authorities.
“He was considered a very dangerous person in Canada,” said Prosecutor Montes de Oca.
The second fatality, Robert N, who died Friday evening, also had a criminal history, although no further details were given.
During his briefing, Óscar Montes de Oca Rosales said that the Friday afternoon attack happened when a lone gunman dressed in gray approached the group and opened fire. He then fled the scene.
So far, he has not been located, however, hotel security cameras captured him in several different areas of the hotel on the day of the shooting. He was seen arriving in a taxi around 12:30 that afternoon.
Security cameras also captured him on hotel lounge furniture. A red guest bracelet from the hotel is noted on his left wrist. He left the lounger area when it began to rain. It was approximately an hour-and-a-half later that the man was then captured entering the food area where he began shooting at his targets.
Six shots were reported fired at the two Canadian men. Security personnel from the hotel chased the gunman, but when he realized they were following, he aimed his gun at them.
The gunman was seen running toward the hotel’s boundary fence where he jumped over. From there, he was seen in the parking lot getting into a white parked car with a second man before driving away.
In a press conference, Grupo Xcaret, owners of the hotel said “We deeply regret the events that occurred at the Hotel Xcaret México this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are providing support to those affected by this event,” said the Quintana Roo consortium.
“It seems that this is a targeted and isolated event and we are fully cooperating with the authorities for its prompt clarification,” they said adding that for the time being, no additional comments will be made.
