Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — Raúl Tassinari González, the Secretary of Public Security of Solidaridad, says two people have been detained for the recent shootings against Playa del Carmen businesses.
On Tuesday night, one person was killed and one injured after armed men opened fire against a taco shop. The shooting happened the Galaxias del Carmen 1 neighborhood. According to witnesses, two people on a motorcycle stopped in front of the restaurant and opened fire.
The injured person was a worker from the restaurant. The deceased has been identified only as an employee.
It was the second armed attack against a small Playa del Carmen business in the same day. Earlier in the day, armed men shot the façade of Punto Plaza in Playa del Carmen. There were no injuries reported in that event.
Since the Tuesday night shooting, Tassinari has said that two persons of interest have been arrested in relation to the two armed attacks. He said the armed attacks are extortion related and the two in custody are not directly related to the shootings.
He said that the two they currently have in custody are Cuban. They were arrested on firearm charges.
Tassinari said that the two Cuban men are help for their partners who extort businesses. “Some are the ones who deliver the threat message and others who collect the payments,” he said.
The pair were picked up after they attempted to extort a hardware store and the owner called police.
He said that they are continuing to look for those responsible for the deadly taco shop shooting.
“A life taken, a worker and father of a family. It is something that hits me because I am also a father. The commitment is to find these criminals,” he said referring to the death of the taco shop worker.
