Teotihuacán, State of Mexico — Authorities say an investigation has been started into the shooting at the Teotihuacán archaeological site. Police said the shooter, believed to be a copycat, acted alone and planned the attack.
Authorities said he was found carrying literature related to the violent attack that occurred in 1999 at Columbine University in the U.S.
On Tuesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday’s shooting left two dead and 13 injured. The two deceased include a Canadian woman and the shooter, who has not yet been named.
Of the 13 injured, seven were taken to hospital for gunshot wounds. Six of the seven have already been released.
Authorities reported Tuesday that the injured are from Canada, Brazil, Russia, the United States, Colombia, and the Netherlands.
The man who shot at the group of tourists was taken down by National Guard Monday on top of the pyramid. Authorities said Tuesday during a nation-wide press conference, that he was shot in the leg by National Guard, however, he immediately took his own life.
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo reported that details of the incident that occurred yesterday in the archaeological zone of Teotihuacan are still being investigated.
“Our solidarity goes out to the family of the person who lost their life and to all those being treated in hospitals who experienced this situation yesterday. It is our duty to always report the information we have,” she said.
“We had never witnessed anything like this in Mexico; it’s the first time it’s happened. This person, according to all the ministerial authorities, showed signs of psychological problems and was influenced by events that occurred abroad.”
Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, announced that following this unprecedented event, President Sheinbaum ordered the strengthening of security in all archaeological zones around the country.
He explained that the National Guard’s presence will be increased in collaboration with local authorities. Preventive checks, access controls, and surveillance systems will also be reinforced while physical patrols in the areas will be expanded.
The Secretary of Security of the State of Mexico, Cristóbal Castañeda Camarillo, reported that yesterday at 11:20 a.m., authorities in the state received reports of an armed person in the San Juan Teotihuacán area; for this reason, the National Guard and municipal police were alerted.
During his account of the Monday events, he said that at 11:30 a.m., National Guard personnel arrived at the scene where they were attacked by the armed individual.
National Guard members repelled the attack and wounded him in the leg. Subsequently, the assailant took his own life.
“The incident resulted in seven gunshot wounds among the injured who came from Canada, Brazil, Russia, the United States, Colombia, and the Netherlands. They were taken to hospitals for treatment. Six have already been discharged.
“A Canadian woman and the assailant died at the scene,” Castañeda Camarillo clarified Tuesday.
She said 300 state police officers were assigned to guard the area which remains closed but will reopen Wednesday.
According to the Attorney General of the State of Mexico, José Luis Cervantes Martínez, there are two open investigations. One by the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (FGR) and another by the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico (FGE).
During the initial stages of the investigation, the aggressor’s belongings included an INE (National Electoral Institute) credential, an analog cell phone, bus tickets, a tactical backpack, and literature related to the violent events that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine University in the United States.
The assailant was carrying a short firearm dating from 1968 and live .38 caliber cartridges, as well as a bladed weapon.
“The investigation suggests a psychopathic profile of the aggressor characterized by a tendency to copy situations that happened in other places, at other times, and by other people; this tendency can be known as copycat.”
So far it is known that the shooter planned the attack and acted alone.
The Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, stated that the Mexican government is in contact with the victims and their families through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and consulates to provide all necessary support.
Through social media, the Ministry of the Interior announced that a telephone hotline has been set up to support those who were at the incident: 55 1000 2000 ext. 57508.
