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One Minor Killed While An Expecting Couple Remain In A Serious Condition
One minor has been killed and another two injured, including a pregnant woman, in the latest armed attack in Cancun. Reports suggest that the death of the minor was one of five homicides in Cancun on Tuesday.
The horror unfolded in the Downtown Cancun area when armed men entered a seafood restaurant and cocktail bar and opened fire on a table of three people. The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon and appeared to be a targeted attack on those specific customers. One of the three victims is pregnant.
The deceased has been reported by some outlets as a minor, while the two injured people are apparently a couple.
Unsuspecting customers bore witness to the attack, watching as the pregnant woman was shot in the head while another man received gunshots to the neck and stomach. The third person, also a male, died in the attack. The other two have been taken to hospital but it is unclear what their condition is, although both are reported as seriously hurt. The woman will no doubt be under extra care to help save the life of the child.
As soon as the alarm was raised, a code red was sent to the police who arrived armed. Unfortunately, the assailants fled on motorbikes moments after the attacks and have not been found since then.
Any theories on the attack are purely speculative at this point, but the seemingly targeted nature of the attack suggests it is related to organized crime or some kind of score-settling. Many incidents like this never have any light shed upon them.
The attack took place just blocks from where several bars were attacked two months ago. In one particularly violent Friday night, at least five bars were targeted by organized crime as part of a retaliation and extortion effort. Two bars took the brunt of the violence as armed assailants entered the establishments and opened fire.
CCTC footage of the incident saw three men enter one bar and execute a security guard at point-blank range, highlighting the brutal nature of some of these criminal organizations. Multiple deaths were reported that evening, and several other businesses were attacked, vandalized, or set on fire.
The attacks are part of a wider problem the city and the entire state of Quintana Roo face. Tourism is soaring in the region, placing Cancun at the top of the world’s most sought-after destinations. But that privilege also brings with it a lucrative drug trade fueled by visiting tourists. With multiple gangs all vying for control of the valuable market, violence has been increasing.
Quintana Roo saw over a hundred and thirty homicides by the end of March this year. Updated figures have not been released in a compiled form, but if rates have stayed the same, that figure could have doubled. Tuesday added at least five to that tally.
It is important to note that tourists generally avoid the violence, only occasionally finding themselves in the crossfire between rival gangs. But the threat does remain for those visiting. Tourists were likely inside the seafood restaurant and were in the bars attacked two months ago. Two women were killed last October in Tulum when gangs opened fire at one another in a popular spot.
Many restaurants and bars in Cancun have already made the decision to close, with most citing the growing violence and threat to staff and customers. For them, it’s not worth the risk.
Tourists choosing to go beyond the hotel zone should practice paying high levels of attention to their surroundings. When in the Downtown Cancun area, staying alert is important. Visitors should avoid walking around the Downtown Cancun area at night, and especially not alone. Tourists should also make themselves aware of emergency procedures, numbers to call, and what to do in a worst-case scenario.
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