MEXICO CITY (AP) — An armed man standing atop one of the historic Teotihuacán pyramids opened fire on tourists Monday, leaving one Canadian tourist dead and six people injured at the archaeological site an hour north of Mexico’s capital, authorities said.
The shooter later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a statement.
The local government said four people were wounded by gunshots and two were injured from falls. The victims were taken to hospitals for treatment. They include Colombian, Russian and Canadian tourists, the local government said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.
Video and photos published by local news organizations show a man standing with a gun on top of a pyramid while people duck for cover. A number of gunshots ring out in the videos.
A tour guide, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to put his job at risk, said he was leading a group down one of the pyramids around 11:30 a.m. when the man began to shoot, and a number of people stumbled in fear and fell down the stairs.
“When he saw that we were descending he began to shoot downward,” the guide said, adding that the shooter seemed to fire alternatively into the air and then at people's legs.
He said he heard between 20 and 30 gunshots ring out before security officials arrived.
In past years, staff at the archaeological site carried out security scans before people entered the area but has since stopped doing this.
The guide showed a video that he took showing a woman limping and her back covered in blood and another man’s arm being bandaged.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on social media that the shooting would be investigated and that she was in touch with the Canadian Embassy.
“What happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the affected individuals and their families,” she wrote.
Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said on X that as a “result of a horrific act of gun violence, a Canadian was killed and another wounded in Teotihuacán” and that her “thoughts are with their family and loved ones. ”
The Teotihuacán pyramids are a series of massive structures on the outskirts of Mexico City built by three different ancient civilizations. As one of Mexico's most important touristic destinations, the site drew more than 1.8 million international visitors last year, according to government figures.
Security officials found a gun, a knife and ammunition after the shooting.
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