A Canadian tourist was killed Friday and two more wounded in a shooting at a hotel along Mexico’s Caribbean coast, state authorities said.
Quintana Roo state security chief Lucio Hernández said via Twitter that authorities were searching for a Hotel Xcaret guest in the shooting. He shared a photo of a man walking with a handgun.
Este es el huésped que disparó ocasionando las lesiones que posteriormente provocaran la muerte a uno de ellos, las autoridades del grupo de coordinacion despliegan fuerte operativo para su captura, cualquier información para pronta detención estaremos profundamente agradecidos. pic.twitter.com/PRDC0hhBBe
— Lucio Hernández Gutiérrez (@Lucio_HG) January 21, 2022
The Xcaret resort is south of Playa del Carmen.
Hernández said all three victims were taken to a hospital. One died on the way.
The Quintana Roo state prosecutor’s office said via Twitter that the suspect in the shooting was also apparently a guest and Canadian police informed them he was a known felon with a long record related to robbery, drug and weapons offenses.
Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that it is aware of reports that Canadians citizens have been “affected by an incident in Mexico.”
“Consular officials are contacting local authorities to gather more information and stand ready to provide consular assistance,” spokesperson Patricia Skinner said. “Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.”
It is just the latest brazen act of violence along Mexico’s famed Mayan Riviera, the crown jewel of its tourism industry.
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Tourists scramble to safety after deadly daytime shooting on Mexican beach
In November, a shootout on the beach of Puerto Morelos left two suspected drug dealers dead. Authorities said there were some 15 gunmen from a gang that apparently disputed control of drug sales there.
In late October, farther south in the laidback destination of Tulum, two tourists — one a California travel blogger born in India and the other German — were caught in the apparent crossfire of rival drug dealers and killed.
Following those events, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent nearly 1,500 members of the National Guard to reinforce security in the area.