Seven people were killed in a bar shooting last night in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo.
Armed men opened fire just after 8:00pm at Las Virginias bar, located in the Villas del Sol residential area in a non-tourist area of the city.
Six people died at the bar while another person died shortly after arriving at hospital. Several other people were reportedly wounded in the attack.
Witnesses said that the perpetrators fled the scene in a waiting vehicle.
Martín Estada, municipal director of public security, said in a statement that after the attack was reported at 8:11pm, police were immediately sent to the bar and a search for the aggressors was activated. However, no arrests were announced.
Estada also said that a substance that appeared to be an illegal drug was found at the scene of the crime.
The mayor of Solidaridad, the municipality where Playa del Carmen is located, vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“This cowardly act must not go unpunished. We have the resolute conviction and will power to work hand-in-hand with the state government in a head-on fight against crime. We cannot and must not allow the image of Solidaridad as a tourist destination to continue to be stained . . .” Laura Beristaín Navarrete said.
The municipal government has asked the Quintana Roo Attorney General’s office to conduct a prompt investigation into the attack.
The incident is reminiscent of a January 2017 attack on the Blue Parrot nightclub in the same city, which left six people dead including three foreigners.
Source: Riviera Maya News (en), Milenio (sp), Noticieros Televisa (sp)
