Cuban Singer Shot Multiple Times in Central Cancun, Four Suspects Arrested

Cancun, Quintana Roo — A Cuban singer was shot multiple times early Thursday in central Cancun, and four Cuban nationals have been arrested in connection with the attack, authorities said.

The shooting occurred around 2 a.m. on Calle 8 between Granadillo and Palmera streets, near the Hotel Batab in the Supermanzana 23 neighborhood. Neighbors reported gunshots to the 911 emergency line.

Municipal police officers from Benito Juarez arrived first and found a man lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Red Cross paramedics treated him at the scene. The victim told them he was a Cuban national who sings in bars and that four men had intercepted him during an attempted robbery.

He was taken to the Jesus Kumate Rodriguez General Hospital in critical condition. Unconfirmed reports indicate he suffered between seven and nine gunshot wounds to the chest and limbs.

State prosecutors from the Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office interviewed witnesses and launched an operation in the area. Officers located four men at the Hotel Palmas who neighbors identified as the attackers.

The suspects — identified as Luis “N,” Ruben “N,” Enrique “N,” and Jasiel “N,” all Cuban nationals — were taken into custody and turned over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office pending further investigation.

Prosecutors said they will review security camera footage from the area to determine exactly how the attack unfolded.

Residents of Supermanzana 23 and nearby neighborhoods had recently complained about rising insecurity in the city center, blaming an increase in the Cuban population in the area.