Man Shot Dead in Tulum Irregular Settlement as Neighbors Cite Land Threats

Tulum, Quintana Roo — A man was shot dead Friday morning in the irregular settlement known as Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Tulum, in an attack witnesses attributed to two men who arrived on a motorcycle and fled the scene.

Residents linked the killing to an apparent dispute over the plot of land where the victim lived, saying he had received threats in the days before his death.

The shooting occurred around 6:30 a.m. at one of the corners of the squatter settlement, roughly a block from Avenida Tulum and near a Red Cross station and a commercial business. Witnesses said the attackers arrived on a green motorcycle and fired several shots at the man, who fell in the street.

The suspected gunmen fled quickly, and no arrests have been reported. Investigators found spent shell casings at the scene, and some of the bullets also struck a small shop on the corner.

Neighbors said the victim had been threatened days before the killing. According to their accounts, at least three people — including two women they identified as being from Playa del Carmen — allegedly demanded that he abandon the land he occupied. Residents also said other people had come earlier to intimidate him and were held by neighbors before being handed over to municipal police.

Whether those threats are connected to the homicide will have to be established by the State Prosecutor’s Office, and there has been no official confirmation that the killing stemmed from a land dispute.

After the attack was reported, municipal police, National Guard troops and Mexican Army soldiers arrived at the settlement and set up a security perimeter while prosecutors and forensic specialists processed the scene and collected evidence.

The body was removed for the corresponding procedures, and authorities opened an investigation to identify those responsible and determine a motive. No detentions had been reported in connection with the attack.

The killing has again drawn attention to the situation in Tulum’s irregular settlements, where disputes over land ownership have generated complaints and conflicts among residents. Any link to criminal groups would have to be established by authorities through the investigation.