Violence Erupts in Tulum with Three Shootings in One Day

Tulum, Quintana Roo — Tulum closed on Friday under a new wave of violence after at least three armed attacks were recorded in different points of the municipality within less than eight hours, with a preliminary toll of one person dead and four more injured, in events that have generated alarm among residents, business owners, and tourists.

The first episode occurred during an electronic music festival known as “Themplo,” where a man was executed by gunshots, causing panic among attendees. According to the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), the victim was a temporary worker and was killed by firearm impacts on a dirt road near the location where the festival was taking place. The corporation specified that the incident did not directly endanger attendees and opened an investigation file, with the main line focused on a possible link to drug dealing activities, although without ruling out other hypotheses.

Hours later, around 2:00 p.m., a second armed attack was reported at Cenote Vésica, located south of Tulum Avenue. Armed subjects opened fire against event workers, leaving three people seriously injured, including a citizen of Argentine origin. Due to the severity of the injuries, the affected individuals were urgently transferred to a specialized clinic in Playa del Carmen. The aggressors managed to flee without being detained.

Later in the night, violence erupted again with the third attack of the day, now in the irregular neighborhood of Arrecifes. Preliminary information indicated that one person was injured by a firearm projectile. Witnesses stated that the injured person would be the son of an alleged land invasion leader in the area and recounted moments of panic after hearing at least 15 gunshots, which forced neighbors to take shelter in their homes.

Following this last attack, unofficial versions indicated that a police pursuit against three trucks had been recorded, leading to a wide deployment of security corporations in different points of the municipality. However, until the closing of this information, the municipal government headed by Diego Castañón has not confirmed arrests or specified the health status of the injured person.

In another of the events related to the “Themplo” festival, the lifeless body of the victim was located next to the bathrooms of the property where the party was taking place, in the coastal zone of Tulum, at the height of Kukulkán Avenue. He was wearing a black t-shirt with the event’s logo and presented at least two bullet impacts in the chest. Initial versions indicate that local Police did not have immediate access to the property, which would have delayed the intervention and procedures.

These events occur during the peak tourist season and add to a long list of armed violence episodes recorded in recent years in Tulum, mostly related to disputes over control of drug dealing, with attacks in bars, nightclubs, tourist zones, and mass events, according to official records.

Until now, municipal and state authorities have not issued a comprehensive official statement or informed about concrete advances in the investigations, while questions grow about security conditions in one of the main tourist destinations of Quintana Roo.