Cancún, Quintana Roo — A wave of gun violence shook Cancún on Wednesday night as attackers targeted three people linked to the city’s mototaxi trade in separate parts of the city, leaving at least one person dead and another wounded, according to preliminary reports.
The attacks unfolded in succession in superblocks 251, 235 and 259, triggering a large deployment of police and opening the possibility that the shootings are connected. Officials have not confirmed a common motive.
First attack: Paseos del Mar
The first shooting was reported in superblock 251, in the Paseos del Mar subdivision, where a man preliminarily identified as Rodrigo R. was shot on Margaritas Avenue. Initial reports indicate the victim is linked to the mototaxi representation of the Estrella Blanca del Caribe union and suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen. Paramedics took him to Cancún General Hospital.
An unconfirmed account says the man had clashed days earlier with members of another mototaxi group. Authorities have not corroborated that version, and investigators would have to establish it before it could be treated as fact.
Second attack: Superblock 235
While emergency crews were still responding to the first shooting, a second attack was reported in superblock 235, on Calle 83. Another mototaxi operator was shot dead at the scene, and the assailant fled on a motorcycle, according to reports.
Third attack: Near Villas Otoch Paraíso
A third incident followed in superblock 259, on Leona Vicario Avenue near Villas Otoch Paraíso. In that case, another driver came under fire but managed to get away. Bullets struck the facade of a small supermarket, and no other injuries were reported.
Municipal police and other security agencies responded to all three scenes, cordoning off the areas to preserve possible evidence and allow investigators to carry out their work.
One of the main lines of inquiry is whether the three attacks are linked and whether they stem from a dispute between rival mototaxi groups. The State Prosecutor’s Office must also determine the final number of victims, identify those responsible and establish a possible motive.
The string of shootings in a single night has once again focused attention on the violence surrounding Cancún’s mototaxi sector.
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