Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776815476936Screen Shot 2026-04-22 at 7.51.03 AM.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This aerial view shows forensic experts and prosecutors office personnel working at the Teotihuacan archaeological zone following a shooting in Teotihuacan, State of Mexico, on April 21, 2026. Mexican authorities said on April 21, 2026, that the man who killed a Canadian woman and wounded 13 others the day before at the famed Teotihuacan pyramids had planned the attack in advance.<em> Photo by Ray Marmolejo/AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>MEXICO CITY, Mexico — The gunman who killed a Canadian tourist and wounded 13 others at Mexico&#x27;s famed Teotihuacan pyramids had planned the attack days in advance, officials said Tuesday, as evidence pointed to him being inspired by a US massacre.</p><p>President Claudia Sheinbuam called for tighter gun controls at tourist areas after Monday&#x27;s attack -- which comes just weeks before her country hosts several World Cup football matches.</p><p>Mexico State Prosecutor Jose Luis Cervantes, speaking at a press conference alongside Sheinbaum on Tuesday, said the gunman had made multiple visits to the pyramids, &quot;stayed in hotels near the site ahead of time, and from there planned his violent acts.&quot;</p><p>The gunman, who shot and killed himself as military personnel moved in, was identified as 27-year-old Mexico City resident Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez.</p><p>The Canadian woman who died was in her early 20s.</p><p>Cervantes said that a backpack had been found at the scene with a gun, knife and 52 rounds of ammunition.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1253659060169161%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>The bag contained literature and images linked &quot;to violent events that are known to have occurred in the United States in April 1999,&quot; Cervantes said, in an apparent reference to the infamous Columbine High School shooting.</div><p>Two students, aged 17 and 18, attacked the Colorado high school on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher in a matter of minutes, before taking their own lives.</p><p>Several other mass shooters in the United States have subsequently cited the high-profile Columbine tragedy as inspiration for their attacks.</p><p>An American who survived Monday&#x27;s attack, Jacqueline Gutierrez, told the Mexican newspaper Milenio that the shooter had mentioned Monday being the anniversary of the Columbine massacre.</p><p>He also mentioned the pyramid being a place for ritual sacrifices in pre-colonial times, she said.</p><p>Designated as a World Heritage site of &quot;outstanding universal value&quot; by the United Nations, the structures at Teotihuacan were built between the first and seventh centuries AD.</p><p>The shooting occurred on the Pyramid of the Moon, a 45-meter (nearly 150-foot) high monument that visitors are allowed to climb using steep steps carved of volcanic rock.</p><p>Sheinbaum said the shooter had &quot;psychological problems&quot; and &quot;was influenced by events that had occurred abroad.&quot;</p><p>She said there were no suspected links to organized crime in the attack, which left at least 13 people injured, including some who suffered gunshot wounds.</p><p>Among the wounded, who were taken to different hospitals, were a six-year-old boy and a woman from Colombia, another Canadian woman, a Brazilian man and two Americans.</p><p>The president said it was the first time something like this had happened at an archaeological site in Mexico and called for increased security at tourist sites around the country.</p><p>&quot;We need to have better security to make sure someone can&#x27;t enter an archaeological site, a tourist site, with a firearm,&quot; she said.</p><p>According to official tourism figures, Teotihuacan was Mexico&#x27;s second most-visited archaeological site last year, trailing only Chichen Itza.</p><p>Authorities announced that the site will reopen on Wednesday with increased security protocols.</p><p>Juan Carlos Mejia, executive director of the Estur tourism agency, welcomed the announced reinforcement, telling AFP that previously &quot;they never check you&quot; before entering the site, he told AFP.</p><p>Mexico City hosts the World Cup&#x27;s opening match on June 11.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3os0vifNY9Y?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The gunman who killed a Canadian tourist and wounded 13 others at Mexico's famed Teotihuacan pyramids had planned the attack days in advance, officials said Tuesday, as evidence pointed to him being inspired by a US massacre.</p>

The gunman who killed a Canadian tourist and wounded 13 others at Mexico's famed Teotihuacan pyramids had planned the attack days in advance, officials said Tuesday, as evidence pointed to him being inspired by a US massacre.

Mexico pyramid shooter planned attack, fixated on US massacre

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Mexico pyramid shooter planned attack, fixated on US massacre

Agence France-Presse

Published April 22, 2026 07:57 AM PHT

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Updated April 22, 2026 09:22 AM PHT

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Agence France-Presse

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