Alert – Shooting and Code Red in Cancun, Mexico (January 17, 2017)

January 17, 2017

Alert – Shooting and Code Red in Cancun, Mexico

Following an early Monday morning shooting in Playa del Carmen, there has been a shooting in Cancun, Mexico.

The shooting took place four miles from the hotel and resort areas, prompting a “Code Red” alert. At least one news report states that authorities have set up three checkpoints near the tourist zone.

A Security Message from the U.S. Consulate states:

The U.S. Consulate General Merida informs U.S. citizens of gunfire exchanges in various locations in downtown Cancun January 17, 2017. Local authorities activated a “Code Red” alert and urged residents to shelter in place. The U.S. Consulate urges all U.S. citizens to follow local authorities’ warnings and directives and consult with their hotels before leaving the premises.

Currently no reports of shootings have happened in the Cancun Hotel Zone. However, there are reports that access to the Hotel Zone may be controlled by authorities as a security precaution.

Global news agency AFP reports:

Mexico’s Mayan Riviera was rocked by another shootout as gunmen attacked the prosecutor’s office, leaving four people dead, a day after five died in a nightclub shooting.

Three gunmen and a police officer died as the Quintana Roo state prosecutor’s office in Cancun came under fire in broad daylight and police shot back, Governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez said.

Five other assailants were detained, Gonzalez said, urging the federal government to send reinforcements.

The gunfight caused panic in the Caribbean coast city, a day after three foreigners and two Mexicans died in a shooting at an electronic music festival in the nearby seaside resort of Playa del Carmen.

While it was not known whether the two shootings were linked, the back-to-back attacks broke the peace in a region that is popular among American, Canadian and European tourists and has avoided the sort of drug-related violence that has plagued other parts of Mexico.

State security chief Rodolfo del Angel said in a video message on Twitter that authorities activated “code red” after the shooting — a security protocol combining state and federal police and the army — but he insisted that the situation was under control.

The clash took place seven kilometers (four miles) away from the hotel area. Local media said authorities set up three checkpoints near the tourist zone.

“At the moment the state is peaceful, the citizens can remain calm, Cancun is doing well at this moment,” he said.

The motive for the attack was not immediately known.

The US Consulate in Merida issued a security message urging Americans to “follow local authorities’ warnings and consult with their hotels before leaving the premises.”