2026 Teotihuacan pyramids shooting
Part of the Columbine effect
Aftermath of the shooting
Map
Location 19°41′57″N 98°50′39″W / 19.69928°N 98.84412°W / 19.69928; -98.84412
Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan, State of Mexico, Mexico
Date 20 April 2026 (2026-04-20)
c.11:20 a.m. (Zona Centro; UTC-06:00)
Attack type
Mass shooting, hostage-taking, shootout, murder–suicide
Weapons
  • .38-caliber Smith & Wesson Model 10 snub-nosed revolver
  • Knife (unused)[1]
Deaths 2 (including the perpetrator)
Injured 13 (7 by gunfire)
Perpetrator Julio César Jasso Ramírez
Motive Under investigation

On 20 April 2026, a mass shooting occurred at the Teotihuacan archaeological site in the State of Mexico, Mexico. Julio César Jasso Ramírez, 27, opened fire from atop the Pyramid of the Moon, killing a Canadian woman and injuring 13 other tourists before committing suicide.

Background

Teotihuacan is one of the largest and most visited pre-Columbian archaeological sites in Mexico and is a major international tourist destination and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located in the State of Mexico, approximately 48 km (30 mi) northeast of Mexico City.[2]

Shooting

At approximately 11:20 a.m. (UTC−06:00), the gunman had an argument with several people before opening fire from the top of the Pyramid of the Moon.[3] A tour guide working at the site reported first hearing gunfire at that time.[4] A witness said they heard more than 20 shots.[5][4] Mexican media described the suspect as a man aged between 25 and 30 who was wearing tactical-style pants and boots.[6]

A group of visitors was unable to escape; the attacker allegedly ordered them to lie on the ground before walking to another spot, reloading, and returning to continue shooting.[6] Video footage recorded by bystanders showed the perpetrator walking across the pyramid after firing approximately 20 to 30 shots, moving away from a group of victims on the ground while bystanders took cover.[4][7] While he was holding a group of tourists at gunpoint, in videos of the incident he can be heard saying he was going to "sacrifice" them in reference to human sacrifice in pre-Columbian cultures[8] as he claimed to have already killed two Koreans.[9] He can be heard speaking with a fake Peninsular Spanish accent, apparently telling some tourists from Europe that they would not be returning.[10][11]

Ten minutes later, security forces arrived at the site.[3] The gunman freed some hostages.[12] Subsequently, a confrontation began in which the attacker was wounded in the leg.[13] At 11:45 a.m., the perpetrator turned the gun on himself and died by suicide at the scene.[2] A 60-year-old .38 Special revolver, a knife, and more than 50 rounds of ammunition were recovered.[4][14]

Victims

One woman, a 29-year-old Canadian tourist, was killed, and 13 other tourists were injured: six Americans, three Colombians, two Brazilians, one Russian, and another Canadian.[4][15][16] Six of the 13 were injured indirectly while fleeing the scene. According to the authorities, seven people were treated for gunshot wounds, while six suffered fall injuries. One person was treated for an anxiety attack related to the incident. Among the injured were a six-year-old, a 13-year-old, and one person in critical condition.[6] All were transported to Axapusco General Hospital for treatment.[17]

Perpetrator

The Attorney General's Office of the State of Mexico [es] identified the perpetrator as 27-year-old Julio César Jasso Ramírez[a] (9 September 1998 – 20 April 2026), a native of Tlapa, Guerrero;[18] his voter credential, with an address in Mexico City's northern borough of Gustavo A. Madero, was found in his bag.[17][19]

According to police sources, he expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and generated an AI photo of himself with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The attack also occurred on the 27th anniversary of the Columbine shooting and on Hitler's 137th birthday.[20] Below his shirt, he wore a T-shirt bearing the phrase "Disconnect and Self-Destruct", associated with the Columbine massacre,[21] and in his backpack were books about Columbine. In handwritten notes also found in his backpack, he had written that he was guided by an "inspiration from beyond" and that he "followed orders from supernatural entities".[22] According to the authorities, Jasso fit the profile of a copycat, an imitator who replicates symbolic crimes.[23]

Some newspapers, including Milenio and El Universal, speculated about ties to the True Crime Community internet phenomenon.[24][25]

Aftermath

Following the shooting, state security forces and the National Guard were deployed to the site.[2][26] The Mexican police opened a formal investigation into the incident. The attack occurred just weeks before the World Cup, which Mexico is hosting with the United States and Canada. While investigations progress, President Claudia Sheinbaum has called for stricter controls in tourist areas.[27][28]

Reactions

President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed solidarity with the victims,[29] stating, "What happened today in Teotihuacán deeply hurts us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the people affected and their families. We are in contact with the Canadian Embassy."[2] She said she was closely monitoring the situation.[30]

Canada's foreign ministry confirmed that one of its citizens was killed and another was wounded. In a statement, it expressed condolences to the victims' families and thanked the Mexican government for its response.[2]

See also

  • 2026 Lázaro Cárdenas school shooting – a shooting in the state of Michoacán that occurred approximately one month prior
  • Columbine effect

Notes

  1. ^ In this Mexican name, the surname is Jasso and the second or maternal family name is Ramírez.

References

  1. ^ Contreras, Luis (20 April 2026). "Images revealed of the weapons used by the man who carried out the shooting in Teotihuacan". infobae.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e Rios, Michael; Torres, Mauricio (20 April 2026). "Gunman opens fire at Mexico's Teotihuacan pyramids, killing Canadian and injuring others, government says". CNN. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  3. ^ a b Cruz, Edgar (20 April 2026). "Balacera en Teotihuacán: cronología del tiroteo en la Pirámide de la Luna". La Crónica de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e Janetsky, Megan; Sanchez, Fabiola (20 April 2026). "Shooting at pyramids north of Mexico City leaves 1 Canadian tourist dead, injures 6 people". AP News. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  5. ^ "Una mujer canadiense muere y varios turistas resultan heridos en un tiroteo en la Pirámide de la Luna de Teotihuacán" [A Canadian woman is killed and several tourists are injured in a shooting at the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan] (in Spanish). BBC Mundo. 20 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Robles, Carlos (20 April 2026). "Number of tourists injured in Teotihuacan pyramids shooting rises to 13". BNO News. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  7. ^ Baes, Marty Vergel (20 April 2026). "Teotihuacán Pyramid Shooting: One Dead After Fatal Incident, Security Cabinet Confirms". International Business Times. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  8. ^ Gonzalez Rocha, Jorge Antonio (22 April 2026). "Mexican shooter who killed Canadian tourist and injured 13 others was a 'copycat' of US school shooters: Officials". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  9. ^ Acevedo, Nicole; Thompson, Priscilla (21 April 2026). "Tourists describe terrifying moments during deadly shooting at Mexico pyramid site". NBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  10. ^ Hernández, Diana K. (21 April 2026). "Balacera en Teotihuacán: Circula en redes sociales video inédito del atacante en el momento de los hechos con mensaje anticolonial". Heraldo USA (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  11. ^ Izquierdo, Ignacio (22 April 2026). "Vegano y fan de Lady Gaga: la otra cara del asesino de Teotihuacán antes de radicalizarse" [A vegan and Lady Gaga fan: the other side of the Teotihuacan killer before he became radicalized]. Infobae.
  12. ^ ""Disparaba desde arriba en la pirámide y tenía rehenes": los relatos de testigos del tiroteo en Teotihuacán en el que murió una mujer y otras 13 personas resultaron heridas". BBC Mundo (in Spanish). 21 April 2026.
  13. ^ "Cronología de la Balacera en Teotihuacán: El Agresor Recibió Disparo antes de Quitarse la Vida". N+ (in Spanish). 21 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  14. ^ Mayen, Baruc (21 April 2026). "No estaba registrada: revelan detalles del arma usada por el agresor de Teotihuacan" [Not registered: details revealed about the weapon used by the Teotihuacan attacker]. Milenio.
  15. ^ "Canadian woman shot dead in Mexico, authorities say". CBC News. Reuters. 20 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  16. ^ Jovem Pan News (22 April 2026). Duas brasileiras ficam feridas em ataque a tiros no México. Retrieved 22 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ a b Varela, Micaela (20 April 2026). "Un tiroteo desde la Pirámide de la Luna en Teotihuacán deja una turista canadiense muerta y 13 heridos" [A shooting from the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan leaves one Canadian tourist dead and 13 injured]. El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  18. ^ "¿Qué Es Copycat? Perfil Psicopático de Julio César Jasso, Autor de Balacera en Teotihuacán". N+ (in Spanish). 21 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  19. ^ Ruiz, Kevin (22 April 2026). "Tirador de Teotihuacan llegó solo a CDMX en 2018 y nadie volvió a saber de él" [The Teotihuacan shooter arrived in Mexico City alone in 2018 and no one ever heard from him again]. La Jornada.
  20. ^ "Gunman kills tourist and wounds 6 others on Mexico's Teotihuacán pyramid". Los Angeles Times. 21 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  21. ^ Ontiveros Valdés, Constanza (21 April 2026). "Mass shooting at Mexico's Teotihuacan archaeological site leaves one dead, 13 injured". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  22. ^ Marcial Pérez, David (22 April 2026). "Los 25 minutos de pánico en Teotihuacán: un viejo revólver, una mente enferma y un crimen inspirado por "el más allá"" [The 25 minutes of panic at Teotihuacan: an old revolver, a sick mind, and a crime "inspired by the beyond"]. El País.
  23. ^ Raziel, Zedryk (21 April 2026). "Julio César Jasso Ramírez: The Teotihuacán shooter who celebrated the Columbine massacre and the fascist far right". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  24. ^ Brito, Omar (20 April 2026). "The True Crime Community: el fenómeno social al que estaría ligado el tirador de Teotihuacan" [The True Crime Community: the social phenomenon to which the Teotihuacan shooter appears to be linked]. Milenio.
  25. ^ "¿Qué es la True Crime Community? la liga que une al ataque de Teotihuacán con Columbine" [What is the True Crime Community? The link between the Teotihuacan attack and Columbine]. El Universal. 21 April 2026.
  26. ^ "Un hombre empezó a disparar desde la cima de la pirámide de Teotihuacán y mató a una turista" [A man started shooting from the top of the Teotihuacán pyramid and killed a tourist]. Hoy Día Córdoba (in Spanish). 20 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  27. ^ Horas, Equipe Redação 24 (21 April 2026). "Ataque em pirâmide de Teotihuacán deixa mais rigorosa a entrada de turistas semanas antes da Copa do Mundo -" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 21 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ "Ataque armado em pirâmide de Teotihuacán, no México, foi planejado, dizem autoridades – Jovem Pan". Ataque armado em pirâmide de Teotihuacán, no México, foi planejado, dizem autoridades – Jovem Pan (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  29. ^ Matza, Max (20 April 2026). "Canadian killed in shooting at Mexico's ancient Teotihuacán pyramids". BBC News. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  30. ^ Staff, Al Jazeera. "Gunman kills Canadian woman, 13 injured at Mexico's Teotihuacan pyramids". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 21 April 2026.