Colorado Teen Dies in Frantic Stampede as Concertgoers Flee Mexico Nightclub Shooting: Reports
A Colorado woman is among five people killed in on Monday at a Mexico nightclub when a gun-wielding man attempted to enter the popular hot spot packed with American tourists, according to multiple reports.
Alejandra Villanueva Ibarra of Denver died as she attempted to flee the Blue Parrot nightclub early Monday morning in the Mexican resort town of Playa Del Carmen, according to the Denver Post.
The 18-year-old was among dozens at the club for the 10-day BPM music festival when a man with a gun was stopped at the door by security personnel at around 2:30 a.m., the Post reports. The gunman exchanged fire with another person and the club’s guards came under fire as well, according to the Post.
The gunfire sent concertgoers running from the club and Ibarra was trampled in the stampede as they fled the chaotic scene, according to ABC News.
Caos en las calles de playa del carmen. NO SALGAN. Chaos on the streets. STAY SAFE. #blueparrot #bpm pic.twitter.com/ZHJZRq7PD3
— Pipe Llorens (@pipellorens) January 16, 2017
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Ibarra’s brother, Robert Aaron Martinez, spoke through tears as he remembered his sister in an interview with ABC.
“She was a hard worker. She was always looking out for my mom and my little brothers,” Martinez said. “She was working and going to college and pretty much the only one helping my mom.”
He started a GoFundMe page in the wake of his sister’s death, writing that Ibarra cared for her younger siblings as her mother suffered health issues.
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Video of the frantic scene posted online showed dozens of people running from the club. And a New Zealand tourist, Tyler Klee, told the Post that he feared for his life.
Balazos en Playa del Carmen @lajornadaonline @revistaproceso @El_Universal_Mx @Telemundo @UniNoticias @elpais_america pic.twitter.com/Qbx7sWiuBK
— Marcos A. Vazquez (@weirdmarcos) January 16, 2017
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“Everyone ran, everyone was terrified, looking for their friends,” Klee said. “We were running away and then you hear more shots fired, like you don’t know if you’re going to be shot in the back or not.”
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Officials investigating the incident said they believe the shooting was not a terrorist act, but was likely related to the drug trade, ABC reports.
At least three people have been detained as a result of the shooting, but their involvement has not been made public, according to El Mundo.
At least 15 people were injured in the shooting. Eight of them have been discharged while one remained in serious condition early Tuesday, Quintana Roo Gov. Roberto Angulo said, according to El Mundo.
Officials with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.
