Mexico officials say Teotihuacán gunman carried material related to US mass shooting

On Tuesday, Mexico’s president revealed that the shooter who attacked the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán exhibited psychological issues and was inspired by violent events in the United States. Julio César Jasso Ramírez, a 27-year-old Mexican citizen, was found with a firearm, multiple rounds of ammunition, a blade, and materials referencing violent acts, according to officials. The assailant executed the attack independently, as stated by the State of Mexico’s attorney general, José Luis Cervantes Martínez.

The incident left one Canadian tourist dead and 13 others injured at the iconic archaeological site, located 50 kilometers from Mexico City. Authorities confirmed that Jasso Ramírez had previously visited the site and arrived on Monday before noon. “This act was not spontaneous,” Cervantes Martínez remarked, highlighting the planned nature of the attack.

“Based on everything indicated by the prosecutorial authorities, this person showed signs of psychological problems and was influenced by incidents that occurred abroad,” President Claudia Sheinbaum stated during a Tuesday media briefing.

Among the items recovered from the scene were documents and literature tied to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, which took place 27 years earlier. A witness recounted that the shooter referenced the infamous event as visitors scrambled for safety. Video footage captured him shouting threats from the pyramid’s platform before the gunfire erupted.

Cervantes Martínez detailed that the attacker fired 14 rounds at both victims and responding officers. A national guard member and a local police officer scaled the pyramid to subdue him, with the guard discharging a shot that wounded the gunman in the leg. After a brief confrontation, Jasso Ramírez took his own life. Thirteen individuals, aged 6 to 61, received medical attention, with seven sustaining gunshot wounds.

Following the tragedy, Teotihuacán, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was temporarily closed. The site, which welcomed approximately 1.8 million visitors last year, will reopen on Wednesday with enhanced security measures. Sheinbaum emphasized the lack of checkpoints at archaeological sites and ordered the deployment of metal detectors across national landmarks.

Looking toward the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Sheinbaum pledged to prioritize safety during the global event, set to begin on 11 June in Mexico City. She met with organizers to review logistics, reiterating, “It is safe to be in Mexico,” as the nation welcomed 16 million international visitors in the first two months of the year.