Mexican Pyramid Gunman Had Columbine Materials — Officials Say

On Monday, a 27-year-old attacker targeted visitors at the Teotihuacan archaeological site, carrying items associated with the 1999 Columbine school shooting in Colorado, U.S., according to Mexican authorities. The assailant, who acted independently, shot and killed himself after security forces arrived at the scene. One Canadian tourist was fatally wounded during the attack, while others from Canada, Colombia, Russia, Brazil, and the United States were injured.

Officials revealed that the gunman possessed a collection of books and handwritten notes referencing American mass shootings. These materials were linked to the Columbine incident, which claimed 16 lives and left 23 others harmed. The suspect, from the state of Guerrero in southern Mexico, was found with a gun, a knife, and a bag containing 52 bullets at the location. He was also carrying a tactical backpack, an analog cellphone, and bus tickets.

“This act was not spontaneous,” stated Jose Luis Cervantes, the attorney general of the State of Mexico, during a press conference with President Claudia Sheinbaum. He described the shooter as having a “psycopathic profile” marked by a “tendency to copy situations that occurred in other places, at other times, and involving other figures.”

The attack took place on the Pyramid of the Moon, where the shooter opened fire on tourists. Cervantes noted that some victims remained still to avoid detection, while others fled the area. The assailant’s suicide followed after being struck by security personnel, who wounded him in the leg before he took his own life.

Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the Columbine massacre, a pivotal event that initiated a wave of school shootings in the United States and sparked ongoing discussions about gun control. The connection between the Mexican attacker and the U.S. incident underscores the influence of global violent events on local perpetrators.