A Mexican man was shot dead in broad daylight near a luxury resort in Cancun on Wednesday afternoon, according to local reports, in what authorities believe was a targeted shooting by two suspects who fled on jet skis.
The shooting happened around noon behind the Riu Caribe Hotel, where witnesses said two beachgoers approached the male victim on foot. Riviera Maya News reported.
The victim, believed to be in his 30s, was shot several times. The suspects then ran to the beach and jumped on a jet ski. A marina boat pursued the suspects without success, according to the report.
According to reports, the hotel issued a statement saying the victim was neither a guest nor an employee of the hotel.
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A Mexican man, believed to be in his 30s, was shot dead behind a luxury hotel in the resort town of Cancun on Wednesday, according to local reports. (Elizabeth Lewis/AFP via Getty Images, File)
Authorities have not yet released the man's identity or information about the armed group.
The latest incident comes after a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed at a resort in July. Mexican prosecutors said at the time that gunmen on jet skis opened fire on rival drug traffickers on the beach, and the boy appeared to have been hit by a stray bullet.
Authorities did not immediately release information about a motive or suspect in the shooting. (AP Photo/Israel Real, File)
A territorial dispute between drug traffickers has claimed the lives of several tourists at resorts on Mexico's Caribbean coast in recent years.
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In 2022, two Canadians were murdered in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun, apparently as a result of debts between international drug and arms trafficking organizations.
The shooting was the latest example of rival drug traffickers in Mexico killing an innocent victim over a dispute. (St. Petersburg)
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In 2021, further south in Tulum, two tourists – an Indian-born California travel blogger and a German national – were killed in a shootout between apparently rival drug dealers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
