Police officers in Cancun fired live rounds into a gathering of protesters. At least three journalists sustained gunshot injuries.
The shooting took place on Monday night at the city hall building in Benito Juarez, Cancun, where protesters gathered to demand justice for a series of unsolved murders targeting women in the region. Protesters began to vandalize the entrance to the city hall and removed some wooden barriers placed at the door.
A video shared on Twitter by Mexican journalist Alejandro Castro captured the moment when protesters were trying to break into the building and shots rang out. Toward the end of the video, the sound of gunshots starts to intensify.
La policía de Cancún repelió una protesta feminista a balazos. Hay una periodista herida de bala y dos agredidas. @MaraLezama @kpya pic.twitter.com/stiTh6WZCq
— Alejandro Castro (@AlexCastroFlo) November 10, 2020
According to Castro, three journalists sustained gunshot injuries and two others were physically assaulted.
Actualización: tres reporteros heridos de bala y dos golpeados.
— Alejandro Castro (@AlexCastroFlo) November 10, 2020
Soon after the shooting, the Quintana Roo State Police Chief Alberto Capella took to social media to say the attack by authorities was unacceptable and he was ordering an investigation.
Lo acontecido en Palacio Municipal de Benito Juárez es en todos sentidos inaceptable. Estoy ordenando una investigación interna y poniendo a disposición de la Fiscalía del estado toda la información para que haga lo propio. Con transparencia estaremos informando el resultado.
— Alberto Capella (@kpya) November 10, 2020
Cancun Mayor Mara Lezama said she never ordered for the protests to be repressed and called for prosecutions.
Repruebo enérgicamente la represión contra manifestantes. pic.twitter.com/57xkw4sqVR
— Mara Lezama (@MaraLezama) November 10, 2020
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
