Barbara Welsh (second from right) is pictured with a group of women from British Columbia in front of the pyramids in Teotihuacan, Mexico, on Monday.Barbara Welsh/Canadian Press
The photo of British Columbia woman Barbara Welsh and her friends smiling near the base of the famous Pyramid of the Moon at the Teotihuacan ruins northeast of Mexico City on Monday looks like a typical tourist photo.
However, in the background, a man in a checked shirt can be seen climbing the steps of the pyramid, holding something in his right hand.
Shortly after, he pulls out a gun and fires, causing people to fall off the pyramid.
Authorities said they were trying to determine the motives of the gunman, who was said to have planned the attack, played strange music, yelled profanities about hating tourists, and fired indiscriminately.
“I didn’t really know what it was,” Wales said of hearing the first gunshot.
“Then I heard another sound and looked up and it was like a waterfall of people flowing down the Pyramid of the Moon.”
Mexican pyramid attack that killed Canadian was planned, officials say
Welsh said the private guide yelled at the group of seven B.C. women to run as soon as the gunshots rang out and they set off toward the parking lot.
She said within five minutes the group got into a tour van and the driver fled the scene. Gunshots could still be heard coming from the van.
“As we were getting out of there, we heard gunshots. The gunshots lasted for over 20 minutes,” she said.
Authorities confirmed that one Canadian woman was killed and at least 13 other visitors were injured in the attack.
Officials said the injured were in stable condition.
Actor and artist Barak Hadley, who witnessed the mass shooting at Mexico’s Teotihuacan ruins, described a scene of chaos and fear.
Reuters
Mexico’s Security Cabinet identified the Canadian taken to the hospital as 29-year-old Delicia Lee de Jong. The other injured people were from the United States, Russia, the Netherlands and Brazil. The youngest was a 6-year-old boy from Colombia.
The identity of the murdered Canadian woman has not yet been released.
Authorities identified the attacker as Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez, a 27-year-old from Guerrero, Mexico, who had arrived in Teotihuacan by Uber the day before and stayed at a hotel.
Then shortly before noon on Monday, atop the Pyramid of the Moon, he began firing at tourists with an old revolver while holding a plastic bag containing 52 .38-caliber bullets in his other hand, said José Luis Cervantes Martínez, the attorney general of the Mexican state that includes Teotihuacan.
Authorities said the assailant acted alone and killed him, and security forces found a gun, knife and ammunition at the scene.
This aerial photo shows forensic experts and prosecutor’s office personnel working in the Teotihuacan Archaeological Zone following the mass shooting in Teotihuacan, Mexico, on Tuesday.Rey Marmolejo/AFP/Getty Images
Welsh said her group was about halfway through the guided tour of the scene when the shooting started.
She and one of her friends climbed down the pyramid to join the group minutes before the photo was taken, but said she was concerned about the height.
She said the decision to turn back may have saved their lives, as the attack began 15 minutes later.
“It was pure luck that my girlfriend and I weren’t at the top of the pyramid at the time,” Wales said.
“We were almost in shock,” Welsh said, reflecting on the tragedy. “It was really bad, but it could have been much worse.”
Although they are upset, Wales said the experience has not tainted her view of Mexico City and will not deter the group, who usually plan a trip together once a year, from traveling again.
“You can’t predict something like this,” she said.
“It could happen anywhere. Mexico City is a great place, so I hope this definitely doesn’t affect it.”
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