Gunmen kill 12 people in Mexico bar
A man walks out of the venue’s front door of the club after gunmen fired indiscriminately on November 14, 2013 in Mexico City. Photograph: Luis Eduardo Minassian/AP
Mexico City – Six gunmen shot down as many people in the middle of a crowded restaurant, killing 12 people in an apparently unprovoked attack on a popular club in the capital, officials said.
Six people died at the scene of the attack on the Club Atlantico in the city’s Zocalo district, while the other six died in hospital, authorities said. The gunmen fled the scene before security forces were able to catch them.
“The tragedy was totally unexpected,” said police chief Jose Luis Sanchez when asked about the attack on Saturday evening. “They entered the club, fired indiscriminately and killed 12 people.”
He said police were still working to establish whether the gunmen were behind it.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Ruiz de Burton also said she could not comment on why or how the group of gunmen entered the club. The mayor said the club had been known for hosting various events.
The club’s website said Sunday that 12 people were killed at the club in a coordinated attack, and the club had received 15 reports of a gunfight.
“The tragedy is extremely serious and we condemn the cowardly acts,” he said. “I call on the public to not allow themselves to be manipulated by the enemy of the human being.”
The club has remained open in recent days, he said, while security forces patrolled.
Club Atlantico’s website said there were 1,000 people attending the opening of its newest club, the Zona Rosa, which was the largest in the city as the venue for the city’s annual Carnaval celebrations.
The website said a representative of the club had travelled to the United States to meet with family members of victims and to tell other survivors of the shooting to gather over the weekend.
It did not name the victims.