Newly released video footage captures the moment a gunman opened fire atop an ancient pyramid in Mexico, killing a Canadian tourist and wounding several others earlier this week. The nearly four-minute video, recorded by a Texas family and shared on the X platform, shows the killer mingling among the crowd before the attack.
The Shooting at Teotihuacan
The video begins with the gunman, identified as 27-year-old Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez, wearing a mask and carrying a backpack while walking among visitors on the Pyramid of the Moon at the Teotihuacan archaeological site. He then moves to an open area, places the bag on the ground, and pulls out a firearm. Seconds later, multiple shots ring out, sending tourists scrambling down the steps in panic. A male voice can be heard shouting, "Get down, get down, get down, get down."
Casualties and Investigation
The attack resulted in the death of a 29-year-old Canadian woman and injuries to 13 others, some of whom were hurt while trying to escape the gunfire. When police arrived minutes later, Jasso Ramirez fatally shot himself. Investigators revealed that the gunman was obsessed with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and the Columbine High School massacre, with the shooting occurring on the 27th anniversary of Columbine and Hitler's birthday. At the scene, authorities found an AI-generated image depicting Jasso Ramirez alongside Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, as well as 58 rounds of unused ammunition.
Eyewitness Account
Texas couple Joel Torres and Yazmin Salcedo, who were visiting the pyramids with their son and daughter-in-law, captured the incident on video. Torres described the swiftness of the attack: "Seconds, seconds later, he walked in front of us, sat himself down, and it was like, oh my god, not even, it was not even a minute, it wasn't even a minute. It was less than that when the first shot happened." Salcedo recounted the confusion and fear, saying, "All we could hear is shots after shots after shot after shot, and we just didn't know where these shots were going to. We didn't know if they were coming towards us or another one or air, we didn't know. That's why we just kept running and running."
Security Measures
In the aftermath, heavy security was deployed at the site, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called for enhanced protections at tourist destinations. The incident has raised concerns about safety at archaeological sites and the influence of extremist ideologies.
