A terrifying scene occurred early Monday morning at a nightclub in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, as a gunman opened fire on the crowd.
The Blue Parrot, one of ten venues hosting the 10th anniversary of “BPM” electronic music festival was where the incident took place, leaving 5 dead and 15 injured. Mexican officials confirmed the gunman entered through the front entrance around 3 a.m. and began to fire on the crowd. The shooter is said to still be at large.
Although officials report one gunman, eye witnesses say there may have been two; one at the entrance and one at the exit. As the shooting began, the crowds raced to get out of the building, trampling one person to death. Club-goers frantically exited the building or hid together under cover, embracing the wounded until medical professionals arrived.
Several major publications have indicated that the incident could be related to tensions between the cartel and festival organizers. As a result, Playa del Carmen’s Mayor, Cristinia Torres Gomez, has cancelled all future EDM festivals and has been quoted saying “We want these types of festivals to go”.
BPM Festival is a 10 day long music festival, showcasing 375+ artists including some of the biggest names in house and techno. Event organizers have yet to release an official response to the media regarding the incident.
Image credit:
AP Rebecca Blackwell
Chris Zane is a DOD contributor and DJ, who has held club residencies at Rich's, Fbar and renowned techno club, Gravity . Zane also hosts the house & Techno Podcast "The Zephyr Lounge" which you can catch on The Department of Dance Radio, Friday's at 2pm.
