Five Killed, Including Two Canadians, in Shooting at Mexico's BPM Festival

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Jan 16, 2017

An electronic music festival in Mexico took a tragic turn early this morning (January 16). On the final day of the 10-day BPM Festival, a shooting took place at a Playa Del Carmen club, leaving multiple victims dead.
 
An official statement from the festival confirms that four people were killed and 12 others were injured outside the Blue Parrot nightclub in Playa del Carmen, just south of Cancun, though other reports have estimated higher numbers.

UPDATE (1/16, 10 a.m. EST): The police director of Quintano Roo, the state where Playa Del Carmen is located, told local media that five people were killed and 15 were injured. Among the dead are two Canadians, one Italian and one Colombian, all of whom were BPM employees. Roo claims that the shooting was a result of "a disagreement between people inside."

UPDATE (1/16, 5:30 p.m. EST): One of the Canadian victims has now been identified as 49-year-old Hamilton man Kirk Wilson, who worked security at such Toronto clubs as Rebel and the now-defunct the Guvernment.

 
So far, reports say the attack was carried out by a lone gunman in the street outside the club.
 
"We are overcome with grief over this senseless act of violence and we are cooperating fully with local law enforcement and government officials as they continue their investigation," BPM organizers said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and their families and all those affected by these tragic events."
 
Read the full Facebook post issued by the festival below.
 

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