Mexico Tourist Site Shooting Linked to “Copycat” Columbine Influence

(MENAFN) According to reports, Mexican authorities have said the gunman responsible for a deadly attack at a major tourist site near the Pyramid of the Moon was influenced by past US school shootings and acted in what officials described as a “copycat” manner.

The 27-year-old attacker, identified as Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez, killed a Canadian tourist and injured 13 other people on Monday at Teotihuacan, an archaeological site in the State of Mexico. Authorities said he later took his own life after being confronted by National Guard personnel.

Officials confirmed that the suspect was found carrying knives, ammunition, and materials related to the 1999 Columbine school shooting in the United States, in which two students killed 12 people before dying by suicide. The gunman was also armed with a handgun dating back to 1968, .38-caliber ammunition, and a bladed weapon.

During a press briefing, Prosecutor José Luis Cervantes Martínez said early findings suggested the attacker exhibited a “psychopathic profile” and a pattern of attempting to replicate violent incidents that had occurred elsewhere, describing this behavior as typical of a “copycat” phenomenon.

Authorities also noted that social media content showed the attacker making threats against foreign tourists and using xenophobic language, including statements in which he said he would “sacrifice” them.

When National Guard forces arrived, the suspect reportedly opened fire and was wounded in the leg during the confrontation. Officials said he then died by suicide at the scene.

Following the attack, Mexico’s security leadership announced that military personnel will be deployed to protect major tourist destinations nationwide, alongside expanded surveillance and intelligence measures aimed at preventing similar incidents.

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