Police open fire in Cancun as demonstrators try to storm city hall while protesting the death of a 20-year-old woman whose remains were found two bags
A protest over the gruesome murder of a 20-year-old woman turned into chaos when police officers fired their guns into the air as demonstrators attempted to overtake city hall in Cancún on Monday night.
The shooting left local journalists, Cecilia SolÃs and Roberto Becerril, with gunshot wounds. A third reporter, Selene Hidrogo, was allegedly beaten by cops. Her work equipment was purportedly destroyed by the police during the incident.
Solis was shot in the left foot and Becerril was grazed by a bullet on his right shoulder. Their injuries were non-life threatening.
The demonstrators were outraged by the recent murder of Bianca Lorenzana and other women in Quintana Roo, the Caribbean coast state where Cancún is located.
Police officers in Cancún open fire into the air to disperse demonstrators who gathered Monday night to protest the murders of women in the state of Quintana Roo, where the popular tourist destination is located. At least two reporters suffered gunshot wounds and a third was reportedly beaten by cops. The demonstrations took place a day after the dismembered body of Bianca Lorenzana was found in two garbage bags
Bianca Lorenzana was last seen leaving her home in the Cancún neighborhood of La Joya with friends on Saturday night. Her family filed a missing person's report and her remains were located inside two garbage bags Sunday. No arrests have been made
Bianca Lorenzana's hacked body was placed inside two garbage bags that were located about a mile and a half from her house in Cancún
Lorenzana was last seen Saturday with her friends leaving her home in the Cancún neighborhood of La Joya, but failed to return.
Her family reported her missing and her remains were discovered in two bags on Sunday in the Vista Real neighborhood, approximately one mile and a half from her house.
As of Tuesday evening, authorities in the resort city had not reported any arrests.
Televisa reported that demonstrators initiated their march on Cobá Avenue, where some of the resort towns hotels are located, and then made their way towards the Quintana Roo state prosecutor's office.
A video posted by the Quintana Roo Network of Journalists showed a throng of about 100 protesters at city hall during the Monday evening protest, some of whom were tearing down a plywood barrier at an entrance.
A man throws a piece of concrete into the Quintana Roo Prosecutor's Office in Cancún as a demonstration over the murder of 20-year-old Bianca Lorenzana turned violent Monday. Lorenzana was last seen leaving her home with friends Saturday and her mutilated body was found inside two bags Sunday
Riot police officers keep watch at Cancún's city hall after a protest to demand justice for the murder of Blanca Lorenzana erupted in violence with the police firing shots into the air to move away the crowd. Two reporters suffered gunshot wounds and a third was reportedly beaten by the police
A few shots are heard on the video, people begin running, and then bursts of gunfire are heard.
Footage filmed by protesters showed some of the police officers attempting to stop demonstrators from filming.
The newspaper Por Esto posted a photo of a police officer waving a pistol in the air. National Guard agents appeared to have taken up positions around city hall after the shooting.
Governor Carlos JoaquÃn said Tuesday that Cancun's Public Security Ministry chief, Eduardo SantamarÃa, had authorized the police on site to open fire, according to newspaper Excelsior.
On Saturday night, Bianca Lorenzana left her Cancún home with friends and failed to return home. Her family filed a missing person's report with the police. The 20-year-old's remains were found inside two plastic bags abandoned on a street about a mile and a half from her house. No arrests have been made
Authorities in Cancún, Mexico, have not made any arrests in connection with the gruesome murder of Bianca Lorenzana, whose remains were discovered inside two garbage bags by the police Sunday, one day after she was last seen leaving her home with friends
Protesters disperse moments after police officers fired into the air outside Cancún's city hall
Demonstrators are seen outside Cancún's city hall after a protest to demand justice for the murder of Blanca Lorenzana
Cancún Mayor Mara Lezama announced the suspension of SantamarÃa and said it was a formality that would eventually lead to his firing from the police force.
'Right now we have him removed from the position, but he is under investigation at this time. Yes there is a responsibility. Although the operation depends on the sole command, someone had to take the lead and that is what we are clarifying at this time,' Lezama said in an interview with Grupo Formula television.
The Quintana Roo state attorney general's office has solved the nine murders of 12 women who have been killed in the state this year.
Governor JoaquÃn had met with women's groups earlier Monday to promise no efforts would be spared in investigating the most recent killing.
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