Shots rang out in the early hours of Monday morning during BPM Festival‘s closing party at Blue Parrot in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Eyewitnesses wrote on Facebook that there was a stampede after a gunman opened fire. Officials have yet to make a statement, but according to reports a security guard was among those killed by the shooter.
“I was on the decks while shootings happened at blue parrot,” tweeted Hamburg-based DJ/producer Sidney Charles. “Me and my friends are safe. What a tragedy.”
I was on the decks while shootings happened at blue parrot…me and my friends are safe. What a tragedy…
— Sidney Charles Music (@SidneyCharlesM) January 16, 2017
According to the Mirror, a second shooting is believed to have taken place at another closing party at The Jungle nightclub a short time. It is not yet known how many gunmen were involved. BPM Festival’s Twitter account said the shootings were being investigated and the event’s closing parties had been “shut down.” The tweet was later deleted. Jackmaster, who earlier in the night tweeted about his upcoming live back-to-back set with Skream, tweeted about the incident:
Someone has come into the club in Playa Del Carmen and opened fire. 4-5 dead and many wounded. Stay in ur fuckin hotel if you’re here at BPM
— JACKMASTER (@jackmaster) January 16, 2017
This is a very very sad situation. Tryna get my head around it still. Thoughts and condolences to all affected ♥
— JACKMASTER (@jackmaster) January 16, 2017
Valerie Lee, Mixmag’s US digital editor, was at club when shots were fired. She told the magazine: “We were in the backstage area, which is super close to the main entrance. At least four to five shots were fired.
“People started running because there’s an exit in the back. We stopped and hid behind a cement wall, then crawled under a metal table.
“Security guards at first didn’t think it was shots and kept claiming it was fireworks, saying everything was OK. Then people kept running and said they saw a gun. We kept hiding until they opened the back gate and we ran outside.”
More as this story develops.
Caos en las calles de playa del carmen. NO SALGAN. Chaos on the streets. STAY SAFE. #blueparrot #bpm pic.twitter.com/ZHJZRq7PD3
— Pipe Llorens (@pipellorens) January 16, 2017
Update 9:10 am EST: NBC News reports that four people have been killed and 12 injured.
Update 9:17 am EST: BPM Festival issued a statement about the shooting on Facebook:
OFFICIAL STATEMENT:
It is with great sadness to share that police have confirmed reports of a lone shooter outside the Blue Parrot nightclub in Playa Del Carmen earlier today, which resulted in four fatalities and twelve injured. The violence began on 12th street in front of the club and three members of the BPM security team were among those whose lives were lost while trying to protect patrons inside the venue.
The BPM Festival has been working closely with the local authorities (Seguridad Publica / Policia Turistica) throughout the festival to ensure public safety and security for all visitors. 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.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and their families and all those affected by these tragic events.
The BPM Festival Familia