More than 15 people are believed to have been killed in a mass shooting at a bar in Xalapa, Mexico a little over three weeks ago.
Photo: la opinión
On 22 May, the three gunmen entered Madame gay bar in Xalapa - a city in the state of Veracruz - and carried out a mass shooting, killing what is believed to be more than 15 people and injuring many others.
The state prosecutor released a statement saying that there were 5 people killed in the shooting and 14 injured, of which 12 have been discharged from hospital, however Mexico has a long history of manipulating the media and of journalists being killed. A local reporter notes “there were many more than what the government says, obviously”.
Her comments are backed by various witnesses, including a local doctor who tended to the injured and knowing that the authorities would try to cover up the facts, told reporters at El Noreste there were more than 15 people dead. The doctor, who works at Ignacio García Tellez hospital in Xalapa, said that among the wounded there was a 14 year old pregnant minor who suffered a severe wound in the leg and another one in the arm.
News outlet Regeneración reports that a witness who was entering the bar at the time of the shooting says he took refuge in a cupboard as soon as he heard the shootings. He says he saw three subjects with weapons enter the bar, and that he had believed it was the police, who regularly monitor the bar.
Soon after they entered, the witness says they started shooting behind the bar and massacring people. He could hear the screams from the cupboard. When the shooting stopped, about 10 to 20 seconds later, absolute silence followed. He could see two dead people on the floor and the bar was empty.
Adding to this, a young man sent photos to both Regeneración and El Noreste media outlets that showed at least seven dead people.
A 24-year-old employee at the gay bar, also told reporters that he witnessed an armed group enter the bar and shoot into a crowd of more than 400 people. He said that there were more than 15 dead and multiple wounded, who were taken to various hospitals.
The mass shooting went mostly unreported in English language media and with the current situation in Mexico, was barely reported locally. It appears authorities have tried to downplay the shooting but evidence shows otherwise.
The government dismisses it as a drug dispute, however Mexican LGBTI organisations have condemned this massacre as a homophobic attack.
GayNZ.com Mass shooting at gay bar in Mexico, "15+ dead"
- blackierobinson
