State officials have announced that after 10 years, The BPM Festival is no longer welcome in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Playa del Carmen’s Mayor of Solidarity Cristina Torres Gómez — a goodwill liaison between tourists and locals — announced that strong regulations will be developed to protect Playa del Carmen’s tourist friendly atmosphere.
Among the regulations, Gómez announced that night activity will be strictly monitored. She also announced an immediate ban on both The BPM Festival and the Arena Festival, scheduled to take place in February.
“We want these types of events to go,” Torres Gómez said in a press conference. “We won’t allow one more.”
Playa del Carmen is typically much less violent than the cartel contested regions in mainland Mexico and is often affectionately referred to as the face of Mexico. The BPM Festival will likely still hold events in Brazil and Portugal, as was recently announced.
Mexican news sources have also confirmed the names of those injured and deceased and revealed new details about the suspected shooter in the Blue Parrot nightclub shooting that took place early Monday morning during the Elrow closing party at The BPM Festival in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.
According to several sources including Quintana Roo’s Attorney General, the victims have been identified as Kirk Wilson of Toronto, Daniel Pessina of Italy, Geovanni Francisco Ruiz Murillo of Mexico, and Rafael Antonio Peñalosa Vega of Mexico. While the former three were declared dead on site, Vega died minutes after being admitted to the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), a state run hospital in Playa Del Carmen.
Alejandra Margarita Villanueva Ibarra of the United States has also been confirmed dead by the Attorney General and by her family in Colorado. Reports confirm Ibarra was crushed to death in the stampede to exit when shots broke out inside the club.
The Quintana Roo Prosecutor’s office has confirmed that the altercation took place at 2:28 am, Monday January 16 when a patron was denied entry to the bar for carrying a gun. Quintana Roo Prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech Cen had previously confirmed that four people of interest were being held in relation to the event, but no charges have been filed. He also firmly ruled out any ties to terrorist activity.
State officials also confirmed that the suspect left behind several items including a t-shirt, a Tuarus .38 revolver, and numerous shell casings from several handguns including: 6 .38 revolver shells, 8 9 millimeter shells, and 6 .380 caliber shells.
The Governor of Quintana Roo, Carlos Joaquin, confirmed details about the shooting and reiterated the importance of cracking down on violence in the region in a dispatch on the state’s website. “We will implement decisive actions to avoid aggressions of any kind in this state that is the window of Mexico and the pride of all Mexicans,” said Gov. Joaquin. “Measures will be taken to maintaine [sic] the order and security in all of our tourist destinations.”
“All crimes are reprehensible,” he added, “but certainly, the most are those that have consequences for innocent people.”
