A crime scene worker covers up one of the bodies of victims of a shooting in Garibaldi Plaza, in Mexico City, Friday Sept. 14, 2018. Mexican authorities say four people have been killed and nine wounded in a shooting at the capital’s emblematic Garibaldi Plaza, a popular spot for tourists. (Stringer/Associated Press) MEXICO CITY — Mexicans heading into the weekend’s Independence Day celebrations were jolted by a brazen shooting by men dressed as mariachi musicians who killed five people and wounded eight in Garibaldi Plaza, an iconic square in the capital where the bands serenade tourists.
The Mexico City prosecutors’ office said at least one foreigner was among those wounded in Friday night’s attack, which local media said was staged by three gunmen. Four people died initially and a fifth died of her wounds at a hospital Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
The news outlet La Silla Rota circulated surveillance video of the alleged assailants wearing traditional embroidered jackets and pants as they fled on motorcycles.
The shooting cast a bloody pall over Independence Day festivities. Many Mexicans will wear mariachi costumes, a symbol of national pride, on Saturday night to commemorate the launch of the revolt against Spanish rule on Sept. 16, 1810. It is also the busiest time of year for Garibaldi Plaza, a beloved but seedy square that draws heavily on Mexican folklore.
Lisa Sanchez, director of Mexicans United Against Delinquency, described the shooting as a “piercing portrait” of Mexico. The shooting in a crowded public square demonstrates that impunity prevails in the country, she said.
The prosecutors’ office said investigators were trying to find those responsible for the attack. Few crimes in Mexico are solved.
On Saturday night, President Enrique Pena Nieto is to shout “Viva Mexico” — or “Long Live Mexico” — shortly before midnight from a balcony of the National […]
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