A heart-stopping video has surfaced, capturing the dramatic efforts of tourists striving to save a Russian man’s life after he was shot by a disturbed gunman at the famed Teotihuacán ruins in Mexico. This unsettling incident unfolded atop one of the ancient pyramids, leaving witnesses and rescuers in a state of shock and urgency.
The footage reveals a woman tending to the injured tourist, identified as 42-year-old Maikol Michelle Mitrocil. As he lay on the ground near the Pyramid of the Moon, she offered him water in an attempt to provide some comfort amidst the chaos.
Graphic images from the scene show the victim’s lower left leg drenched in blood, painting a grim picture of the severity of his injuries. Meanwhile, bystanders rallied around, doing their best to offer assistance and hope.
In a desperate bid to keep Mitrocil conscious, some bystanders gently touched his face, urging him to respond. Among the frantic voices, a woman’s plea stood out, calling out his name with fervor, “Miguel, come on, come on,” she urged.
Her voice, filled with desperation, echoed in Spanish, “Miguel, in the name of God, please don’t die.” Her words encapsulated the urgency and fear that gripped those present, as they attempted to save a life in the shadow of Mexico’s ancient wonders.
“Miguel in the name of God,” she said in Spanish. “Please don’t die.”
In the background, someone can be heard shouting in English: “We need an ambulance.”
Several other stunned tourists could be seen sitting on the ground, comforting and hugging each other.
The shooter, who was identified as Julio César Jasso, 27, a native of the south-central Mexico state of Morelos, traveled from the Pacific coast state of Guerrero and arrived in Teotihuacán on April 8. He was staying at the Villa Meztli Hotel, where he reportedly plotted the assault, authorities said.
Jasso was seen on a separate video calmly pacing halfway up the 2,000-year-old pyramid, which was once used for ritual human sacrifice, before he placed a backpack on the ground around 11:30 a.m. and opened fire.
Jasso killed a Canadian tourist and wounded 13 other people, including 6-year-old Gerónimo González and his mother Dayana Castro, 37, who were visiting from Colombia.
Tourists attempted to seek cover from the gunshots by running down the uneven steps of the archeological site and leaping off them.
Jasso died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the scene, where security guards of the ancient grounds recovered a gun, knife and ammunition.
Jasso also had handwritten notes that reportedly reference the 1998 Columbine High School massacre, authorities said.
