Earlier this summer, the WSL set up in Baja California Sur, for the 2017 Los Cabos Open of Surf. It’s one of the organization’s more popular events thanks to a festival-like atmosphere as much as the surf itself at Zippers that makes the area a go-to summer getaway for surfers.
This weekend, though, nearby Playa Palmilla was the site of a gruesome and fatal attack that saw three people killed and at least two more injured by machine gun fire on the resort beach. Authorities say the beach was crowded with both foreign and Mexican tourists when the attack happened, and multiple Facebook live videos have turned up where automatic fire can be heard through the crowd.
While the videos themselves are disturbing, even more graphic photos have been included in other reports showing the dead bodies and standers by in the aftermath of the attack. The identities of the victims, all men, haven’t been reported yet, no arrests have been made, and law enforcement has yet to report a motive behind the attack. Nonetheless, this incident brings a spotlight to the recent rise in violence in Southern Baja, which AP cited analysts say has stayed away from popular tourist areas like San Jose del Cabo this year.
