Eleven people, including an American teen, died Friday in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, after a disgruntled patron burned down a bar with a firebomb, according to authorities.
The city’s mayor, Santos Gonzales, confirmed the 11 deaths at the Beach House Bar. Of the 11 killed, four were women, including a U.S. citizen, who was likely a dual Mexican/American national, according to Sonora state Attorney General Gustavo Romulo Salas.
The alleged suspect, identified by officials as 28-year-old Jose Luis, had apparently been kicked out of the bar earlier in the night for allegedly harassing women, NBC News reported. Luis, described by prosecutors as “young, male and highly intoxicated at the time of the attack,” is in custody and being questioned by authorities, Salas said Sunday.
At approximately 1:33 a.m. the suspect “threw an object with fire at the doors of the establishment” with “what appeared to be a kind of ‘Molotov‘ bomb,” Sonora’s Justice Department said in a statement. In addition to the 11 dead, at least six have been injured, according to the statement. (RELATED: Four Mexican Nationals Arrested In Connection With Mass Casualty Migrant Smuggling Incident That Left 53 Dead)
❗CONTAINS BURNING SCENE⚠️
(Mexico) – Watch The Moment Of Deadly Arson Attack In Mexico11 people were killed after a drunk Youth lit up a molotov cocktail after he was thrown out of bar.#shuttletvnews pic.twitter.com/R6ScLihkhS
— ShuttleTV (@shuttletvnews) July 23, 2023
At least three of the injured victims have been transferred to U.S. hospitals, according to CNN.
Luis is being charged with attempted manslaughter and aggravated arson damage, said the Sonora Justice Department.