After a deadly shooting at the doorstep of their Mexican hotel, a Vernon family is urging vacationers to take caution.
Larry Wulff and his family were staying in Mazatlan when two men were shot in broad daylight in front of their hotel Feb. 22.
“This was more excitement than we were hoping for,” said Wulff, who is now safe at home with his family following their first Mexican vacation.
“My wife and son had just come through the lobby. They hadn’t even sat down in our room when the shots were fired. Fortunately they got through there before any of that happened.”
The area the shooting occurred in is commonly known as the Golden Zone, and it’s a popular tourist spot.
In fact, the Wulff family hand-picked the hotel due to its location, amenities and because it looked like a safe spot.
“It looked safe to us, there were lots of police around,” he said.
But they soon discovered: “Police are around because they are needed.”
The recent shooting takes place a little over one month after a Penticton man was injured when he was caught in the line of fire while on a holiday in Mazatlan.
Wulff encourages vacationers to think twice about where their next destination will be.
“There’s a lot more violence than people think down there,” he said.
“It’s not uncommon, that’s for sure.”
Wulff added that he had felt much safer while staying in a gated community outside of the popular tourist core the week before the shooting.
“If we are going to go anywhere again it will likely be Hawaii.”