Man shot on Tulum beach outside popular resort by jewelry vendor

A lifeguard was shot outside a popular resort in Tulum, Mexico, on Monday, following a dispute with a man selling jewelry on the beach, Riviera Maya News reports.

The victim, identified by police as Carlos Manuel N., was lifeguarding on the beach outside Grand Bahia Principe Hotel around 10:00 a.m. when he began exchanging words with the vendor.

The suspect, who was allegedly selling alpaca jewelry, then pulled out a gun and shot the lifeguard in the right knee before fleeing the scene on foot.

Manuel N. was rushed to a Playa del Carmen hospital where he received medical treatment. Police have not yet located the armed vendor.

The incident left children "vomiting and suffering from panic attacks," according to the Sun, which spoke with multiple travelers who were staying at the resort at the time of the attack.

Lina Levine, who had just gotten married at Grand Bahia Principe, told the British outlet that her sister was in the reception area when a man came in and said he wanted to leave the hotel after he and his five kids witnessed the shooting.

"His kids had been having panic attacks and throwing up due to the incident and it seemed the staff didn’t quite understand what he was saying," Levine said. "I didn’t see a bigger presence of security and it made our last 24 hours an unnerving time as we have two young children and were with a big group of people who had come for our wedding."

"The hotel seemed to brush it under the carpet and didn’t seem bothered by the incident," she added.

Darren Bundell, 41, was vacationing at the resort with his wife and their five-year-old daughter when they heard shots ring out through the premises. The family has decided not to go outside the complex until they return home on Friday.

"It could easily happen again, it could happen at any time," he told the Sun. "That bullet could have hit a child."