Lisa Sambell of Moonbeam, Ont., is sharing her story of being shot in the arm after getting caught up in cartel violence in Mexico last month.
Sambell is an experienced traveller and said Mexico is one of her favourite destinations. She usually goes to Cozumel, but this year, she decided to try Playa del Carmen.
She said on the night of Jan. 2, she went out to a bar and restaurant called Oh La Habana near the highly popular 5th Avenue area to eat and watch a football game with her boyfriend and a friend.
They ordered pizza and beer and played pool and were having a good time. But about an hour into their stay, there was a huge ‘bang.’
“I thought, OK, well, that’s bizarre someone’s got fireworks in the bar,” Sambell said.
When she heard the noise a second time, she quickly realized, “that’s not fireworks, but that those are gunshots.”
A total of 14 rounds were fired into the bar, Sambell said.
“There was a very thick window (in front of the bar) and so by the second one, we all immediately -- everybody in the bar -- (went) down,” she said.
“I was under the pool table for the longest time. I don’t know how I got shot in the arm.”
Sambell was taken to hospital and it took about three hours to remove the bullet from her arm and tend to her leg, which also had been wounded by bullets.
“We found out later the bar owner was not paying his tab and the cartel was trying to send them a message,” she said.
Sambell did not have travel insurance and it cost her around $5,000 to pay for her care. A GoFundMe page has been created to help her cover the costs.
“Obviously, it was just a very unfortunate situation, but just let people know it can happen to you,” she said.
“I’ve been to Mexico so many times. I … still love Mexico. It’s just, you know, I’m just a little more leery now about things.”
Sambell said the healthcare team treated her well, but her experience with the local police was stressful due to the language barrier.
The Government of Canada suggests on its travel webpage that anyone planning on travelling to Mexico should be vigilant, not show signs of affluence and always research destinations thoroughly.
“Mexican authorities have made efforts to protect major tourist destinations, resulting in lower levels of gang-related violence in these areas,” the government said in its travel advice.
“However, incidents of violent crime still occur in major cities, popular tourist areas and resorts. Fighting between criminal gangs and cartels has taken place in restaurants, hotels and nightclubs. And innocent bystanders have been injured or killed.”
Sambell said she’ll return to Mexico, but not to Playa del Carmen. She added that she shares her story not to scare people from going there, but to advise them to take precautions.
Sambell said her boyfriend intends to wear the bullet that was removed from her arm on a necklace.
It’s currently at a Kapuskasing jewelry store getting made.
