TUI household caught in ‘gunfight’ at luxurious vacation resort as ‘everybody was operating’
Colin Nulty and his family spent 8,000 on a luxury holiday to Mexico but their dream getaway quickly turned into a nightmare as gunfire erupted at the high-end hotel
Gunshots rang out at a luxury poolside resort, forcing holidaymakers to flee for their lives and barricade themselves in their rooms for protection.
Colin Nulty and his family had shelled out £8,000 for a lavish Mexican holiday – expecting a peaceful break lounging by the pool with cocktails in hand. But their idyllic getaway rapidly descended into a terrifying nightmare when gunfire broke out at the upmarket hotel, forcing them to dive for cover.
As pandemonium unfolded, Colin and his wife cowered beneath a sun lounger, while their petrified 14-year-old daughter barricaded herself inside her room for safety. Having jetted off to the Riu Palace Costa Mujeres through Tui in April, Colin from Bolton had noticed dodgy individuals lurking around the resort, some trying to flog illegal drugs and vapes.
Following some peaceful poolside downtime, the calm was suddenly shattered as gunshots echoed just metres from where Colin and his partner were positioned. Amid the mayhem, Colin desperately messaged his daughter – instructing her to stay put in the room and lock the door.
Describing the terrifying incident, Colin said: “We were sunbathing by the side of the pool and positioned right next to the Tequila Bar, near to where they serve the drinks, as that was our usual spot.
“Our daughter had just left us to go upstairs. My wife and I decided to go for a cigarette at our usual spot down the ramp to the beach. Gunfire erupted and my wife and I instinctively ran back to our sun lounger and hid behind while crouching on the floor.
“My wife was crying, and people were running everywhere trying to hide behind something. I messaged my daughter whilst hiding, telling her to stay in the room, stay quiet, and lock the door as there is a shooting going on.
“I have advanced trauma care skills. I assessed the scene and told my wife I was going to see who had been shot and if I could help them. No shots had been heard for a while, so I deemed this a suitable risk if it saved a life.
“I approached the bar, scanning for gunmen, and I could see the man on the floor was displaying what we term in the services as injuries incompatible with life. He was already past help.”
Colin added: “It is at this moment that a man with a gun came out of the male toilet door, and he was very agitated but in control and scanning for threats. In hindsight, he seemed trained and held his weapon in a controlled manner. He shouted at me to go away and also shouted at a group of American teenagers who were filming the events unfolding on their mobiles.
“I realised this was very much still an active situation and ran back to my wife and moved her from behind the sunbed to down the embankment, which provided more protection. We stayed down until one of the pool workers told everyone to leave the pool and clear the area.
“We decided to go to our room ASAP, and to do this, we had to pass within eye line of the dead man, and my wife was shocked and horrified at what she saw. When we returned to our room, our daughter was terrified, and she thought someone was attacking tourists. She was visibly shaking, and it took a lot of reassurance to convince her that everything was ok and she was safe.”
Following the incident, the family were desperate to flee the hotel. TUI provided them with three alternative lodgings to select from that very evening, whilst they awaited their transfer the following morning.
Colin said the family “didn’t even feel safe enough to leave the room for a meal”, so they ordered a pizza to their room. Terror struck again when en route to the next hotel, the Princess Hotel.
While at the shop on the journey to the accommodation a shop assistant showed him a breaking news alert on her phone, reporting a “large-scale shootout at the gate to the Princess Hotel after a kidnapping attempt”.
Colin immediately instructed the driver to return them to the original hotel to speak with a TUI representative, and they reluctantly remained there. However, they flew back home the following day due to the distressing incidents.
Looking back on the “terrifying” experience, Colin revealed: “It was horrific and terrifying without a doubt. The fear of thinking you are in the middle of a terrorist attack of some kind is scary indeed. We were unaware until some time after the incident that it was an undercover police operation gone wrong, so, of course, we thought it was terror-related.”
The supposed dream break has left Colin’s wife struggling with PTSD and has severely impacted their “day-to-day life”. “My wife has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with Severe Emotional Dissociation. She is on the waiting list to receive treatment and counselling,” Colin revealed.
A spokesperson for Riu Hotels and Resorts clarified that the gunfire formed part of an “operation carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office targeting a group of drug dealers in the area”.
“The individuals involved in the incident were armed when they entered our facilities,” a statement confirmed.
Despite Colin’s demand for a complete holiday refund, TUI has merely reimbursed him for eight days of the break totalling £3,873.57, and provided a £1,000 TUI voucher as compensation following another incident.
Colin disclosed: “We were refunded exactly eight days of the holiday, their reasoning being we had a nice time up until the shooting incident.
“Initially, TUI was responsive to emails and I had many phone conversations with a handler. However, I have never received anything in writing from them acknowledging the incident, or anything saying they are refunding or compensating.
“They have since refused to answer any of my correspondence or comment on this case with any other companies or media offices that have contacted them.”
Feeling he’s been “left with no choice”, Colin has sought advice from ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, and is preparing to take his case to the small claims court.
He added: “I only ever asked for a full refund of the holiday, but TUI’s refusal has left me no choice other than to go through ABTA and then small claims court. They have made it so hard for us and they do this intentionally hoping I will just stop, but I won’t.”
TUI was approached for comment.
