The stampede was the result of a tear gas canister being detonated during a brawl among a group of students from different schools celebrating their proms.

[4][5] Pro-government groups known as colectivos have also been known to attack the opposition, once tear-gassing the Vatican envoy in 2009 after President Hugo Chávez accused the Roman Catholic Church of interfering with his government.

[6] News articles have reported that several of the devices and weapons are obtained by civilians through theft and by police or military corruption and that such items are used frequently by criminals.

In February 2018, tear gas was released in Caracas Metro stations on three occasions that authorities labeled as "acts of sabotage" to generate anxiety.

A canister was dispersed in Plaza Venezuela, a transfer station for the system's main lines,[7] and another was used in Petare several days later, a poor area in east Caracas.

[3][9] About 500 students gathered on the night of Friday 15 June 2018 in Los Cotorros Club at a "pre-graduation" event called The Legacy.

[11] As a result of shortages in Venezuela, family members stated that there were no medical supplies at area hospitals to treat victims of the stampede.