U.S. High School Student Killed on Class Trip in Costa Rica by Hotel Guard
source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/03/501364/main20068553.shtml
-
-
- EthicalVegan
- added this
June 3, 2011
U.S. student killed on Costa Rica class trip
Hotel guard allegedly mistook Kan. high schooler as a thief sneaking into compound, shot him in chest
McLouth High School senior Justin Johnson is seen in a 2010 class photo over an exterior image of the La Cangreja Lodge hotel. (CBS)
(AP)
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - A 16-year-old U.S. high school student was shot and killed at a Costa Rican hotel by a security guard who mistook him for a thief, authorities said Thursday.
High school senior Justin Johnston of McLouth, Kan., was shot in the chest before dawn Thursday at the La Cangreja Lodge hotel in the city of La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rican police said in a statement.
The security guard, who was identified as a 34-year-old man by the last name of Guevara, has been detained, police said.
Police said the students had been sent to bed at 10 p.m. Wednesday but a group left their rooms and went to another building on the premises. They were returning to their rooms before dawn Thursday through a desolate area when the security guard spotted them and thinking they were thieves opened fire.
Johnston was on a nine-day trip to the Central American nation with a dozen other students in the school's Spanish club, said McLouth School District Superintendent Steve Splichal. No other students were injured, he said. The group was accompanied by two school district sponsors.
"The district's primary concern is for the Johnston family and also for the many students and staff members who are affected by this tragedy," Splichal said in a written statement. He said the district had activated its crisis plan and that counselors would be available for students and staff.
"The safety and security of the students and sponsors is imperative to the school district," he said.
Arrangements for the other Kansas students to return early are being made by EF Education Tours of Cambridge, Mass., which arranged the trip.
Johnston's death was the second time a northeast Kansas student was killed while on an educational trip to Costa Rica, according to the Lawrence Journal-World.
Shannon Lucile Martin was only a few days from graduating from the University of Kansas in May 2001 when she was murdered in Golfito, Costa Rica, while walking to her residence. She had been in Golfito finishing a class project to collect rare fern samples.
-
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2011/06/03/justin_johnson__244x183.jpg
-
- groups:
- Community, Random, Current Tonight, World News, 5 more
-
- tags:
- News
-
-
Varex_Sythe
-
So does Costa Rica has a policy to shoot suspected thieves on sight, or is there more to this story that isn't being properly vented?
- 12 months ago
-
Varex_Sythe
-
-
irie_ojo
-
Varex_Sythe:
yup there is more... i have the local paper.... guard fired warning shot then the kid started to make a run for the hotel. so the guard thought they were trying to invade the hotel so he shot again. it was dark and they were somewhere they should not of been... sucks.
- 12 months ago
-
irie_ojo
-
-
mr_tibbles
-
R.I.P.
- 12 months ago
-
mr_tibbles
-
-
JStation
-
Mistaking someone for a thief is not an excuse for opening fire before asking questions. I hope someone fires on this man sometime and we'll see how understanding he is when someone explains that they mistook him for "a thief" while he's dying from multiple gunshot wounds.
- 12 months ago
-
JStation
-
-
irie_ojo
-
JStation:
this situation sucks... but you have to understand the difference of living in a third world country. there are police, but they dont always help, you are pretty much on your own to defend your property. thieves here are more likely to have guns then in the US. armed home invasions are not uncommon. and guards here have very little training. so when its after hours, and people are sneaking through the bushes you take a couple of shots. i am not saying this incident is right... there should of been a couple of warning shots first. but when there is no other help (police) you try to hit first. a friend down here had a shoot out w/some guys trying to break in his house.... during the gun fight he calls the police for help. they show up....... THE NEXT DAY to see if everything is ok. so you have to understand there are other factors.
- 12 months ago
-
irie_ojo
-
-
chrisntom
-
During the '60s, many high school student were unable to had out of the country for their "senior trip". I graduated in '68...remember the crazytimes? Instead of going OUT OF THE COUNTRY< the school administrators should limit the trips to INSIDE THE STATES ::: go to a state not your own. for Heaven's sake, as a retired teacher, I know there are students who have no idea how vast this country is,or even where their state fits in the history of this country.
- 12 months ago
-
chrisntom
-
-
good_stuff
-
And I bet the school district decided to the spanish club had to spend the extra money to go to costa rica because Mexico was just too dangerous. Ha.
- 12 months ago
-
good_stuff
