Detectives in Florida were today investigating what led two British holidaymakers from a night out in the centre of Sarasota to the deprived, crime-ridden district where they were shot dead.
The bullet-ridden bodies of James Cooper (25), and James Kouzaris (24), were discovered on a street in the city’s run-down district of Newtown at about 3am on Saturday.
Detectives from Sarasota Police Department said it was “very unusual” to find tourists in the neighbourhood - a housing project about 12 miles away from the upmarket island city of Longboat Key where the university friends were staying.
Shawn Tyson, a 16-year-old juvenile who lives close to the murder scene, is being held by police on suspicion of two counts of murder.
The teenager was previously arrested on April 7th for aggravated assault with a handgun, reportedly for firing into a car, police said.
Mr Kouzaris, from Northampton, was on a three-week holiday in Florida with Mr Cooper and his family, from Warwick.
The pair had been on a night out visiting bars in downtown Sarasota on the Friday evening, before being found dead hours later in a narrow one-way street 20 blocks away.
Captain Paul Sutton said detectives were “examining all theories” and “keeping an open mind” as to how and why the friends came to be in the “no-go” area.
He said the Britons may have befriended someone who gave them a lift, could have got a cab detectives have not yet traced, or may have walked.
“Anything you could imagine is a possibility,” he said.
Sarasota police chief Mikel Hollaway said detectives had their “suspicions [about what they were doing there] but at this time it would be unfair to state those”.
He said he believed the victims were there of their own volition.
Capt Sutton said there was no known link between the suspect and the victims.
“It is very unusual to find tourists or visitors in this area. It is a residential neighbourhood with no shops and no bars. We do not know what brought them here at 3am,” he said.
Asked whether there could be more arrests in the case, Capt Sutton said: “We’re looking at the possibility. More than one person ran when the shots were fired.
“Are other people involved or is it people who just happened to be there?”
Police confirmed the two Britons were not carrying any drugs but would not say whether they had any weapons or an unusually large amount of money.
Early reports that the men had been murdered with a machine gun were also quashed by Capt Sutton, but it is believed they were each shot a number of times.
Residents in the Newtown area speculated that the men could have been lured into an ambush by a gang of masked gunmen.
Sonja Seymour (31), who lives on the street where the mens’ bodies were found, said in reports: “I heard that when they arrived here there were already some people waiting for them. They were wearing masks.
“The men ran away and they were shot. I saw one of them lying in the street on his back with his arms outstretched.
“The other man was across the road lying on his back. They were not moving.
“The ambulance arrived and tried to work on the two men but they couldn’t do anything.”
Mr Cooper had spent Thursday night with American friend Gina Cross. The pair had kept in constant touch since meeting two years ago.
Ms Cross, from Sarasota, told the Daily Mail: "I don't know how they ended up where they were found.
“It’s a very bad neighbourhood - somewhere where I would not even drive.”
Capt Sutton said Mr Tyson had not yet been charged, but should be within 21 days.
He added that the teenager would be charged as an adult, which means he could face the death penalty if convicted.
Mr Kouzaris, a popular and successful amateur rugby player, spent several months travelling in South America before his death, visiting Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia.
In a message on his Facebook page, he spoke of looking forward to returning to Britain on March 27, writing: “Back to normality soon.”
Mr Cooper, who worked as a tennis coach, replied: “U have got to be kiddin, ur back a week and then we go off to america.”
Mr Kouzaris’s parents described him as a “wonderful son” in a brief statement released through Northamptonshire Police.
They said: “We loved him so much and we can’t believe he has gone. We are absolutely devastated and in a state of complete shock.”
His sister Emily added in an emotional message on Facebook: “My brother was a legend and he will be missed and loved by many many people.”
PA