Two British tourists have been shot dead in Florida, the Foreign Office has confirmed.That's pretty straightforward...except no one seems to know where the bodies are. And I'm not sure what the "Miami Homicide Department" is.
The victims, both men, are believed to be victims of a street robbery that went wrong.
Their relatives have been informed, but the men or where they are from have not been revealed. The shootings took place in Miami, Florida, on Saturday night.
Police sources with the Miami Homicide Department said the men died after what was was thought to be a botched robbery.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We can confirm the death of two British nationals in Florida.
Meanwhile, this from the Miami Herald:
Miami and Miami-Dade police officials deny the reports and say that no tourists or British citizens had been killed in either agency’s district this weekend.Can't wait to see how this one ends.
I do know from past experience that the Brits are notoriously lacking in their knowledge of South Florida geography. They tend to think of all South Florida as "Miami." On the other hand, it's unfathomable that two people could be shot and killed without some word of it finding its way into a news report by now.
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UPDATED @ 5pm
from the Miami Herald: Two British tourists, reported by British media to have been murdered in Miami early Saturday moring, actually died in Sarasota, the British Embassy confirmed Sunday afternoon.
from the Sarasota Herald Tribune:
A 16-year-old teen was arrested this weekend in connection with the shooting deaths of two British men.(Looks like the Daily Mail reporter who quoted the "Miami Homicide Department" has some explaining to do.)
Sarasota Police identified the victims as James M. Cooper, 25, and James Thomas Kouzaris, 24, both of England.
Police were notified by an area resident that a man covered in blood was collapsed on the ground in the 1700 block of Gore/Carver Courts about 3:20 p.m. Saturday.
Officers came to that man and while checking the area discovered another body across the street.
Investigators recovered about 20 shell casings from the scene.
Saturday’s killings mark the second fatal shooting in Newtown this year.
The teen was charged with two counts of murder.
UPDATED @ 7:30pm:
At least one British tabloid (click on screenshot above) is still reporting that the two British men were killed in Miami. Much of the information in the story looks like it was lifted from the original erroneous Daily Mail story. So much for British "journalistic standards" and all that.
Brits sounds like twits! I think questioning and making fun of the geography of the British people is in poor taste given that two people died on your soil. In fact as a friend of James Kozaris i find it insulting you chose to write an article not based on the horrific murders of these two men, but instead poking fun at their nation. Given that most American people i have met think England is in London and we all know the Queen, this really hypocrisy at it finest.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous: My purpose was not to write an article about the deaths of the two men. I probably wouldn't have written anything on this except that the British press was reporting this happened in Miami when in fact it didn't. Right away my BS detector went off. I got more suspicious when the Daily Mail reported that the "Miami Homicide Department" confirmed the deaths. That was obviously fabricated by the Daily Mail reporter. Just like you made up the crap about most Americans thinking all Brits know the queen.
ReplyDelete"I do know from past experience that the Brits are notoriously lacking in their knowledge of South Florida geography"
ReplyDeleteWhat an idiotic statement. Having the traveled the USA extensively
over many years I've always been appalled by the parochialism of it's citizens, so often the town limits being the extent of geographical knowledge. Do not judge British journalism by the standards of tabloids, remember that while Fox news is the appalling source of news nourishment for the masses in the USA the Brits have the ever reliable BBC.
Jon Dean
@ Jon Dean -
ReplyDeleteIf you are a friend of one of the victims, then you have my sympathy.
BUT - because of 'your' parochialism and distinct lack of knowledge of things in Florida south of I4 - you missed the point of the post. Miami (for right or wrong) is presumed to be the only place south of Orlando where serious crime occurs. That was the whole point of the original post (I think).
http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/dead-german-tourist
For the City of Sarasota's sake, it should be noted these were the first homicides this year. (I live very close by to where this occurred).
If you want to take a pot shot at me, feel free.
I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, but it doesn't change perceptions OR realities. Miami was 'guilty as charged' before apparently any facts were gathered. "Round up the usual suspect". And sadly, my city was where it actaully happened.
Oh, and BTW, lots of us 'mericans read and write quite well (among other things). Some of us have even been across the big pond! :-)
One of my favorites: I read a travel story several years ago from a British writer ... who placed Walt Disney World in the suburbs of Miami.
ReplyDelete