High School Student Mistaken as a Thief Shot Dead

High School Student Mistaken as a Thief Shot Dead

Authorities said 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.

High school senior Justin Johnston of McLouth, Kansas 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 was identified as a 34-year-old man by the last name of Guevara and has been detained.

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 returned to their rooms before dawn Thursday through a desolate area when the security guard spotted them and thought they were thieves.

McLouth School District Superintendent Steve Splichal said Johnston was on a nine-day trip to the Central American nation with a dozen other students in the school's Spanish club.

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 the Massachusetts educational tour group that arranged the trip.

Posted by James Fried on Sunday June 05 2011, 11:35 AM EDT. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0