Two shot dead whilst on holiday

Police found the bodies of James Cooper and James Kouzaris in Sarasota, south-western coast, in the early hours of Saturday morning. The friends were discovered by officers who were called in by neighbour after reporting they heard what sounded like machine gun fire.

One man was found lying on the ground covered in blood, whilst the second victim was discovered moments later, lying 50ft away on the other side of the road.

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with the two counts of murder. Prosecutors have been given 21 days to decide whether to try the suspect as a juvenile or an adult. If convicted as an adult, he will qualify for the death penalty.

The area where they were found is known to be largely residential and not frequented by police. “We are still investigating why they would have been in this area,” a police captain said. “It is very unusual to find tourists or visitors in this area. It is a residential neighborhood with no shops and no bars. We do not know what brought them here at 3am.”