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Gunmen hijack U.S. tour bus, kill American in southern Guatemala
Associated Press | SERGIO DE LEON

Posted on 01/07/2004 7:24:06 PM PST by HAL9000

RETALHULEU, Guatemala (AP) -- Gunmen stopped a bus carrying 13 American tourists in southwestern Guatemala Wednesday, killing one passenger during a robbery, police said.

Five attackers in a pickup intercepted the bus near Colomba, 125 miles southwest of the capital, Guatemala City, as it traveled from the mountain city of Quetzaltenango to the Mexican border.

The men forced the bus off the road and fired their automatic weapons as they climbed aboard, said Jose Boch, a spokesman for police in Retalhuleu, the largest city close to where the attack took place.

Brett Richard, 52, of Rose, Utah, was fatally wounded by a gunshot to the chest, he said. The Guatemalan driver, whose name was not released, was hit in the right ankle. There were no other reports of injury.

The assailants robbed everyone onboard the bus before speeding away, Boch said.

Police rushed Richard by ambulance to a Retalhuleu hospital but he died en route, Boch said.

The remaining tourists, all Mormons from Utah, were taken to a Mormon center in Retalhuleu, Boch said. Hometowns of the other tourists weren't immediately available.



TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: Utah
KEYWORDS: guatemala; mormons; tourism

1 posted on 01/07/2004 7:24:07 PM PST by HAL9000
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To: HAL9000
Just heard it on channel 5 SLC. Prayers for all on the bus.
2 posted on 01/07/2004 7:26:24 PM PST by Lokibob
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To: HAL9000
Soon, they can get a blue card, and do the jobs that US citizens will not do, here in the USA!
3 posted on 01/07/2004 7:26:58 PM PST by sarasmom (Punish France. Ignore Germany. Forgive Russia.)
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To: All
Rank Location Receipts Donors/Avg Freepers/Avg Monthlies
33 Utah 180.00
5
36.00
86
2.09
60.00
3

Thanks for donating to Free Republic!

Move your locale up the leaderboard!

4 posted on 01/07/2004 7:27:14 PM PST by Support Free Republic (Hi Mom! Hi Dad!)
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To: HAL9000
MORONI.....Where were you?
5 posted on 01/07/2004 7:34:04 PM PST by rovenstinez (Wh)
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To: sarasmom
Soon, they can get a blue card, and do the jobs that US citizens will not do, here in the USA!

BTTT

6 posted on 01/07/2004 7:36:07 PM PST by dagnabbit (Tell Bush not to abolish the USA - Vote for or write in someone else in your GOP primary)
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To: sarasmom
Soon, they can get a blue card, and do the jobs that US citizens will not do, here in the USA!

First they have to get past Mexico's southern border;
I understand it is guarded a bit better than our southern border....

7 posted on 01/07/2004 8:58:59 PM PST by TeleStraightShooter
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To: TeleStraightShooter
True, but in Mexico, corruption is endemic.
It is their current primary export, after all.
And they have all that oil, IS the cause of all war, I have heard.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm
8 posted on 01/07/2004 9:06:55 PM PST by sarasmom (Punish France. Ignore Germany. Forgive Russia.)
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To: HAL9000
This has been going on for years in Central America and a lot of female tourists get raped during these bus robberies.
9 posted on 01/07/2004 9:21:51 PM PST by jordan8
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