World

U.S. Teen Killed by Security Guard in Costa Rica While on School Trip

U.S. Teen Killed by Security Guard in Costa Rica While on School Trip

Student Justin Johnson.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (The Blaze/AP) — 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, authorities said Thursday.

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, who was identified as a 34-year-old man by the last name of Guevara, has been detained, police said.

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 were returning to their rooms before dawn Thursday through a desolate area when the security guard spotted them and thinking they were thieves opened fire.

Johnston was on a nine-day trip to the Central American nation with a dozen other students in the school’s Spanish club, said McLouth School District Superintendent Steve Splichal. No other students were injured, he said. The group was accompanied by two school district sponsors.

The Tico Times reports the guard could face charges because his weapon was unregistered:

Police reported that the guard’s weapon, a .22-caliber pistol, was not registered. Firearms are regulated by the Ministry of Public Security. Possession of unregistered firearms can result in criminal charges and jail time.

“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.

Johnston’s death was the second time a northeast Kansas student was killed while on an educational trip to Costa Rica, according to the Lawrence Journal-World.

Shannon Lucile Martin was only a few days from graduating from the University of Kansas in May 2001 when she was murdered in Golfito, Costa Rica, while walking to her residence. She had been in Golfito finishing a class project to collect rare fern samples.

___

Associated Press writer Maria Fisher contributed to this report from Kansas City

___

Information from: Lawrence Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com

Comments (138)

1 2 3
  • mrfitman
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:08am

    Is that Bush’s fault, too? Why would ANYONE want to go toa 3rd world location?? SO MUCH majesty HERE in the STILL, US!! Unless the school wants to teach where we are going with Socialist inpower?

    Report Post »  
  • momsense
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:08am

    Why go to costa Rica? Nothing here? God forbid that they learn any thing about their own country’s history!

    Report Post »  
    • stogieguy7
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 10:55am

      Well, Mom, it WAS a Spanish club. And we don’t have monkeys and macaws here.

      Get out a little bit, please.

      Report Post » stogieguy7  
  • ronmorgen
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:03am

    I live in Costa Rica.

    “Could the real reason have to do with the child being American.” Probably not in Costa Rica. More likely the problem is an untrained security guard, (who makes $2.00 an hour), not challenging verbally before firing..

    Report Post » ronmorgen  
    • stogieguy7
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 10:46am

      Thank you. My point exactly. I’ve spent enough time there to see the good, bad and ugly. Many on this board are totally mischaracterizing the country. While it‘s not without it’s problems, it’s also not Mexico or Venezuela. In general, you are safe there.

      But bad things happen everywhere. And, by all accounts, this was a tragic accident. Lets not forget about the fact that your kids aren’t truly safe running around on their own in the USA either. Ironically, some of the posters here probably live in Arizona or Florida – states that have higher homicide rates than Costa Rica does.

      Report Post » stogieguy7  
  • SamIamTwo
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:53am

    Who in the heck would send their child there? Stay home and have a filed trip to the local pond. Not since 2002 would I go south of the border…when asked the BP agent told me the best thing to do was to send in the marines for the boarder…that was 2003…yeah send in the marines meaning it’s a war.

    The schools decision process should be investigated on this one.

    I’ve been telling people since that time not to go to EGYPT, SPAIN…UK was Ok till they allowed Sharia law. Stay in the states and put up with the pat downs or get screened…it’s not as bad as being shot at or having to go to their jail for some minor incident. Americans are not liked in many nations. And I could care less if they like me or not…I just want to stay safe and have my family safe…

    Too bad it happened, sorry that it happened but, the guard was doing his duty and they were told to stay put…tourists need to listen and obey…I did when I went to Israel. And the guides in Israel have heavy weapons in their backpacks…all of them are X-Israeli army trained and it takes TWO years to be a certified tour guide in Israel…I’d definetly go back to Israel…they know what they are doing there.

    Report Post » SamIamTwo  
    • devilhasforktongue
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:45am

      You people are IDIOTS!!! Now the school should be under investigation for sending a class to Costa Rica? I find it funny how folks talk about these 3rd world countries and the United States has been acting like a 3rd world country for years and that’s way before Obama was in office. You have drug problems in the US and people get shot all the time. But since a white kid got killed the world must stop and mourn for this kid who didn’t listen. But if this would have been any other nationality the blogs would have all read, maybe he should have listened and how he must have stepped out for some drugs…

      Report Post »  
  • PaBowHunter
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:46am

    I feel very sad for him and his family. That being said, why do people want to go on vacation in a country such as Costa Rica? Honestly, anywhere outside of America and Canada? Why?

    Report Post »  
    • shamwow
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 12:20pm

      @PaBowHunter

      Why?? Because there is actually a Culture!! Places that you wouldnt even dream of, the us is just a simple rock! Dry!

      Report Post »  
  • drdad
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:46am

    I live about 10 miles from McLouth. Our local paper had more details:

    “During the night the boys left the rooms they were checked in to and when they returned, apparently, so as not to attract the attention of security guards, they came close to a barbed-wire fence belonging to an adjoining property, but a dog startled them when it began to bark,” according to the report.

    Police stated that the guard shot into the air, which frightened the boys even more, sending them running toward the hotel. The guard, according to the report, was frightened thinking he was being attacked. He shot, fatally wounding the 16-year-old student.

    I think this demonstrates how much we in the US do not understand just how exceptional our nation is and just how unsafe it can be in other parts of the world. This decent boy made a tragically poor choice in the wrong place. Please keep his family and our community in your prayers.

    Report Post »  
  • nostromo
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:36am

    I have traveled both in Mexico and the Dominican Republic and will say unequivocally that no parent should allow their child to travel outside gated all inclusive resorts alone. I speak Spanish and it is dicey enough for me in the DR at night in Santo Domingo and in some areas in the daylight. I know my language skills saved me in Boca Chica one afternoon when I told a group of young toughs I was visiting a Dominican friend. The fact that I knew someone in the DR took the edge off them. It is a different culture where offense can be taken very easily and machismo still reigns. Shooting first is the way it is down there and a simple mistake or prank can cost you your life. Kids have to be told these things over and over again.

    Report Post »  
  • proliance
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:31am

    I am stunned some people are blaming a child for his own murder. Just because he wanted to visit a friend in another building.

    My son wanted to go on a 9-day Costa Rica trip this summer that was sponsored by his school’s Spanish club, just like this kid. We put it off for a year because we didn’t have the money. I guess I‘ll have to tell him he probably won’t be going now.

    Report Post » proliance  
  • thejackal
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:24am

    Sending your children to third world vacation spots is beyond stupid. I can’t fathom sending my kids to anywhere outside the US right now other than perhaps Canada. Thoughts and prayers to the fam.

    Report Post » thejackal  
  • Sherri
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:14am

    This is why security guards in the USA can not carry guns! It upsets me that people have actually posted their opinions, blaming the sixteen year old student…shame on you.

    Report Post »  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:24am

      It’s not just the security guards fault. The kid should have stayed in his room where he belonged. The boy made a choice to leave. The security guard made a choice to shoot. San Jose is not a nice city. Both are to blame. There is no innocent victim here. We don’t know if the kid was on drugs or what made the security guard suspicious of the kid. People don’t usually just shoot unless they feel threatened. Both are to blame.

      Report Post »  
    • devilhasforktongue
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:40am

      Yes, security guards in the U.S do carry weapons as well.

      Report Post »  
    • stogieguy7
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 10:40am

      It is the guard’s fault for shooting first and asking questions later. My experience down there is that too many of these guards are poorly trained and amateurish. Normally that results in them watching as your car is burglarized. In this case, Barney Fife fudged his pants and started shooting without knowing what the heck was going on. It is shocking to me, though, that the only charge is the unregistered gun. Perhaps they don’t want to encourage criminals by tying the hands of guards.

      Report Post » stogieguy7  
  • wethepeoplepress
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:08am

    Anyone excusing the cowardly security officer for shooting a child is a moron. Even in Costa Rica you dont shoot at thiefs inside a hotel and ask quetions later. Costa Rica is a slum, my friend was surfing there and ended up dead on the side of the road dumped next to some garbage. Third world countries are no place for our youth.

    It just amazes me to hear how people support police brutality here in the states. There are far to many idiots who want to side or make excuses for the cowardly officers or security gaurds who wrongly pull trigger. Thats right, your a coward if you kill a man or child in cold blood, accident or not. Officers are trained and paid well so they dont make these mistake. Unless a kid is holding a fake gun police are wrong to shoot.

    Report Post » wethepeoplepress  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:20am

      How do we know that the kids weren’t acting weird and threatening the security guard? We don’t know enough about this case to make any judgements. Why isn’t the kid equally responsible, as he left his room and was out from ten until dawn? Costa Rica has severe drug problems and we don’t know if the hotel has been having problems. To me the blame lies with the security guard and the kid. The kid is not an innocent victim.

      Report Post »  
    • love the kids
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:38am

      You sais support “Police Brutality”, this guy was a security guard.

      Report Post »  
    • stogieguy7
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 10:37am

      Costa Rica isn’t that bad. But people who get mixed up in drugs can easily end up dead. For the rest of us, the main worry there is usually having something swiped from your car or hotel room.

      And the crime rate there is still lower than that of Miami-Dade. Yes they have issues with drugs, but so does Vermont. It is amusing though to see how uninformed people seem to make the wildest comments featuring the most sweeping generalizations.

      Report Post » stogieguy7  
  • ecurbyy
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:51am

    Coming soon to America.

    Report Post » ecurbyy  
  • Marylou7
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:49am

    That is so sad. Cannot imagine the pain of losing a child, may God be with the family.

    Report Post » Marylou7  
  • SnowWolf
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:48am

    Having spent a lot of time overseas I can tell you…it ain’t like here…they don’t play around over there

    Report Post » SnowWolf  
  • shadowcircus
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:44am

    yeah – i ALWAYS shoot first just incase…just sayin…

    prayers for the suffering family… these kids were just being kids…horrible

    Report Post » shadowcircus  
  • flsnipe
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:42am

    He should have stayed in his room like he was told and this never would have happened.

    Report Post » flsnipe  
    • SnowWolf
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:49am

      yep

      Report Post » SnowWolf  
    • Romanticpoet
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:01am

      1. Told to stay in his room.
      2. Where were the Chaperones?
      3. Underage children should have chaperones “on watch” in hallways. Yes, 16 years of age is STILL underage.
      4. Security guard with unregistered gun. **Crossing off Costa Rica as a place to visit**

      Report Post »  
    • love the kids
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:49am

      Where were the chaperones? I’m sure there were chaperones around, but they aren’t watching 100% of the time. I am VERY SORRY for the familes loss, and I can’t even imagine it, but were this childs parents there as a chaperopne?
      In our kids school, it is always the same parents that volunteer as chaperones on the field trips, and guess which kids are the problem? The one who’s parents NEVER volunteer to be a chaperone in the first place. The real problem here is that the kids don‘t just misbehave on that field trip because Mom or Dad aren’t there, it is the whole upbringing in the first place. From the 5 years before when the parents never are there on the field trips, that same thing happens at home, the kids are not watched all the time. I have been a chaperone on 6 of my kids trips, with my wife probably doing it over 15 times, and from my experience, kids that I have had to watch who’s parents are chaperones on some trips, but could not go on this trip are not the kids I have to watch, it‘s the ones who’s parents are never there.

      Report Post »  
  • love the kids
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:36am

    Who the heck is arrainging field trips to another country for 16 year old high school students? There is NO WAY I would let my child go on one of those trips. If you want them to learn spanish, take them to Miami for a week, then again, you are probably even less safe there.

    Report Post »  
  • iWitness
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:36am

    If I sent my kid to Costa Rica on a school field trip, I would expect him to return dead.

    Report Post »  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 3:02pm

      If I sent my kid to Costa Rico, I’d expect him to follow the rules and stay in his room when he was supposed to be there.

      Report Post »  
  • dmforman
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:34am

    This is sad, but the boy and his friends made a choice to not stay in their beds where they were supposed to be and would have been safe. What were they doing from 10pm until just before dawn? Nothing good happens during those hours. I can see parents now trying to sue the school, hotel, and security guard for the boy’s poor choices. I went on two trips like this in high school and knew better not to leave my room or the room of fellow students when it was bed time. There are too many dangers lurking that we do not worry about.

    Report Post »  
    • ron.brown
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:03am

      How about blaming the Security officer for this instead of the victim? He broke the rules too…if he hadn’t the young man would still be alive. The security officer is to blame for this. Not the kid from McClouth, KS.

      Report Post »  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:10am

      We do not know the entire story. Where these kids acting erratically? Has the hotel had trouble with teens? San Jose is not a nice city, and we don’t have all of the facts. This story is done to make us feel bad for the teen and his family, however as I tell my son, life is about choices and if the boy would have listened to curfew and stayed in his room, than he’d be alive.

      Report Post »  
    • proliance
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:34am

      DFORMAN, I hope you don’t own a gun. You sound like a person who would enjoy shooting at kids for walking on your grass or playing music too loud.

      Report Post » proliance  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:59am

      My point is that the boy who left the room was wrong and so was the security guard. it’s a shame that he died, but the boy made a choice and every choice has consequences. We don’t know the entire story and given the news outlet that it came from, I am left to believe that there is more to this story than we know.

      Report Post »  
    • proliance
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:17am

      DMFORMAN, we understand your point, you’ve made it clear.

      Kids who break curfew should be shot and killed. No mercy. After all, its their fault and the punishment obviously fits the crime. No sense in coddling the little felons.

      By any chance do you have a secret torture room in your basement? I’m just asking, you seem like the type.

      Report Post » proliance  
    • devilhasforktongue
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:39am

      Just like a typical hypocrite. Blame the security guard for thinking someone was stealing. But if the security guard would have shot someone trying to hurt the kids everyone would be in his corner even if the gun was unregistered. He should have stayed in his room like he was told.

      Report Post »  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 3:00pm

      Look the kid is not innocent. He made the choice to leave his hotel room. This video does not contain all of the facts of the story. It is by MSNBC and only tells you what they want you to know. They want you to feel sorry for the kid and gloss over the fact that he left the hotel. What the heck was he doing in San Jose at those hours????? I am sorry, but the boy deserves some of the blame. San Jose is not a nice city. I suspect the security guard was startled and afraid and from the other reports that I have heard this seems to be what happened. The security guard didn’t simply see a teen and decide to shoot at him. There is more to the story.

      Report Post »  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 5:23pm

      What the hell does it matter what they were doing? They broke a school rule, not a law or even a hotel rule. I’ve been in a lot of hotels in a lot of different countries, and what time you come in and go out is nobody’s business but your own. I’ve also been a security guard, and I know that you’re not supposed to shoot on sight somebody you think might be doing something wrong. If you’re not a cop there are serious consequences for shooting an innocent person.

      Report Post »  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 4, 2011 at 8:27am

      My husband goes to San Jose for research frequently. It’s not a nice city. Many buildings with barb wire. Not a place to be out at night. The boy made a choice not to follow the rules. A teenager isn’t doing anything moral and probably legal at 4 in the morning. Call me cold hearted, but life is about choices. He made the choice to leave his room and Costa Rica isn’t a place to be at night, especially in San Jose. I don’t feel bad for him. He bears much of the responsibility for his situation and demise. I feel bad for his parents, but if one did this in San Jose, I am sure that he has done this at home. Rules are for a reason and when you don’t follow them there are consequences.

      Report Post »  
  • benrush
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:30am

    What is up with these trigger happy people?

    Report Post »  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:38am

      What is up with the kids not following the rules and leaving their rooms from 10pm until dawn? What were they doing? Where they doing drugs? Costa Rica does have a drug problem on the Atlantic side of the country.

      Report Post »  
    • ron.brown
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:00am

      Wow…DMFORMAN…you are really an idiot.

      Report Post »  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:08am

      I went on two trips like this when I was teenager. There are rules. We were to stay in our rooms after a certain time. He left his room and went gallivanting around a city and hotel that he knows nothing about. My husband goes to Costa Rica frequently for his job and says that San Jose is not a nice city. I am not blaming the victim. This child and the others with him left their rooms after curfew. They made that choice. We do not know if the hotel has been having problems with teenage children. The boy is a victim of the bad choices that he made and that of the security guard. When Americans travel overseas, we must remember that most countries do not have the same laws that we do. Most countries do not give people the freedoms that we have.

      Report Post »  
  • matinva
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:28am

    “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 were returning to their rooms before dawn Thursday through a desolate area when the security guard spotted them and thinking they were thieves opened fire.”

    While this is terribly sad for the family, traveling students are given specific rules to follow. When they don’t follow them, particularly in foreign countries where life is very different, tragic things happen.

    If you have a burning desire to teach your students Spanish within the culture, take them to McDonalds. Preferably, one in the USA!

    Report Post » matinva  
    • robbiehawk
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:26am

      I think it is very hard for young american students to fully grasp what other countries are like. I also don’t understand why high schools take trips to foreign countries – especially countries like costa rica. I would have to be the mean parent and make my kids skip this type of trip. There is plenty of time for travel when you grow up and are aware of what type of place you are going to.

      Report Post »  
    • shamwow
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 12:14pm

      @matinva

      NO! they dont need to go to mcdonalds racist B##, they can go any country they feel it can help them with their education. What they need to do is act like humans! not like animals chasing cows!! What century are on?? I think chasing cows was over long time ago! These “1st world” “americans” kids act like they are bushmen!!! Teach them morals at HOME before they step out of the house! Even in the US they can get hurt!

      Report Post »  
  • Hiswill
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:26am

    What a tragic end to this young persons life. Prayers to the family and friends.

    Report Post » Hiswill  
  • NOBALONEY
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:23am

    Security guard with an unregistered .22. Take Costa Rica off your travel list.

    Report Post » NOBALONEY  
    • dmforman
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:37am

      Costa Rica is battling a very huge and often unpublic drug “war”. They have serious problems. I understand why the officer was armed.

      The real question is what were the kids doing out of their beds from 10pm until just before dawn? Why isn’t that being questioned? This child and the others didn’t do what they were told. Tragedy happens often when teens think that they are above the rules and do not have to listen.

      Report Post »  
    • ron.brown
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:58am

      @ DMFOREMAN….that’s it, blame the victim!

      Report Post »  
    • devilhasforktongue
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:36am

      @ DMFORMAN thank you very much because you are the only one up here making sense. Lady falls out the window wrestling with her friend and everyone has their ideas on why it happened and that she had no reason wrestling in a hotel room. Well this kid had no reason leaving the hotel after 10 so, I guess that’s why he should have stayed his behind in the room. I feel no pity for him….

      Report Post »  
    • MrObvious
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:50pm

      @devilhasforktongue
      The teenage kids were probably trying to have some normal fun.
      The had no way of knowing what that would lead too.
      It would seem that the “war on drugs” has claimed another life, albeit indirectly.
      The problems they are having in that country are, largely, our fault.
      That boy’s death is as much on the hands of the US, and our endless drug war, as it is Costa Rica and the hotel guard.
      Can’t really put this off on kids sneaking out late, per say. That’s what teenage kids do on school trips.
      It’s the responsibility of adults to keep the kids safe. If they kids needed to be kept in there rooms, someone should have been posted at there door all night to make sure. If that was not possible, the trip shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

      Report Post »  
  • LadyIzShy
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:22am

    so you see a group of teens and ASSUME they are stealing??? then you SHOOT and kill them? who made him judge and jury? really why do we keep allowing our children to go to these third workd countries?

    Report Post » LadyIzShy  
    • Petrol
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:10am

      AND the Only reason the guard “could” face charges because his weapon was unregistered…

      WTF, Over?

      Report Post » Petrol  
    • Tusker
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:04am

      It’s Costa Rica. They do things differently there. Sounds like these kids were sneaking around and doing things they shouldn’t have been doing. They were sent to bed at 10 pm and they should have stayed in their rooms instead of sneaking back in before dawn. I’m sorry this tragedy happened but you when you do stupid things like this in another country, bad things can happen. Personally, I would not have let my child go on that trip. Costa Rica isn’t the friendliest place to go on a field trip.

      Report Post » Tusker  
    • ozchambers
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 11:22am

      Schools have no business scheduling field trips to third world nations. It shouldnt have even been an option. Horribly tragic and avoidable.

      Report Post » ozchambers  
    • shamwow
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 12:09pm

      @LadyIzShy

      IDIOT! Its not about going to other countries its about the way they act!! They think they can do whatever they want just because they are white!!? Heck no! they have to respect!! Immorals!!

      Report Post »  
  • Bluefish49
    Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:17am

    Sad…just sad.

    Report Post »  
    • SlimnRanger
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:32am

      I pray God will comfort this young mans family,this is very sad indeed

      Report Post »  
    • Obama Bin Lying
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:47am

      It is very sad….It is to a point that I can’t understand why anyone would want to leave this country, and go anywhere else.

      Yet we still allow people into this country, that want to turn it into some religious, third world, backward thinking sh*thole

      Report Post » Obama Bin Lying  
    • Cptnjarhead
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:14am

      this is sad. i cant help but ask, where were the adults? Something is not right.

      Report Post »  
    • barak hussein osama arafat
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:26am

      I would have NEVEER let my kid go to a 3rd world cesspool country. NEVER.

      Report Post » Iman Barak Hussein  
    • GODSAMERICA
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:34am

      It’s a shame for this to happen but, I’m curious.
      “the guard could face charges because his weapon was unregistered”
      He is facing charges for having an unregistered weapon? What about charging him with opening fire on school children, apparently without warning or anything. And why would he think they were thieves when there probably wasn’t anything stolen anywhere? Does he just automatically think that every person he sees is a thief? I think there might be more to this than what they are saying. I think that the government is hiding a real reason why this criminal (any person who just opens fire on anyone without reason or cause is a criminal) shot and killed an AMERICAN high school student. Could the real reason have to do with the child being American?

      Report Post » GODSAMERICA  
    • mtnclimberjim
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 8:37am

      When your told to stay in your room after lights out they mean it. Prayers for the family.

      Report Post » mtnclimberjim  
    • Eblaze44
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 9:29am

      Yes, very sad. but typical of American teens – they were sent to bed – but decided to go do something they weren’t supposed to be doing. Makes me wonder though, what kind of hotel or otherwise these kids were staying in that requires armed security.

      Report Post » Eblaze44  
    • Cptnjarhead
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 10:42am

      @eblaze 44
      “typical american teens”?
      You mean like my 19 year old son, who is an MP in the US ARMY, or my other typical teen daughter, a 17 year old honor role student? those typical american teens?

      Report Post »  
    • shamwow
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 12:04pm

      @Cptnjarhead
      YES!! YOUR TYPICAL “AMERICAN” TEENS! Doesnt matter if they are honor rool students are in the army HECK! even they came from royal family!! The problem is their morals that werent taught at home! Ive seen many with good honors act foolishly, getting drunk, ect Most typical American teens think they own the world just because they are from the US, and the answer is no!! They think because they can get away with it here in the US because their parents spoil them think they can do whatever they want! Its starts int he home! and this kid apparently wasnt taught right from wrong!!

      Report Post »  
    • Cptnjarhead
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 12:29pm

      @sham
      You obviously are not a parent. Sounds to me like your getting your opinion of american teens from MTV.
      Everyone was a teenager and they all made mistakes and then as adults. The whole notion of “american teens” thinking they own the world is ludicrous.

      Report Post »  
    • Cptnjarhead
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 12:38pm

      @sham
      “SHAM” is all I need to know.
      good luck with that!

      Report Post »  
    • Sparky101
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 1:01pm

      eblaze44, pretty much need armed security anywhere south of the border between Mexico and the USA. If you are American males you will be robbed and held for ransom. If you are American females, you will be robbed and raped, and maybe held for ransom.

      Report Post »  
    • Old Truckers
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 1:14pm

      They went to Costa Rica, a foreign country with their own rules of conduct. Costa Rica is not Disneyland, there are unknowns in other cultures that we need to be careful of. Also, the boy snuck out late at night and he found himself in a dangerous situation. He should have stayed in his hotel.
      It is a shame he was killed and I feel for his family but all of us should stay at our own country in these troubled times. Beware of unfamiliar surroundings.

      Report Post » Old Truckers  
    • grandma7
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 3:20pm

      Sorry = 16 in Costa Rica = Parents and School Officials this isn’t a good plan. Especially when one of your own was already killed, down there. What were you thinking??

      Report Post »  
    • silentwatcher
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 4:34pm

      Being detained huh? Because of an unregistered weapon? What about for shooting a kid because he “thought” he was a theif? Thought he was a theif. Obviously the kid did nothing to warrant being shot……can’t explain that one. But hey,,,,the security gaurd is detained because his firearm wasn’t registered.

      Report Post »  
    • AKMIIKEUS
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 5:50pm

      Wow, it amazes me how the Right starts bashing 3rd world countries as soon as it gets a chance.
      The literacy rate in Costa Rica is 94.9%
      It is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I’ve had a lot of friends vacation there over the years. Never once complain.

      I wonder how many foreigners that are visiting the United States are killed every year or have been killed?
      From everything I’ve read and heard on this story, this was an awful tragedy but an accident.

      Report Post » AKMIIKEUS  
    • Sparky101
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:00pm

      amikiius, you need to get out more – perhaps to Costa Rica, before you start yapping.

      Report Post »  
    • avenger
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 7:13pm

      this security guy had to be drunk or on drugs..costa ricans are very friendly to Americans…..very weird..

      Report Post »  
    • AKMIIKEUS
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 10:54pm

      Sparky101
      As always you have nothing to say but spread your hate around.
      Glad to hear your Christian beliefs are put to good use.

      Report Post » AKMIIKEUS  
    • markdido
      Posted on June 4, 2011 at 1:44am

      “shamwow
      Posted on June 3, 2011 at 12:04pm
      YES!! YOUR TYPICAL “AMERICAN” TEENS! Doesnt matter if they are honor rool students are in the army HECK! even they came from royal family!! The problem is their morals that werent taught at home! Ive seen many with good honors act foolishly, getting drunk, ect Most typical American teens think they own the world just because they are from the US, and the answer is no!! They think because they can get away with it here in the US because their parents spoil them think they can do whatever they want! Its starts int he home! and this kid apparently wasnt taught right from wrong!!”

      Seek professional help please…..

      Report Post »  
    • @ Coyote2
      Posted on June 4, 2011 at 10:20pm

      Why is the world would these kids have to go to Costa Rica to learn Spanish? Just make a simple phone call to any company here in the USA and you can hear all the damn Spanish you want!!!

      Report Post »  
    • sabotosh
      Posted on June 5, 2011 at 5:32pm

      Also stay out of Florida those kids shoot tourists http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13133791

      Report Post »  
1 2 3

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love