“Wrong turn” could have led to tourist murders in Florida

The two British tourists shot dead in a Florida ghetto could have taken a wrong turn whilst trying to find a 24-hour diner, according to police.

Detectives are trying to find out why James Cooper and James Kouzaris could have ended up on the notorious Newton projects area after a night out in the upmarket resort of Sarasota.

The Gator Bar, the last venue the pair are believed to have visited early on Saturday morning, is just 1.5miles away from a branch of IHOP, a popular 24-hour diner chain and one of the few places in the city to get food at that time.

Captain Sutton described it as “very possible” that the tourists, under the influence of alcohol, could quite easily have “lost their bearings”, taken and ended up in streets of Newtown, a low-income housing project.

The IHOP is on 12th street while the men turned off on 21st street.

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http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/wrong-turn-could-have-led-to-tourist-murders-in-florida/

British hero who caught baby just wants to go back to vacation

A 2-year-old girl fell from a fourth-floor hotel balcony in the tourist district of Orlando on Wednesday night, but she was caught by a hotel guest and was not injured, according to Orange County deputies. (CBS)

British tourist Helen Beard doesn't feel like a hero even after being feted on Friday for catching a 1-year-old girl who fell from a fourth-story balcony at an Orlando resort hotel.

"Absolutely not. I did what needed to be done. I didn't want a fuss. Anyone would have done it," Beard, 44, of Worksop, England, said in an interview with Reuters.

Beard said she was sitting poolside at the Econo Lodge Inn & Suites, keeping an eye on her 10-year-old son and her partner as they swam, when a scream attracted attention to 1-year-old Jah-Nea Myles dangling from the balcony.

"I think you just act instinctively. I ran. I knew I needed to catch her. I had to do something. I guess I was hoping someone else would catch her, but I was the one who was there," Beard said.

Beard said she dashed through the pool gate and ran to a spot right underneath the child who, she said, "seemed to grip on for ages. I saw her tumble."


The baby's mother told investigators that she left her daughter in the care of friends, who said they didn't notice Jah-Nea slip out of the room.

As even Beard's family back home in England knows - they texted her after news of the incident flashed around the world - Beard caught Jah-Nea and held her for a moment before the little girl slipped unharmed from her arms.

At a ceremony on Friday to thank Beard, local authorities awarded her a Medal of Merit, a citation rarely given to anyone outside of law enforcement.

"Mrs. Beard showed unusual instinct and initiative when she exited from the swimming pool area and was able to catch the child as she fell, thus saving her from extreme physical injuries and/or death," said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings at the presentation.

Beard was also presented with a Guardian Angel award created especially for her by the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Beard, who works for the national health service in England, said all she wants now is to step back from the spotlight and enjoy the rest of her two-week vacation at Orlando's theme parks.

"I just want to get back to the holiday," she said
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/22/us-babyfall-hero-idUSTRE73L49320110422

Boy charged for killing of two British tourists in Florida

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged for the suspected killing of two British tourists in Florida.

James Kouzaris, 24 and James Cooper, 25, had been on holiday with family and friends in the Gulf coast town of Sarasota.

Their bodies were found peppered with bullets in a deprived residential area renowned for gang violence.

Sarasota Police Captain Paul Sutton told new agency AFP: “It’s unusual in that it’s public housing, there’s no open businesses, and they are in the area just before 3 in the morning.”

“The men were on a family vacation and staying in Longboat Key, a nearby beach resort community,” he added.

“One of the victims’ parents were travelling with them. It’s a horrible incident.”

The two men, both graduates of the University of Sheffield, did not have a car.

The motive of the murders has yet to be established, although police suspect it might have been a street robbery or a drug deal that went wrong.

Police confirmed neither of the men were in possession of drugs, although they would not say whether they had cash or weapons.

The area is a hotspot for gangs.

They had been staying on the upmarket island city of Longboat Key, about 12 miles from the less affluent area where they were killed.

Mr Kouzaris, from Northampton, was a guest of the Cooper family, from Warwick who were on holiday in the area.

“Both victims were white,” said Sarasota Police Captain Paul Sutton.

A spokesman for the British consulate in Miami said: ‘British consular officials can confirm that two British nationals were killed in Sarasota, Florida, on April 16. Next of kin have been notified.

Shootings of tourists re rare in the U.S. but in November 2009 Thomas Reeve was gunned down while drinking with friends in a Texas bar.