Sheffield students shot dead on holiday in Florida

Holidaymakers James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, were murdered in a deprived part of the city of Sarasota in the early hours of Saturday.

Local officers said it was “very unusual” to find tourists in this area, which is about 12 miles away from the upmarket island city of Longboat Key where the pair were staying.

Sarasota police said the Britons were not carrying any drugs but would not confirm whether they had any money or weapons.

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder.

Mr Kouzaris, from Northampton, was on a three-week holiday in Florida staying with Mr Cooper, from Warwick, and his family.

The were found shot dead 50ft from each other in a street in the Newtown area of northern Sarasota at about 3am on Saturday.

Captain Paul Sutton, of Sarasota police, said there was no known link between the suspect and the victims. “We are still investigating why they would have been in this area,” he said. “It is very unusual to find tourists or visitors in this area. It is a residential neighbourhood with no shops and no bars. We do not know what brought them here at 3am.”

Friends and family said Mr Kouzaris, who was known as Jam, “lived every day to the fullest” in heartfelt tributes on his Facebook page. Mr Kouzaris spent several months travelling in South America before his death, visiting Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia. Mr Cooper worked as a tennis coach for University of Warwick-based company inspire2coach.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We can confirm the deaths of two British nationals on holiday in Sarasota on April 16. Next of kin have been informed and consular staff are providing assistance. Sarasota police have launched an investigation and have made an arrest. We cannot comment further on the investigation.”