Two British men shot dead in Florida

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of two British men who were found shot dead in Sarasota in western Florida in the early hours of Saturday morning.

James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, had been staying with one of the men's extended family in Longboat Key, a well-heeled island town known for its white sand beaches overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Their bodies were found 12 miles away from there at 3am on Saturday, lying in the road in the Newtown district of North Sarasota, which is noted for its gang violence, high unemployment and social housing.

Sarasota police said no motive for the murders had yet been established and the 16-year-old had no known link to the victims. A spokesman told the Guardian that police were investigating the possibility the incident was a botched robbery.

Cooper and Kouzaris met while undergraduates at Sheffield University. Kouzaris had been travelling in South America and Taiwan while Cooper had been working as a tennis coach.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the pair had exchanged comments on their Facebook accounts last month before embarking on their holiday, with Kouzaris writing: "Back to normality soon."

Cooper responded: "U have got to be kiddin, ur back in a week and then we go off to America." Kouzaris's reply was: "Miami, Miami!!!" ·