American tourist is killed in Colombia

An unidentified assailant shot dead an American tourist in the Colombian city of Medellin, killing the 65-year-old, police said Saturday.

“On Friday night, when a foreign national got out of the taxi he was traveling in, he was approached by a suspect who tried to rob his belongings. When the man resisted, sadly, he was killed,” Medellin police colonel John Rodriguez told reporters.

The American, identified as John Mariani, shot in the upscale El Poblado neighborhood, was rushed to hospital “but, unfortunately, was dead on arrival,” Rodriguez said.

Authorities have offered a reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.