While hardly as prominent as a killed ambassador and a storming of a US consulate, things in Libya continue to disintegrate with the latest news that a 33-year old US citizen who was a teacher in an English-language school and who described himself online as "Libya's best friend", was shot and killed by gunmen in Benghazi. NYT reports that [3]the man, who residents said had worked at the International School in Benghazi, was out jogging in the upscale Fuwayhat neighborhood when he was attacked. One person who claimed to have witnessed the shooting said the gunmen had been driving a black jeep.
More from NY Daily News [4]:
Gunmen shot dead an American chemistry teacher in Benghazi as he jogged by the site of the notorious attack on a U.S. consulate, Libyan officials said Thursday.
The victim, who hailed from Texas, worked at the International School Benghazi in the volatile city, according to security sources and a spokeswoman for the Al-Galaa hospital where the body was taken.
NBC News identified the instructor as Ronnie Smith, 33, and reported he had worked at the school for 18 months after time spent teaching in Egypt. His colleagues told the network he had planned to visit his family back in the U.S. for Christmas.
He was shot while going for a morning jog, and was near the U.S. consulate where three American and U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens were killed during a coordinated attack by Islamic militants on Sept. 11, 2012, according to Ibrahim al-Sharaa, a Libyan security official.
"He was doing his morning exercise when gunmen just shot him. I don't know why. He was so sweet with everyone," said Adel al Mansouri, director at the Libyan-owned school that teaches an American curriculum.
A picture of the deceased:
[5]