Teenager shot dead in Guatemala while playing Pokémon GO
Reports said 18-year-old Jerson Lopez de Leon was gunned down after he broke into a house in Chiquimula city to catch one of the virtual animals.
An 18-year-old was shot dead in Guatemala on Wednesday, in what could be the first death related to the widely-popular smartphone game Pokémon GO. Jerson Lopez de Leon was reportedly gunned down after he, along with his cousin Daniel Moises Picen, broke into a house in Chiquimula city to catch one of the virtual animals, according to Mirror.
While de Leon died after being shot at, 17-year-old Picen was seriously wounded, local reports said. Police found 20 bullet castings at the scene, according to an Independent report, which also added that they teenagers were attacked while they were walking near a railway line when they were shot. Police are investigating a van that was seen fleeing the site of the murder.
Pokémon GO has seen its popularity surge since its July 6 release in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. It has been rolled out in a number of countries since them. The craze has led Nintendo's shares to skyrocket, making it worth more than Sony.