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Shooting Victims Students from Chile Save Email Print
Posted: 7:35 PM Feb 27, 2009
Last Updated: 7:35 PM Feb 27, 2009
Reporter: Alex Denis
Email Address: Alex.Denis@wjhg.com

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There's new information about Thursday morning's shooting rampage in Miramar Beach that left two people dead and three others wounded.

The victims were students from Chile working in the United States as part of an international exchange program.

Neighbors say they suspect the shooing was a hate crime.

Chilean consul Jorge Valdez arrived in Pensacola today to meet with authorities.

Valdez says the tragedy has stunned the entire country of Chile.

Friends remember 23- year-old Nicolas Pablo Corp-Torres and 22-year-old Racine Balbontin-Aragondona as bright students with promising futures.

The students were working in Miramar Beach as part of an international college exchange program when they were shot to death Thursday morning at this unit in the Summer Lakes town home complex.

Their alleged killer 60-year-old Dannie Baker lived in the same neighborhood.

Investigators say, around two in the morning baker armed himself with a rifle, walked to the student's unit and fired shots through a window.

Chilean journalists say the entire country of Chile is shocked by the student's untimely deaths.

Chile Journalist, Macarena Retamal says, “We are a quite country that's not used to those guys that go there you know with a gun and kill children. We don't have that kind of violence.”

Three others were wounded during bakers shooting rampage, 27-year-old Sebastian Mauricio Arizaga-Suarez, 25-year-old Fransisco Javier Cofre-Fernande and 21-year-old David Alonzo Bilbao-Meza.

At the time of the shooting, 14 friends had gathered at the town home for a get-together.

Walton county sheriff's deputies say there were no reports of loud music or noise.

After the shootings, baker locked himself inside his townhouse.

He surrendered 4-hours later, after special response teams from Oskaloosa County and Santa Rosa County arrived.

Investigators aren't saying what motivated the murders of these students, but neighbors have their own theory.

Neighbor Crystal Lynn says, “He did come up to me one time and ask me if I was ready for the revolution to begin and if I had any immigrants inside my house to get them out.”

Chilean consul Jorge Valdez arrived in Pensacola Friday afternoon to check on the wounded students.

He's also arranging for the return of the two dead students to Chile.

Valdez said "It's very sad you know, it's an unusual situation. It's caused commotion in Chile because of the two students that were shot in a country where they came for support."

Chilean sources say this group of friends was excited about visiting America.

Balbontin was studying tourism and was engaged to Cofre, who is still in critical condition.

Corp was an engineering student and one of Chile’s best basketball players.

Friends say they will be sorely missed.

"Such a good boy. So it's really terrible."

Baker is being held in the Walton County Jail on two open counts of murder.

Additional chargers are pending.

The other two victims, Arizaga and Bilbao, are in stable and good condition.

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