Colombia Clowns Killed on Stage

Two circus clowns have been shot dead during a performance in the eastern Colombian city of Cucuta, police say.

The attacker jumped into the arena and fired before fleeing, police chief Jose Humberto Henao told Efe news agency.

Local reports say the audience of about 20 people, mostly children, thought the shooting was part of the show before realising both men had been killed.

Last year, a prominent circus clown, known as Pepe, was also shot dead by a unknown assailant in Cucuta.

The motive for the latest killing remains unclear, police said. Local media reports suggest two attackers may have been involved.

One clown was shot in the head as he performed on stage, about an hour into the Circo del Sol's evening show.

The second, named as 18-year-old Franklin Leal, from Cucuta, was then shot as he stood by the ticket booth, according to the newspaper La Opinion.

The travelling circus had set up in a suburb of Cucuta, capital of Norte de Santander province near the Venezuelan border, about 10 days earlier, the paper says.

[This message was edited by Dan Bradley on 02-21-07 at .]

Must have read Stephen King's It.

Gee, thanks, Gordon. I've spent 16 years getting Pennywise the Dancing Clown out of my head, and you put it right back there. Damn clowns. ;-)

Love it. Scared me to death because I read it as a young teen, but loved it.

The book was GREAT, but the movie stunk. I guess that's par for the course for Stephen King stuff (with a couple memorable exceptions).

I like Homey the Clown.

I have a terrifying fear of clowns arising from a childhood encounter with the movie 'Poltergeist'. This forum should be declared a Clown free zone.

If that were the standard, there wouldn't be much to talk about.

Or many people who could post

Arrest in case of clowns killed in front of kids at circus

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Police said they arrested a man Friday in connection with the killing of two clowns in front of dozens of children during a performance, in a case that has convulsed even this violence-hardened South American country.

Walter Bautista, 21, who goes by the alias "My Fish," was being held on charges of murder and trafficking in arms, a police statement said.

Clowns Willington Villamizar, 18, known as "Rony," and Nelson Nunez, 24, known as "Andres," were gunned down Tuesday night in the middle of their circus act in the town of Cucuta, about 400 miles (650 kilometers) northeast of Bogota, near the border with Venezuela.

Acrobats, harlequins, animal trainers and other circus performers staged protests in different parts of the country following the killings, chanting "Justice for the assassins of laughter."

Other circuses held moments of silence for the dead men.

A spokeswoman for the Cucuta police said authorities were investigating the cause of the double slayings, but said they had discounted the reason being the men's jobs.



I particularly like "Justice for the assassins of laughter!" It kinda lost something in the translation, but I would love to work it into a closing sometime.