The New Zealand Herald and the news.com.au websites were reporting the crime of Nicholas Hugh Heyward who was shot to death during a robbery attempt yesterday in the province of Mendoza. The New Zealand embassy in BA City was providing consular support, foreign media said.
New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a short statement saying it was aware of the New Zealander's death in the city of Mendoza and that staff from the Buenos Aires embassy was in touch with local authorities trying to find out more details, the New Zealand Herald said.
"New Zealand tourist shot and killed in Argentina" and "New Zealand tourist killed in botched robbery in Mendoza, Argentina" was how foreign media echoed the news.
Heyward was walking through a park near the Thays provincial Avenue with two other tourists yesterday, when two people on a motorbike approached the group, allegedly seeking to steal the victim’s bag.
The man was reported to have resisted the attack and, in the midst of a struggle over the bag, fell to the ground. As the attackers rode away on their motorbike, they then opened fire on him and killed him.