Utahn on tour bus is slain

An Ogden architect traveling in western Guatemala with an Orem-based Book of Mormon tour group was shot and killed Wednesday when the group's bus was boarded and robbed by five armed gunmen.

Brett Richards, 52, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to his chest, local police told the Associated Press. The Guatemalan driver of the bus, Filiberto Roca, was struck in the right ankle. There were no other reports of injury among the 13 Americans on the tour.

Sergio Maldonado, president of the Guatemala Retalhuleu Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Wednesday the survivors of the attack were "tired, scared and saddened" following the tragedy.

Richards' death came as a shock to family and friends in Utah.

"He was a great guy," said David Allen, a cousin. "He had a good sense of humor."

"He was kind of a quiet guy," said neighbor Ray Moss. "I know he was very active in the church. He had his business in town."

Richards was the father of five children. Other family members were at his Ogden home Wednesday night comforting his younger children and declined comment.

Richards was a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He most recently served as the Young Men's president of the Weber Heights Stake and was previously a bishop, Allen said.

Richards was on the tour with eight members of his family, including his wife, Rebecca; his parents, Maurice and Maria Richards; and his brother and sister-in-law, Reed and Martha Richards. Reed Richards is a lawyer who has served as the Weber County attorney and most recently worked in the Utah Attorney General's Office, said David Allen, whose parents were also part of the tour. The five other Americans on the tour are also LDS Church members from Ogden and Salt Lake City, the AP reported.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not have a statement for the media late Wednesday, saying not a lot of information had been provided directly to church officials because "these tour groups are not directly sponsored by the church. It's usually private groups," church spokesman Dale Bills said.

Book of Mormon Tours is operated out of Orem by Joseph L. Allen and his wife, Rhoda Allen. Joseph Allen was on the bus Wednesday when the shooting occurred, his wife told the Deseret Morning News.

Rhoda Allen said she had spoken only briefly with her husband and had very few details about what had happened. She said she planned to leave for Guatemala with another tour on Thursday.

The couple has operated tours for more than 30 years and has traveled for many years in Guatemala. Over the years, Book of Mormon tour groups have experienced only "little" problems, she said, citing an occasion when a woman's purse was stolen.