Scot is shot dead when mistaken for prowler

A SCOTTISH businessman visiting Houston, Texas, was shot dead by a householder after being mistaken for a prowler.

Andrew De Vries, 28, from Aberdeen, was shot at about 5am local time after he knocked on the back door of a house, apparently seeking a taxi for himself and a Scottish colleague, Sydney Graves, 42. The owner fired through the door.

The men, employed by the international oil company Nowsco, were in the US for a training programme. Police said the shooting happened in an area of the city that had suffered 'home invasions' in which robbers batter down doors and steal property. They said it was unlikely the householder would be charged.

One report said the Scots had met two other men, but left their car after becoming uneasy about their new companions, and were hoping to call a taxi or get a lift.

Mr De Vries had only recently joined Nowsco, and had arrived in Houston earlier this week. He lived with his wife Alison in Aberdeen. There are no children.

A Nowsco spokesman said: 'The company management in Aberdeen has met with Mrs De Vries and informed her of the incident. I haven't spoken to her myself, but you and I can both imagine how upset she is.' He described the death as 'tragic' and added: 'We have no experience of this kind of incident.'