Guatemalan teen shot dead while playing Pokemon Go

A Guatemalan teenager has been gunned down while playing Pokemon Go.

Jerson Lopez de Leon, 18, was reportedly playing the wildly popular game with his cousin, Daniel Moises Picen, 17 when they ventured into a dangerous neighbourhood, police say.

Local media reports the young pair were walking along street in Chiquimula, 200km from Guatemala City, when they were ambushed.

Both teens were violently shot at from a white coloured van, local police said.

Mr Leon later died at a hospital, while Daniel sustained severe wounds.

Rosalinda Leon, the victim’s mother, said she “didn’t know” why her son had left home.

“He was already in bed when his cousin sent him a message asking him to go out and download a game a few blocks from the house,” Mrs Leon told the Independent.

Almost 20 bullet casings were discovered at the scene of the murder.

Police are now hunting the drivers of the van spotted fleeing the scene.

The incident is reportedly the first Pokemon-Go related death.

The augmented reality game, designed for smartphones, begins with a warning message.

“Remember to be alert, be aware of your surroundings,” the opening screen reads.

A number of injuries have reportedly been linked to the game.

Last night, a Brisbane teen suffered a broken arm while trying to catch a Pokemon.

READ MORE: Brisbane teen breaks arm while playing Pokémon Go

Pokemon Go developers Niantic are yet to make a comment on any deaths and injuries related to the game.