A U.S. man has been fatally shot after he hijacked a small passenger plane in Belize.

Rob Kim/Getty Images(CNN) - A Virginia doctor was gunned down with his tour guide while on vacation in Belize, according to local authorities. He had been on a fishing boat with local guide Mario Graniel when they were both shot dead, Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams said in a press conference Monday recorded by the San Pedro Sun newspaper. In the recording, Williams said the tour guide had a disagreement with a local gang kingpin, and agrees that Swank was a "victim of circumstance." Rhonda Saunders, a 10-year patient of Swank's, told CNN affiliate WFXR-TV he made a huge difference in her life. US Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said he was "horrified to hear about the tragic death."