The vessel was being followed by a US warship as it travelled back towards the Somali coastline but earlier on 22 February it was reported by a US official speaking through US news networks that gunshots were heard on the vessel and that action had been taken to intervene. The exact circumstances of the incident have not yet been fully revealed.
If Somali pirates killed the captives prior to a US naval intervention it would be unprecedented. Crew members have hitherto been killed during vessel hijackings or rescue attempts. Somali pirates have not killed captives out of spite or in an attempt to create a political impact, although with US nationals they have in fact threatened this course of action in the past (notably after the Maersk Alabama escaped captivity). Killing hostages severely compromises the ransom negotiation process which is the ultimate aim of the largely apolitical pirates.