U.S. citizen shot and killed in Benghazi, Libya "He was a much loved teacher who supported students in their learning and always had time to help when asked," the school said in a posting on its Facebook page. Ronnie was a professional who gave his time freely and without question. We do not understand why this has happened and it is extremely difficult for his students and his colleagues to accept. On what appeared to be Smith's Twitter account, he described himself as "Libya's best friend." Smith was married and had a 2-year-old son, Adel al-Mansuri, an official at the school, told Agence France-Presse. Al-Mansuri also said that another American teacher at the school has been taken to a secure location until he can leave the country. At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney offered condolences to the victim's family and said President Obama had been briefed on the incident. He said no group had claimed responsibility for the attack. "We do expect the Libyan government to investigate," he said. U.S. Embassy officials in Tripoli said Libyan authorities "have been helpful and cooperative in dealing with this tragedy." Benghazi, one of the most violent flash points in an increasingly strife-torn country, gained notoriety last year when U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in an attack on a U.S. outpost there. That attack prompted a congressional investigation, intense political fighting between the Obama administration and Republican lawmakers, and a review of security at U.S. diplomatic missions around the world. U.S. officials consolidated all Libyan diplomatic operations into the well-fortified embassy compound in Tripoli and issued warnings urging Americans to avoid Benghazi, a port city about 300 miles to the east. U.S. diplomats said they no longer travel to Benghazi. Smith was one of the few foreigners believed to be living and working in Benghazi, which has been the site of numerous bombings, assassinations of government security officials and other violence in recent months. Embassy officials estimated that about 5,000 U.S. citizens, many of whom hold dual U.S.-Libyan citizenship, live in Libya. Foreigners have largely avoided Libya since the 2011 revolution, supported by the United States and other Western allies, that ousted longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi. The elected government that followed Gaddafi has been unable to establish reliable security in the country, and the national police force and military remain weak. Security has largely been left in the hands of hundreds of heavily-armed militias. Although many of the militia members nominally work for and with the government, they are widely seen as independent forces that do as they please. Many have been accused of violence and other criminal activity.