A teenage girl making a TikTok video in a home in Monte Vista, Colorado, was shot in the head on August 7.
The shooting victim was making a dancing video in the presence of two other teen girls. She was shot with a Glock 19 pistol, according to the arrest warrant, which was reported by KRDO-TV.
The two girls who were present, and another person, have been arrested in connection to the shooting.
One of the girls, when interrogated by police, said that she saw the other girl shoot 14-year-old Aaliyah Salazar. She alleges that the shooter threw the gun onto the bed in the home’s bedroom. She said it “could have been an accident,” when questioned about it.
The affidavit says that one of the girls, a minor (!), had a gun available to her because her boyfriend owned one legally. Allegedly, she showed the gun to Aaliyah and the other girl in the room, while they were filming the dancing videos.
The video shows Aaliyah dancing and in the background can be seen someone “fiddling with something on the bed,” according to the affidavit.
The third suspect is Emiliano Vargas, 21, who allowed the 17-year-old minor to have access to the gun. The house where the incident occurred is owned by Vargas’ grandmother, but Vargas, who lives there, was not present at the time of the shooting. His 17-year-old girlfriend also resides in the house.
The two minors are charged with reckless manslaughter and possession of a gun by minors, according to the Monte Vista police. They face a prison sentence of up to six years if convicted.
The victim’s grandfather, Gary Salazar, expressed his feelings about the possible sentence and said, “The frustration I’ve got with that is if you take a life you should have to pay for it dearly, Not with a slap on the hand and say don’t do it again.”
Apparently, the gun was left on a shelf in the house, in the open. Police did find the gun in the room with the deceased teen.
