Arizona Teen Accidentally Kills Brother While Playing With Gun During Facebook Photo Shoot
A teen in Arizona fatally shot her older brother on accident while posing for Facebook pictures with a gun on New Year's Eve.
Nineteen-year-old Savannah Ramirez accidentally killed 22-year-old Manuel Ortiz at his Phoenix apartment early Monday morning.
Phoenix Police Sgt. Steve Martos said that Ramirez was playing with the gun and posing for pictures with the weapon. The handgun then discharged and Ortiz was shot fatally shot in the head by his sister, according to The Daily Mail.
The news site also posted photos of the brother and sister posing with guns and flashing gang signs.
Local authorities confirmed that the two had spent the night drinking with three other people who witnessed the tragic event.
Ramirez was released from police custody for the time being, but a blood test is underway to determine if there was alcohol in her system during the accident.
"Every New Year's Eve, this particular sister is going to be thinking about this for the rest of her life ," Martos told ABC 15 in Arizona, adding that Ramirez will likely be charged with manslaughter for the killing if the tests find that she was drinking.
One friend, who wished to remain anonymous, described the victim as a fun person to be around.
"He was a very close friend to everybody," the friend told ABC 15. "He was just always there and it's sad because one second he's here and the other he's not."
The unnamed friend added: "Every time he saw somebody sad or down he would be right there making jokes so you could be happy. Even if he was just having a hard time he was always there for someone."
It is unknown if anyone at the New Year's Eve party knew whether the gun was loaded or not.
