A 19-year-old woman accidentally shot dead her brother while posing with a gun for Facebook photos on New Year‘s Eve.
Manuel Ortiz died instantly after being shot in the head at about 6am on Monday morning.
Family and friends wept as his body was carried from his apartment in Phoenix, Arizona, where the shooting took place.
Police said 22-year-old Ortiz and his sister Savannah Ramirez arrived back at the home they shared on New Year’s Eve after spending the night drinking.
They were with two other people when someone in the group pulled out the handgun to take photos with it. As the 19-year-old posed and played around with the weapon it went off striking Ortiz in the head, according to ABC15.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It is not known if the group knew the handgun was loaded.
Police say she has been questioned and released pending further investigation in the case.
Phoenix Police Sgt Steve Martos said the victim’s sister would likely be charged with manslaughter if tests conclude she had alcohol in her system.
‘Every New Year’s Eve, this particular sister is going to be thinking about this for the rest of her life on how…drinking overnight, playing with a gun and now shoots and kills her brother,’ said Phoenix Police Sgt Steve Martos.
Source: 4UMF
