A Minnesota teenager is now facing charges after she accidentally killed her boyfriend, whom she shot for a YouTube Stunt video. The woman is actually pregnant with her second child by the deceased boyfriend.
The woman was identified as 19-year-old Monalisa Perez and the victim as 22-year-old Pedro Ruiz. In the video, Ruiz held a book in an attempt to stop a bullet but it went through. They have made a total of 18 videos together which were posted on YouTube and have been a couple for five years. Some of the videos involved stunts and challenges.
Victim insisted on shooting the stunt
On Twitter, days before the incident, Perez took to the social networking platform to say that they will shoot their probably most dangerous video ever. She cleared it out that it was Ruiz’s idea and not hers. She did not give out details about what they were going to shoot but it seems that she pertained to the stunt that killed Ruiz.
Perez told investigators that Ruiz showed her a book that was previously used to stop a bullet -- an Encyclopedia. Ruiz had been practicing shooting at books before he proposed that they try the stunt and record it. They then positioned the book in front of his chest and Perez stood a foot away from him. She fired the gun and the stunt went wrong, NBC News reported.
After the shooting, Perez called 911 and said she accidentally shot her boyfriend. When emergency responders came, he was pronounced dead at the scene and the cause of death was determined as the single gunshot wound that penetrated through his chest.
She used a Desert Eagle .50-caliber handgun. It was found near the home where the couple lived in Halstad in North Dakota.
It is unclear who owned the gun.
Perez was charged with second-degree manslaughter. She is no longer in custody as she posted bail amounting to $7,000. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison on top of a $20,000 fine.
Family saddened by tragic turn of events
According to W-DAY TV, an aunt of Ruiz, Claudia, said the family wishes they had not do what they did as it was just another prank by the couple.
She added, “They were in love. It was just a prank gone wrong. It shouldn’t have happened like this. It shouldn’t have happened at all.” Claudia did not say whether she was present at the time the incident took place or if other people were in the home.
The family also said that the couple’s first child, a three-year-old daughter, witnessed the shooting. Police did not say if Perez will lose custody over their daughter.
