Aaliyah Salazar, 14 years old, was shot in the head and killed in early August while trying to make a dance video for TikTok.
According to the police, Salazar was filming the clip at her grandfather’s house in Colorado when two of her friends, who are also minors, were handling a firearm nearby. One of the teens claims they say saw the other teen point the weapon at Salazar and fire. The bullet struck the young girl, and she was killed. The teen claimed that it could have been an accidental discharge.
Both of the underage suspects have been charged with felony manslaughter and misdemeanor possession of a weapon, facing a maximum of six years through the Colorado juvenile justice system. The 21-year-old owner of the firearm, Emiliano Vargas, is also being with charged providing or permitting a juvenile to possess a gun, though he was not in the home at the time of the shooting.
Colorado authorities say Aaliyah Salazar was killed on Aug. 7 when juveniles were handling a gun while making videos for TikTok.
— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) August 31, 2022
The teen’s grandfather, Gary Salazar, is heartbroken by the events and described his granddaughter lovingly.
“She could go into a store and come out with 20 new friends. She was just that type of person. She loved people and her family,” he recalled.
He is also frustrated that the maximum penalty in the state amounts to nothing more than a “slap on the hand” for taking a human life.
“The frustration I’ve got is that 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,” Salazar remarked.
Police were able to view the video the teen was filming at the time of her death, claiming that they could see someone “fiddling with something” in the background.
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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