A 21-year-old man and two juveniles have been charged in connection with the death of a Colorado teenager who was shot while recording TikTok videos, according to authorities and court documents.
The victim, who hasn't been identified, was killed Aug. 7 when a Glock semiautomatic firearm the teen and two other minors were apparently playing with fired, an affidavit in the case states.
The victim and two others had the gun while recording TikTok videos when it was either tossed to the victim or pointed at the victim and it fired, witness accounts in the affidavit claim.
It happened at a residence in Monte Vista, a city of more than 4,000 residents in southern Colorado.
The 21-year-old, Emiliano Vargas, was charged Thursday with two counts each of providing a firearm to a juvenile, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and failing to secure the weapon.
A lawyer for Vargas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vargas told police he was not there when the shooting took place, according to the affidavit.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Attorney General's Office said the unnamed juveniles were charged with manslaughter and possession of a handgun by a juvenile.
Jon Sarché, a spokesperson for the Colorado court system, said state law prevents the release of the names of juvenile defendants. Their identities are also redacted in the affidavit.
A girl who said she witnessed the shooting said the gun was pointed at the victim and went off. "It could be on accident," she told police, according to the affidavit, filed in support of an arrest warrant for Vargas.
Officers at the scene said the firearm was found in a position that suggested the gunshot wasn’t self-inflicted, the document stated.
Police obtained a phone used to record the TikTok videos and found one that was recorded just before the shooting, according to filing.
It shows one juvenile dancing, another "fiddling with something," and the victim in nearly the same place where their body was found, the affidavit, written by Det. Ezekiel Sisneros, stated.
A witness who was at the home said one of the juveniles took the gun from a top shelf, where it was allegedly known to be kept, and that someone took a clip out of it before handing it to another minor, according to the affidavit.
An officer who responded to the scene removed a clip and a chambered round from the weapon, the documented stated.
The home belongs to Vargas' grandparents, and at least one of the juveniles handling the gun had their parents' permission to live there, the document stated.
Witnesses told police Vargas kept the gun unlocked and told at least one of the minors they could use it, according to the affidavit. The gun was legally purchased, the document stated.
An investigator said a review of the TikTok account the juveniles were using included a photo from May in which a gun was being pointed at someone. It was not clear from the affidavit whether the gun was the same as the one found at the scene.
