According to the New York Daily News, MonaLisa Perez, 19, shot a .50 caliber gun at Pedro Ruiz III, 22, as he was holding a book up in front of his chest. The couple was filming a YouTube video in which they were trying to see whether a bullet would travel all the way through the book. It did. Perez's bullet fatally struck Ruiz in the chest while their 3-year-old daughter watched.
Following the tragic incident, Ruiz’s aunt, Claudia Ruiz, explained that it was part of a stunt the couple wanted to share on YouTube, where they had already posted videos of some of their other pranks.
RELATED: Columbus Police plead with parents to lock up their guns after an 8 year-old is accidentally shot
"They were in love. It was just a prank gone wrong," she said, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. "I wish they wouldn't have done it. I wish he would've just done another prank. He was so young. He had so much going for himself."
According to Claudia Ruiz, the couple was hoping to gain additional followers and generate some online fame for themselves.
"He told me he had an idea. I said, 'Don't do it, don't do it. Why are you going to use a gun, why?'" she recalled of her nephew telling her about the stunt, the Star Tribune reported. "'Because we want more viewers. We want to get famous.'"
Perez is being held in jail and will appear in court by video this week.
About the Author