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<\/a>YOUTUBE – ‘It was a prank gone wrong,’ said Pedro Ruiz’s aunt<\/p><\/div>\n
A Minnesota woman has been charged over the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, in what authorities say was a social media stunt gone wrong.<\/p>\n
Monalisa Perez, 19, was booked into county jail after shooting at Pedro Ruiz as he held a book to his chest, believing it would stop the bullet.<\/p>\n
The couple’s three-year-old child and nearly 30 onlookers watched as she fired the fatal bullet into his chest.<\/p>\n
Ruiz’s aunt said they did it to increase their social media following.<\/p>\n
Claudia Ruiz told WDAY-TV that her nephew had told her he wanted to do the stunt “because we want more viewers, we want to get famous”.<\/p>\n
“He had told me about that idea and I said, ‘Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Why are you going to use a gun? Why?'” Claudia Ruiz told the news channel.<\/p>\n
“They were in love, they loved each other,” she said. “It was just a prank gone wrong.”<\/p>\n
<\/a>POLICE HANDOUT
Perez is pregnant with the couple’s second child<\/p><\/div>\n
Ms Perez, who is pregnant, is facing charges of second degree manslaughter. She faces her first court appearance on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
County Attorney James Brue described the book as a hardcover encyclopaedia, and said the weapon used was a .50-calibre Desert Eagle handgun.<\/p>\n
Police have seized two cameras, which are said to have recorded Monday’s incident.<\/p>\n
The single gunshot was fired from about one foot (30cm) away as neighbours gathered to watch outside their Minnesota home.<\/p>\n
She told deputies that the stunt had been Ruiz’s idea, and that he had to convince her to do it.<\/p>\n
Earlier that day she tweeted about her reservations.<\/p>\n