A Phoenix man was shot and killed by his younger sister in what police are calling a terrible accident. It happened before dawn Monday at an apartment complex near 37th Ave and McDowell.
Police say while three to five people were posing and taking pictures with a gun, it went off.
Authorities say a 19-year-old girl accidentally shot her brother, 22-year-old Manuel Ortiz.
Police say Ortiz arrived at the apartment with his sister early Monday morning. They were partying and drinking. At about 5:30 a.m., they decided to pose for pictures with the gun, which went off while the 19-year-old was holding it. Someone called police, and officers responded to the home.
A witness at the scene told authorities that the bullet hit Ortiz in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Family and friends watched and sobbed as his body was loaded into the medical examiner's van.
Residents at the Shady Tree apartment complex say it was a horrible scenario: drinking and playing with a gun -- and were shocked that the reckless act led to such tragedy.
One woman said, "Especially drinking at 5 o'clock in the morning with a handgun... they shouldn't have any type of weapons in their hands if they're drunk."
The 19-year-old was taken to Phoenix Police headquarters downtown and questioned. She has since been released.
"Every New Year's Eve, this particular sister is going to be thinking about this for the rest of her life on how... drinking overnight, playing with a gun and now shoots and kills her brother," said Phoenix Police Sgt. Steve Martos.
The case is still under investigation and it is not known if the people in the apartment knew the gun was loaded.
Authorities are looking into who owns the gun and say Ortiz's sister could face manslaughter charges. Her name was not released.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 9:54 PM EDT2013-06-20 01:54:56 GMT
Joe Torre's daughter caught a 1-year-old boy who fell from a fire escape outside a second-floor apartment in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn Wednesday morning.
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 8:45 PM EDT2013-06-20 00:45:05 GMT
Invision/AP photo
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 6:13 PM EDT2013-06-19 22:13:15 GMT
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 4:30 PM EDT2013-06-19 20:30:42 GMT
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 4:13 PM EDT2013-06-19 20:13:39 GMT
The driver of the vehicle that left several people injured and a trail of destruction in the area of 2nd Avenue and East 4th Street in the East Village has been arrested.
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 3:38 PM EDT2013-06-19 19:38:42 GMT
By MATT ALVAREZ NEW JERSEY (MYFOXNY) -- Nearly eight months later after Superstorm Sandy, many Jersey Shore families are still displaced from their homes. The storm destroyed Pam Vasquez's family home
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 1:46 PM EDT2013-06-19 17:46:33 GMT
June 19 is National Dine Out Day. Restaurants and vendors across the country are contributing a percentage of their revenues for the day to the NJ Relief Fund to benefit Superstorm Sandy victims.
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