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Rylee Goodrich, 18, and Anthony Barajas, 19, were at a screening of “The Forever Purge” at a theater in Corona, Calif. On Monday, police said. The teenagers are friends and went to watch the movie together, police say. Cinema staff found them with gunshot wounds after the movie, police said.
Goodrich died at the scene and Barajas is on life support at a local hospital, police said.
Police arrested 20-year-old Joseph Jimenez on Tuesday at his home in El Cerrito, an unincorporated area of Corona. Police searched the suspect’s home and found a gun and additional evidence related to the movie theater crime scene, they said.
“The firearm matched the caliber of the weapon used in the murder,” police said in a statement.
Jimenez is being held on $ 2 million bail and charged with murder, attempted murder and robbery. CNN has contacted the Riverside County Public Defender’s Office to determine whether Jimenez has withheld legal representation.
“The Forever Purge,” which debuted in theaters earlier this month, is the fifth film in the “Purge” franchise. Each sequel is based on the premise that a totalitarian government has created a night every year where everything, including murder, is legal.
There were fewer than 10 people in the theater where Goodrich and Barajas were shot, Corona Police Captain Paul Mercado told CNN, but it was not determined whether the filming took place during or after the film. .
“They were shot in the head,” Corona Police Corporal Tobias Kouroubacalis told CNN in an email. “We will not know how many times or the exact point of entry of the bullet (s) until the coroner performs his autopsies and writes up his reports.”
CNN has contacted the theater for comment but has not received a response.
An unprovoked attack
Police believe Jimenez, who had a movie ticket, did not know the victims and had no prior contact with them.
“It’s an unfortunate turn of events here,” Mercado said. “The public here is really looking for a motive. At the moment there is no motive. It’s an unprovoked attack.”
Police said items were taken away and “the theft was part of what happened in this crime,” but they did not call it a motive in the shooting, Kouroubacalis said during the shooting. ‘a press conference held on Wednesday.
“We can’t imagine the amount of pain family and friends are feeling right now,” Kouroubacalis said. “But we hope the arrest of the suspect will bring some relief knowing that he is in jail now.”
He added that the police believe Jimenez acted alone.
A TikTok enthusiast, a runner with a “big heart”
Her cousin, Ashley Cole, told KABC that she has a “big heart” and is always ready to help others.
Jimenez is expected to appear before a judge for indictment in the coming days, according to Kouroubacalis.
CNN’s Brian Lowry and Jessica Flynn contributed to this report.
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