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Anthony Barajas, 19, died early Saturday morning, the Corona Police Department said in a press release.
“We send our thoughts and condolences to his family and friends,” the statement said.
Barajas and a friend, Rylee Goodrich, 18, were at a screening of “The Forever Purge” at the Regal Edwards Cinema in Corona on Monday, police said. The teenagers were friends and went to watch the film together, police said. Cinema staff found them with gunshot wounds after the movie, police said.
Goodrich died at the scene and Barajas was taken to hospital for treatment where he was on life support.
Joseph Jimenez, 20, was arrested in connection with the shooting on Tuesday and is being held on $ 2 million bail and charged with murder, attempted murder and theft, according to a previous CNN report. The police department said on Saturday it was working with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office to add another count of first degree murder against Jimenez for Barajas’ death.
CNN has contacted the Riverside County Public Defender’s Office to determine whether Jimenez has withheld legal representation and has not received a response.
Jimenez was located by police at his home in El Cerrito, an unincorporated area of Corona. Police searched Jimenez’s home and found a gun and additional evidence related to the movie theater crime scene, they said.
“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.
An “unprovoked attack”
There were less than 10 people in the theater where Goodrich and Barajas were shot, Corona Police Captain Paul Mercado told CNN earlier this week, but it was not determined whether the filming took place during or after the movie.
“They were shot in the head,” Corona Police Corporal said. 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.
Police believe Jimenez, who had a movie ticket, acted alone and did not know the victims or had 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 that they did not call it a motive in the shooting, Kouroubacalis said during the shooting. ‘a press conference held on Wednesday.
A TikTok enthusiast, a runner with a “big heart”
Barajas had nearly 930,000 followers on TikTok and recently posted family vacation video updates. In high school, he was an outstanding football player at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, according to CNN affiliate KABC.
Goodrich attended Corona High School, according to KABC, and played volleyball, run track and was a cheerleader. After high school, she received a college scholarship for the STEM program at Grand Canyon University. She was in town to visit her family for the summer.
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 Jessica Flynn and Brian Lowry contributed to this report.
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