TikTok Star Anthony Barajas On Life Support, Friend Rylee Goodrich Killed After Being Shot Inside Corona Movie Theater
CORONA (CBSLA) — Popular TikTok personality Anthony Barajas was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, and his friend, 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich, was killed during a shooting inside a Corona movie theater Monday night.
Authorities said employees found the two while cleaning the theater following the 9:30 p.m. Monday showing of "The Forever Purge," at the Regal Edwards Corona Crossings movie theater.
Barajas, 19, is now on life support. Goodrich was pronounced dead at the scene.
"During the actual movie time, no one apparently heard the gunshot," Kailyn Dillon, an employee who was not working at the time, told CBSLA Tuesday. "I know that we do have security bag checks that we do on the daily and, unfortunately, I'm not sure if just was missed or if it was in a holster on their belt."
"At some point, the employee or employees walk inside the theater to conduct their clean-up or walk through and that's when the 911 call was placed," Corona Police Department Cpl. Tobias Kouroubacalis said. "[They said] that there was an unknown problem, somebody was bleeding, there wasn't very specific information given."
Kouroubacalis said police did not know what the call was for until officers arrived on the scene and found the two teens suffering from gunshot wounds, though authorities said no weapon was found at the scene.
"You don't expect to like get home from work and then finding out that your cousin was shot in the back of the head," Ashley Cole, Goodrich's cousin, said. "When there's only six people in a movie theater, to me, that's not what I imagine someone that's not going with intentions to kill someone to do."
Barajas is a popular TikTok personality with more than 1 million followers, and Goodrich was home on summer break from Grand Canyon University in Arizona.
Authorities said the two attended the movie together. However, it was not immediately clear who else was in the theater with them, though records show a total of six tickets were purchased for that showing.
"We don't have any suspect information right now," Kouroubacalis said. "We have no information to lead us to believe there is an active threat to our community or any surrounding community right now."
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Goodrich's family cover her funeral costs.
Anyone with more information about the shooting can contact Corona police Senior Detective Dan Neagu at (951) 739-4916 or via email at Slaven.Neagu@CoronaCA.gov.