Joseph Jimenez: Alleged shooter confronted by Tiktoker Anthony Barajas' dead girlfriend's dad
CORONA, CALIFORNIA: The man accused of shooting TikToker Anthony Barajas, 19, in the head, causing him to be hospitalized in a critical condition, was confronted by the father of his 18-year-old girlfriend, who died after being shot.
Joseph Jimenez, 20, was being led through the courtroom in handcuffs on Friday, July 30, when the dad of Rylee Goodrich, David, yelled at the suspect, demanding him to meet his eyes. "Hey, look at me, bro! Look at me! Look at me, dude! That was my..." the distraught parent was heard saying before breaking down in tears. After being confronted, the accused killer was seen turning toward the victim's father. Goodrich went to a screening of 'The Forever Purge' with her boyfriend Barajas at The Crossings Shopping Center movie theater in Corona, California on July 26, when they were both shot in the head. The couple was discovered by the movie theater staff with bullet wound injuries. Some of the other social media influencers who became victims of gun violence recently include Zerail Dijon Rivera, Kathlen Romeu and Lil Esco 28.
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"It was completely unprovoked, and the victims were shot without any kind of prior contact," Corporal Tobias Kouroubacalis of the Corona Police Department said. Goodrich died at the scene. Barajas was taken to a nearby hospital, where he remained on life support on Friday, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office's statement.
Who is Joseph Jiminez?
Jimenez was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, and robbery. He didn't enter a plea and his arraignment was continued to next week. Jimenez has been charged with murder and attempted murder and has been jailed since his arrest. It's not clear whether he has retained an attorney.
In addition, Jimenez was also accused of sentencing enhancements of personal use of a firearm causing death, personally inflicting great bodily injury, and personal use of a firearm causing great bodily injury. He is also eligible to receive the death penalty after the prosecutors filed a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait. He was arrested on Tuesday after detectives with the Corona PD seized a handgun of the same caliber as the one believed to have been used in the shooting of the teens. They also recovered Goodrich's wallet and other possessions from Jimenez's home within 24 hours after the shooting. According to the authorities, there was no known connection between the victims and Jimenez. He has no previous adult criminal record. "Based on the evidence provided to our office, this appears to be a random and unprovoked attack," the statement said.
GoFundMe pages for Barajas and Goodrich
Families of the victims have set up GoFundMe pages to cover funeral and medical costs after the shooting. "This money we are raising is to help Rylee’s family in this time of mourning. Words seem inadequate to express the sorrow felt by the loss of Rylee. Her kindness, and gentle spirit will be remembered forever. Please keep the Goodrich and Barajas family in your prayers," says the fundraiser for Goodrich. The campaign has gone surpassed its set goal of $50,000 by raising over $60,000.
Barajas' fundraiser read, "We lost our amazing brother, son, and friend in a tragic accident and is on life support currently. Anthony was the light of so many peoples lives and there are tough times ahead, but we have amazing family and friends to get through this. Please donate for medical funds, etc. Thank you all and anything will help!" The campaign has raised over $70,000 even though the goal was set at $30,000. QBarajas, known on TikTok as @itsanthonymichael, has nearly 1 million followers on the social media platform, with almost 45,000 followers on Instagram.