TikTok star Anthony Barajas is in the hospital and on life support after a deadly shooting at a Regal movie theater in Corona on Monday, police said.
What Happened to Anthony Barajas?
Barajas, a 19-year-old Corona native, was one of two gunshot victims in the shooting. His friend, 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich, also a Corona native, was killed.
The shooting took place during a 9:30 p.m. screening of “The Forever Purge,” the fifth movie in the Purge franchise, about a 12-hour window of time where the government makes all crime, including murder, legal.
Only six tickets were sold for that screening, according to Corona police.
Who Is Anthony Barajas?
Barajas, who has nearly 1 million followers on TikTok on his account itsanthonymichael, has uploaded videos on his page since at least February 2019.
Some show him completing trending challenges on the platform, while others show him pulling pranks with friends and hanging out on the beach.
Videos he posted singing popular songs by artists like Justin Bieber and Harry Styles regularly hit over 1 million views.
Barajas also posted videos with group of five young men, self-dubbed the “Brocodeboys,” who share a house in Southern California, make TikTok content together, and recently launched a swimwear line, in addition to making videos for his own account.
The last video on Barajas’ TikTok page was uploaded Friday, July 23, and shows him joking with loved ones during a family vacation to Hawaii.
Fans left supportive comments on Barajas’ recent TikTok videos and on Instagram, hoping for his recovery and praying for the families affected by the shooting.
“praying for you!! keep fighting!!” said one commenter on TikTok.
“I don’t know you but man do I wish you come out of this alright,” said another commenter on Instagram.
Other comments from loved ones expressed shock at the shooting, Barajas’s injury and Goodrich’s death.
What’s Happening Now?
Police arrested 20-year-old Joseph Jimenez in connection with the crime, after witness statements led authorities to serve a search warrant at Jimenez’s home in the 19000 block of Envoy Avenue in El Cerrito Tuesday night.
Police say the suspect was acting alone, and did not have any prior contact with Barajas or Goldrich.
Jimenez was booked at the Riverside Presley Detention Center on charges of murder, attempted murder, and robbery. He is being held on a $2 million dollar bail.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Corona Police Senior Det. Slaven Neagu at 951-739-4916 or email Slaven.Neagu@CoronaCA.gov, or the Corona Police Tip Line at 951-817-5837.
