Suspect Charged with Murder in Calif. Movie Theater Shooting of College Student
Riverside CA August 1 2021 Charges have been filed against the man who allegedly shot and killed a college student and seriously injured a 19-year-old TikTok star at a California movie theater on Monday.
Joseph Jimenez, 20, has been charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder in the death of Rylee Goodrich, 18, and the shooting of Anthony Barajas, 19, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
The D.A.’s office has also filed a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, which may enhance Jimenez’s sencence if he is convicted.
Jimenez was arrested after detectives served a search warrant at his home in El Cerrito on July 27 and, they say, found a firearm that matched the caliber of the weapon used in the killing, and also found other evidence related to the crime.
Police said witness statements led them to Jimenez.
“Based on statements obtained, there is no known motive and it appears to be an unprovoked attack,” the Corona Police Department wrote on Facebook.
It was not immediately clear if Jimenez has retained an attorney who could comment on the allegations. He is expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon, according to the district attorney’s office.
Goodrich, a college student, and Barajas, a social media influencer with close to one million followers on TikTok, were shot on Monday as they watched the 9:35 p.m. showing of The Forever Purge at the Regal Edwards Corona Crossings in Corona.
The Forever Purge is the fifth installment of the film franchise in which murder and mayhem are legal for one day a year.
Movie theater staff discovered the victims when they entered the theater at the end of the film to clean, Cpl. Tobias Kouroubacalis told KTLA on Tuesday.
Goodrich was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
