Some YouTube stars make headlines with merely annoying antics, but in the case of one vlogging couple whose channel is filled with progressively outrageous stunts and pranks, things can go very wrong — deadly, in fact. While filming a weekly video, Monalisa Perez, a pregnant 19-year-old, allegedly shot and killed her boyfriend, 22-year-old Pedro Ruiz III. And although Perez’s emergency call to police included a claim that the shooting was accidental, the shot was fired at point-blank range (from one foot away) while he held a hardbound encyclopedia volume in front of his chest.
Of course, the bullet went straight through the book into Ruiz’s chest, and it’s hard to fathom how anyone could expect a less-than-tragic outcome from doing such a thing. Prior to the stunt-gone-wrong, Perez tweet-claimed (below) that she and Ruiz were “probably going to shoot one of the most dangerous videos ever.” She also asserted that the whole thing was Ruiz’s idea. The tweet went out on Monday at 6:00pm EST, and NBC News reports that Perez phoned for help less than two hours later.
Police reveal that Perez shot Ruiz with a gold Desert Eagle .50 caliber handgun, which is regarded as one of the world’s “most powerful pistols.” Since they were filming a YouTube video, a GoPro captured the entire tragedy as it unfolded. However, authorities have declared that the resulting footage shall not be released.
Perez is currently pregnant with the couple’s second child, and their toddler daughter is said to have been in the room when the shooting occurred. Reportedly, Ruiz had been shooting books with the pistol, and Perez says he persuaded her to try the stunt by showing her that a bullet didn’t penetrate one book. Following this disastrous happening, Perez has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, and if convicted, she could spend a decade behind bars.