Yahoo Finance One teen fatally shot, another wounded watching The Forever Purge at California movie theater
Google Maps The Regal Edwards theater in Corona, Calif.
An 18-year-old woman was killed and a 19-year-old man was critically injured in a shooting at a movie theater in Corona, Calif., on Monday night, police said.
According to multiple local news outlets, the victims were found by a theater employee after a screening of The Forever Purge, the fifth installment of the dystopian horror franchise set in a world where all crime is legal for 12 hours ever year.
The Corona Police Department said officers found a man and woman suffering from gunshot wounds when they arrived at the Regal Edwards Corona Crossings RPX theater. Anthony Barajas, a 19-year-old man from Corona, was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Rylee Goodrich, an 18-year-old woman also from Corona, succumbed to her injuries at the scene. "Both victims were inside a theater watching the 9:35 p.m. showing of The Forever Purge," police said in a news release. "The victims attended the showing together."
Jake Giles Netter/Universal Pictures Purgers in 'The Forever Purge,' directed by Everardo Valerio Gout
Police updated the incident from a death investigation to a homicide investigation Tuesday night after explaining "items of evidentiary value" were discovered at the crime scene, but no firearm was found inside the theater. Detectives are still working to identify a suspect or suspects.
Corona PD Cpl. Tobias Kouroubacalis told KTLA that six tickets had been sold for that particular showing and asked anyone who may have been in the theater at that time, or may have seen anything suspicious, to come forward by calling the Corona Police Department at 951-736-2330, option 3, or Senior Detective Dan Neagu at 951-739-4916, or by emailing slaven.neagu@coronaca.gov.
A Regal Theaters spokesperson said in a statement to EW, "We have received confirmation of an incident at our Corona Crossings theatre last night. We are currently working with the local authorities regarding the investigation. Our primary concern is for the safety and security of our guests and staff."
The movie theater was closed Tuesday and expected to reopen Wednesday, according to The Press-Enterprise. However, tickets were unavailable for purchase online for all Wednesday showings when accessed by EW on Wednesday morning.
EW has also reached out to Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, the studio and production company behind the Purge films, for comment.
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