AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — The suspect accused of killing a 15-year-old girl on New Year’s Day was waving the gun, and pointing it at people before the shooting, according to court records obtained by ABC 7 News.
Jeremiah Luke Lajuan Matthews, 17, is charged with manslaughter, in the shooting death of 15-year-old Brynlee Hampton.
Around 1:10 a.m. Thursday, police were called to a reported shooting in the 6000 block of Westwind Ave., where officers located a vehicle. Hampton, identified in court documents by her initials, was a front-seat passenger and had been shot. She was transported to Northwest Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Investigators reported finding a single bullet hole in the rear of the front passenger seat and blood on the seat. According to the complaint, the vehicle’s juvenile driver told officers she, Hampton, and her other six passengers, were leaving a party when the shooting occurred.
Multiple passengers told police Jeremiah had been handling a firearm inside the vehicle, waving it around and pointing it at the faces of passengers, according to the documents. One passenger said the gun discharged while Jeremiah was playing with it. The driver initially thought the sound was fireworks before realizing Hampton had been shot.
The driver attempted to call her mother for help, the complaint states. But she said Jeremiah tried to stop her.
According to documents, Landrey Korde Matthews, 17, took the gun from Jeremiah and threw it down the street. Police later recovered a gun in that area, the complaint states.
Landrey is charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair an investigation.
Brynlee played volleyball at Tascosa High School where she was also a member of the National Honor Society.
“Our hearts are broken,” said Tascosa Volleyball on Facebook. “Brynnlee was a light on and off the court. We hold her family, friends and teammates in our thoughts and prayers as we mourn together and honor her memory.”