Mother of Shantasia O’Brian said cops told her shooting was accident

The distraught mother of a 17-year-old Queens lady shot useless whereas sitting within the passenger’s seat of a automobile instructed The Publish Sunday that the gun might have fired unintentionally when the gunman was playing around with the weapon.

The 15-year-old suspect had the weapon with him within the again seat when Shantasia O’Brian was shot within the again, mom Karen O’Brian mentioned in an interview. The alleged shooter was the youthful brother of the sufferer’s boyfriend, who was within the driver’s seat throughout the lethal incident, O’Brian mentioned.

“I don’t know what he was doing with a gun. It doesn’t make any sense, why do it’s a must to play with a gun?” O’Brian mentioned of the alleged teen shooter.

“And he was there with a gun and he shot her. The officer instructed me he was enjoying with the gun and it was an accident. It was an accident, however I misplaced my youngster and she will be able to’t come again.”

The boy was charged Saturday with manslaughter, legal possession of a weapon within the second diploma and tampering with bodily proof, cops mentioned.

O’Brian, 44, mentioned authorities instructed her Shantasia probably didn’t know the gun was within the automobile.

“So she acquired shot and didn’t even know what was occurring,” she mentioned from her Queens Village dwelling.

She mentioned police additionally instructed her they don’t know extra as a result of the suspect’s mother and father lawyered up.

“In order that they don’t know the place he acquired the gun from. They don’t know the place the gun got here into play,” O’Brian mentioned.

“They don’t know what occurred,” she continued. “They only know she was the passenger within the entrance seat and he was within the again, enjoying with a gun, and he unintentionally shot her.” 

All of the extra devastating, Shantasia was dwelling for the weekend from Stony Brook College on Lengthy Island the place she was a freshman to have fun her 18th birthday Saturday.

The evening of the taking pictures, her mom deliberate on taking her out to have fun. She now regrets choosing her up Thursday to carry her dwelling.

“And now I’ve this guilt on my conscience,” O’Brian mentioned.

When she obtained a telephone name from Shantasia’s cellphone shortly after 5 p.m., as an alternative of her daughter on the opposite line it was the teenager’s boyfriend O’Brian didn’t know she had.

“He mentioned, ‘Shanny’s been shot.’ I began screaming. I mentioned, ‘Who’s this?’ and he wouldn’t say who he was,” O’Brian recalled.

“He mentioned, ‘They’re taking her to the hospital.’ I mentioned, ‘What hospital? What hospital?’ And he mentioned, ‘Once we discover out we’ll let you realize.’” 

Shantasia was rushed to Jamaica hospital by way of EMS the place she was pronounced useless simply earlier than 6 p.m.

The aspiring pharmacist was enthusiastic about faculty, O’Brian mentioned. Since elementary faculty, she by no means acquired into bother and was a straight-A scholar.

“So this actually hurts me that that’s simply it. That’s it? Shanny’s simply gone and that’s simply it? I can’t settle for that. I don’t assume it’s honest to her, both,” O’Brian mentioned.

“This boy doesn’t know what number of lives he ruined. My coronary heart is in shambles.”

Shantasia leaves behind three siblings, together with her child sister who requested her mom why docs couldn’t give her huge sister a brand new coronary heart to stay.

“I inform her, ‘It doesn’t work that approach.’ She mentioned, “ ‘Mother, I’m by no means going to see her once more?’ I mentioned, ‘No, Shanny’s gone. She’s gone.’ ”