Vigil Held For 18-Year-Old Rylee Goodrich, 1 Of 2 Teen Victims Shot And Killed In Corona Movie Theater
CORONA (CBSLA) - With news of 19-year-old Anthony Barajas's passing Saturday morning, friends, family and mourners gathered outside the Corona movie theater where he and 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich were shot and killed Monday by 20-year-old Joseph Jimenez.
"I want people to know that Rylee was such a beautiful and...one of kind. She just wanted to succeed and make her parents proud," Shane Batilaran said.
Goodrich, a marketing major with a full ride scholarship, and Barajas, a TikTok sensation with nearly a million followers, friends at the vigil missed them most as kind hearted and fun.
Their first date was Monday.
"She would always talk to me, like, 'Shane, you have to meet him. I care about your opinion. You're gonna love him,' this and that," Batilaran said.
Police said Jimenez shot the teenagers during the movie Monday night. Prosecutors said the attack was random and unprovoked. Workers discovered the teens had been shot after the film ended. Goodrich was declared dead at the scene. Barajas clinging to life until today.
The Corona Police Department is working with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office to add an additional count of first-degree murder against Jimenez, officers said.
The Barajas Family released a statement Saturday that said the following:
"With deep faith and the love of family and friends surrounding us, we are mourning the heart-wrenching passing of our beloved Anthony Barajas. From his quick smile to his compassionate heart, Anthony's presence was a gift to all who knew him.
Please provide our family with the grace of space and privacy as we search for ways to keep Anthony's sweet spirit and legacy alive."
Father Walter Jenkins, president of Mater Dei High School where Anthony Barajas graduated, released the following statement with permission from the family:
"From all that we knew of him during his time at Mater Dei and beyond, Anthony Barajas, '19, held at the center of his life his faith in Jesus Christ and his love for those around him. Only our faith in God and our love for one another can comfort us now from the crushing grief of his death. We pray for Anthony. We pray for his extraordinary family. We pray for an end to the kind of violence that led to this wasteful heartbreak.
Anthony was proudly and always a Monarch. As Monarchs, we stand proud of Anthony. And we stand with his family in this difficult time.
Under the patronage of Mater Dei, the Mother of God, who was herself a woman who knew great sorrow, we seek comfort and strength."
A friend of Barajas also tweeted that his organs were donated after he was removed from life support.
"Obviously, an 18-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man do not deserve this and, you know, I know they're our guardian angels right now and they just want us...and I know they want us to be okay," Batilaran said.
GoFundMe pages have been created for the families of Goodrich and Barajas.
Jimenez is being held without bail and is also charged with lying in wait, which makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
