A 20-year-old Florida woman was arrested nearly five months after she allegedly shot and killed a 19-year-old girl with a rifle while she was filming TikToks, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Mariah Clayton was arrested and charged with manslaughter on Oct. 6 for the incident that happened on May 24, resulting in the death of Aniyah Womack, officers said. A warrant for Clayton’s arrest was issued Oct. 5.
On May 24, officers responded to Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville when they were notified of a shooting victim that was driven there, according to an arrest affidavit. Womack was found with a single gunshot wound to her abdomen and ultimately died from her injuries. Officers also detained the driver and the other passenger in the car.
The driver and passenger, identified as Clayton, originally told officials they saw Womack suffering from the gunshot wound as she was walking on a sidewalk, the affidavit said. They told officials they picked her up and took her to the hospital.
Later on, the two told officials what happened – that the incident happened at an apartment complex.
The driver told officials he arrived at an apartment to buy weed. When he got there, the residents said Womack shot herself and needed a ride to the hospital, the affidavit said. He reluctantly agreed to take them, the report added.
When the driver arrived at the hospital, they were met by police. The driver told them that he wasn’t in the apartment at the time of the shooting and didn’t know what happened. Police said his cell phone location data corroborated his story.
Clayton also spoke with officers after she was arrested. Clayton said she, Womack and another man were in the bathroom filming TikTok videos with a rifle, the affidavit said. She, however, reportedly handled the rifle inappropriately, even after she was told that she shouldn’t be playing with it, officers said.
“You all don’t need to be playing with no gun!” a man in the apartment said at the time of the incident, according to the affidavit.
While Clayton was holding the weapon, it discharged, striking Womack and causing her death, the affidavit continued.
Clayton was booked on $250,000 bond.
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