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PHOENIX -- Police said Monday that a teenager has accidentally shot and killed her brother while playing with a handgun.

The shooting occurred around 5:30 a.m. at the family's apartment near 37th Avenue and McDowell Road. Phoenix police said Manuel Ortiz, 22, and his 19-year-old sister had been posing for pictures with the gun when it went off.

Ortiz was shot in the head and died at the scene.

One of the three witnesses told police that Ortiz, his sister and at least one other person had been drinking and that someone offered a handgun for photo purposes.

The sister has been questioned and released; police are still investigating.

Associated Press contributed to this article.

KTAR Newsroom,

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17 Comments   |   Join the conversation »
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  • Abuse
    Steve wrote...
    Another sad story
    December 31, 2012 8:27 am
    People acting stupid and someone pays for it. I was a bit ticked but not surprised when the news coverage also included that they did not know who owned the gun. Who owned the gun is irrelevant.
  • Abuse
    wrote...
    Living in America
    December 31, 2012 8:53 am
    ..is like living in a Clint Eastwood Movie. You gotta ask yourself, "Do ya feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"
  • Abuse
    wrote...
    Looks
    December 31, 2012 11:14 am
    Like another shooting in maryvale. This really isn't newsworthy.
  • Abuse
    SurpriseMe wrote...
    gun safety course
    December 31, 2012 3:58 pm
    missed opportunity . gun education in this family would have saved a life. If you own a gun you must force every member of the family to go through a gun safety course. It will save lives. We do it in my family. my daugthers refuses to go over to a friends house because they have guns and per friends father have not taken gun safety course.
  • Abuse
    Michoacan wrote...
    SurpriseMe, thanks for providing the fine
    December 31, 2012 5:14 pm
    and not uncommon example that illustrates the fact that having more guns in the hands of citizens does not always make the community safer.
  • Abuse
    wrote...
    37th Avenue and McDowell Road?
    December 31, 2012 5:37 pm
    Yep,Just another day in Scaryvale.Nothing to see here folks move along.
  • Abuse
    wrote...
    19-year-old sister had been posing for pictures
    December 31, 2012 5:40 pm
    With a gun?...Hmm gotta have those New Years eve Gang photo's for the New Year don't ya know.
  • Abuse
    wrote...
    Another young life lost needlessly ~
    December 31, 2012 7:30 pm
    But let's all remember what's really important - the 2nd amendment and our "right" to bear arms as interpreted over 200 years ago - and which has little bearing on today's slaughter of the innocents.
  • Abuse
    Rjnotjonny wrote...
    lol at those blaming the gun
    January 1, 2013 1:56 am
    The first mistake was the alcohol, and the second was no one was smart enough to check and see if it was loaded WHILE PLAYING WITH A REAL FIREARM. It is sad somebody died here, but stop blaming the gun for someones stupidity. What should be being asked here is who didn't lock up their gun properly? Who even decided to bring it out in the first place? Who never checked to see if it was loaded? Instead of blaming the gun for the death, look at those who were dumb enough to point a real firearm at people in the first place, especially before checking to make sure it was unloaded and safe first.
  • Abuse
    wrote...
    And
    January 1, 2013 7:17 am
    How many more thugs died in maryvale last night...being NYE and all?

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