Friend remembers victim shot, killed by brother
By Chris Arnold
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SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) — Family and friends continue to grieve after Salt Lake police say a young girl was shot and killed by her brother in their Poplar Grove home on Wednesday.
The family has given FOX 13 News permission to show you this picture of the victim.
They identify her as 13-year-old Angelica Hernandez, affectionately known as ‘Kica’.
FOX 13 News spoke with her 13-year-old best friend Thursday afternoon, who was surrounded and supported by her parents.
“They became best friends instantly, talking on the phone from the time they get up to sometimes the time they go to bed,” said Tasha Kranendonk, the best friend’s mother.
The teen tearfully told FOX 13 News what she says, happened to her best friend.
She says they were trying to get on a Zoom call for their online math class through Clayton Middle School.
The teen says the link wasn’t working for Hernandez, so she asked the teacher for help in letting her in.
During that time, she told FOX 13 News, she was on a Snapchat call with Hernandez.
While she couldn’t see anything, the best friend says she heard two boys who walked in and Hernandez asking them to leave the room on multiple occasions.
Shortly after, the teen she says heard a gunshot go off.
After calling out Angelica’s name and not getting a response, the teen alerted her mother about what happened.
“She couldn’t speak at first, so, when I finally got her to tell me what is going on, my heart dropped,” said Kranendonk. “I called Clayton Middle School, they are the ones that contacted 911 to send first responders to the house.”
Salt Lake police say they found the victim critically injured when they responded to the home in the 1600 block of West Wright Circle, just after Noon on Wednesday.
Hernandez would be pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
The shooter, later identified as her teenage brother, had left the area before later being spotted boarding a Utah Transit Authority bus.
He was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Juvenile Detention Center on a count of murder.
After the incident on Wednesday, the best friend and her family helped start a makeshift memorial for Hernandez outside of the home.
So far, balloons, flowers, candles and stuffed animals can be seen making up the memorial.
“The only thing I wish would come easy is words and comfort, but, what can you tell your 13-year-old daughter who just lost her best friend,” said Kranendonk.
The name of the suspect hasn’t been released at this time.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Hernandez, if you would like to donate, you can visit their website here: gofundme.com/f/angelica-kica-hernandez
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