Teen shot dead while working at McDonald's drive-thru
A 16-year-old girl has been killed after a man allegedly shot her through a McDonald’s drive-thru window in a “random” attack.
Kylee Leniz had been working at the restaurant in Elko, a city in the US state of Nevada, on Sunday night (local time) when the tragedy occurred.
The Elko Police Department said a man fired a gun through the window, fatally striking the young employee. She was rushed to hospital where she later died.
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Police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Justin Michael Mullis and arrested him on Monday before charging him with one count of open murder.
“The investigation is ongoing, however the crime appears to be random and there is no known connection between Mullis and the victim,” police said in a statement.
McDonald’s owner-operator Chris Kassity was deeply saddened by the tragedy, Elko Daily reported.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the employee during this deeply difficult time,” he said in a statement.
Tributes to the teen have flooded a Facebook page set up in the aftermath of her death, with many saying she was too young to die.
“Nothing will ever be the same without you here,” one wrote.
“You were such a bright happy soul and had nothing but love for the ones that loved you,” another said.
A woman who had worked with Kylee said she could not understand “who would take a precious little girl like you”.
“All you have to do is smile and you melt a heart,” she said.
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