#15-Year-Old Girl Accidentally Shoots Herself Dead With Submachine Gun While Filming TikTok

A 15-year-old girl died after accidentally shooting herself with a submachine gun while recording a video for TikTok.

According to local outlet Proceso, Yazmin Esmeralda was visiting her grandmother’s house in Sinaloa, Mexico, with her mother and younger brother when she discovered a 9mm Uzi submachine gun stashed away at the bottom of a bedroom closet. The teenager asked her brother to record her holding the weapon so she could upload the video to TikTok. That’s when things then took a heartbreaking turn…

The gun accidentally went off and instantly killed Esmeralda. Her mom immediately woke up to the sounds of the gunshots, she told local outlets, and quickly made the heartbreaking discovery.

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Following the tragic incident, Sinaloa’s state prosecutor Sara Bruna Quiñonez Estrada told Vice World News it is unclear why the weapon was in the house — since it’s difficult for civilians to purchase firearms in Mexico, especially this particular weapon of war. According to Estrada, the army stopped using the Uzi a while ago after finding its safety lock was difficult to use and could unexpectedly discharge. Additionally, gun permits are expensive in Mexico and often take years to process. There is also only one official gun shop in the country — hence why officials were puzzled as to how the firearm ended up in the home.

But as Vice reports, weapons are still purchased in US gun shops and illegally brought across the border, primarily to arm cartel members in Mexico. Estrada said in a statement to the outlet:

“The fact that there were weapons in the house, that weren’t controlled, is the responsibility of the adults who knew there were children in the house. That she chose to record a clip [in that way] shows that our youth is immersed in that culture. It’s what they hear about at all hours.”

Sinaloa is home to the cartel previously headed by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is now serving a life sentence at a maximum-security prison in Colorado. According to Vice, he grew the Sinaloa cartel into one of the most successful criminal organizations in the world. But despite being locked away, Guzman still influences many who live in the area. Maria Teresa Guerra Ochoa, the head of the state’s women’s ministry, explained to Vice:

“There are sectors [of society] that admire drug traffickers. Many of them come from poverty and so they’re seen as symbols of success.”

It’s not yet known if someone in Yazmin’s family was involved with cartels or just had the weapon for recreation. But it’s clear this awful tragedy could have been avoided if the gun had not been in the house.

Our heart breaks for Yazmin’s loved ones at this time.

[Image via TikTok/Vice News/YouTube]