Texas Teen Killed Over ‘Social Media Beef’
A Texas 16-year-old was reportedly killed on Monday (October 26) in a shooting that police say involved a “social media beef.”
Houston police officers responded to a shooting and found teenager Mareja Pratt dead on the scene. Two other adult victims, Dekambrie Pratt, 20, and Anthony Thornabar, 32, were taken to the hospital, according to HPD, and are expected to survive.
While police have not yet identified the teenage victim, Mareja Pratt’s family confirmed the tragic news with ABC 13.
"This appears to involve an ongoing social media beef with our three victims that came to this location to engage the people," Houston police department Commander David Angelo said, according to the news station.
Kira Walton, Pratt's cousin, told ABC 13 that another girl "kept picking on her on Instagram, sending people pictures saying she was a prostitute" and that the other girl had been "messing with her to the point my cousin used to cry about it."
"I feel like my whole soul was ripped out," Walton added. "This is hard on my family. So hard."
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help with Pratt’s funeral costs.
"My little sister was only 16 she had so much life!" he wrote in the campaign’s description. "She was in her books & focused on school. Everyone loved her she always kept a smile on her face & everyone happy... She stood out when she walked in the room!"
According to a press release obtained by PEOPLE, Houston Police say that witnesses saw a "Black male suspect" exiting "a red Chrysler 200 and shooting multiple times at the victims."
"The male suspect, along with three females, then got into the vehicle and fled the scene in an unknown direction," the release said.
Anyone with information surrounding the shooting please call the Houston Police Department Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
