A Florida woman was charged with manslaughter after the rifle she was using as a prop went off during the filming of a TikTok video, authorities said.
A 20-year-old Florida woman has been arrested and charged with manslaughter after a rifle she was using as a prop discharged during the making of a TikTok video, killing the woman who was filming it, deputies said.
Mariah Clayton is being held at the Jacksonville County Jail in lieu of $250,000, according to online jail records. She was taken into custody Friday.
Clayton "was inappropriately handling the rifle and was culpably negligent in her actions even being told that she should not be playing with the rifle,” alleges an arrest warrant affidavit filed by a Jacksonville County Sheriff's deputy.
The victim, Aniyah Womack, died at a nearby hospital from a gunshot wound to the stomach, authorities said.
Womack was filming the TikTok video, authorities said.
Clayton's arrest comes five months after the shooting. Womack's family told local reporters Friday they are still grieving.
"We've had ups and downs. It's been extremely crazy," said cousin Autumn Redding.
"We were able to obtain justice for Aniyah Womack," Redding said. Family members described her as joyful, funny young woman who loved to dance.
Investigators said Clayton and another person took Womack to the hospital after the May 24 shooting. Clayton initially told deputies they had found the wounded woman on the street, and drove her to get medical treatment.
Clayton “later changed her story once confronted,” the arrest warrant affidavit claims.
Authorities said witnesses told them Clayton had been "playing with" a rifle while making a TikTok video in the bathroom of an apartment. Despite being warned by people at the home that she shouldn't be "playing with no gun," Clayton continued to reenact a scene in which she "popped out" of the shower, the arrest warrant alleges.
When someone reached for the rifle to "check something," Clayton pulled away and the gun went off, authorities said, citing witness accounts.
“The culpably negligent actions of Ms. Clayton led her to be directly responsible for the death of Aniyah Womack," the arrest warrant claims.
Clayton is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 30, according to court records. She has no attorney of record, and has not entered a plea.
