New York college freshman fatally shot in car 1 day before her 18th birthday

QUEENS, N.Y. (TCD) -- A 15-year-old boy has been taken into custody after a 17-year-old girl was shot and killed as they sat in a car over the weekend.

According to WPIX-TV, on Friday, Sept. 2, Shantasia O'Brian was found shot in the Rosedale neighborhood of Queens and was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Two people were taken into custody and a 15-year-old was charged with manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence.

WPIX reports the 15-year-old is O'Brian's boyfriend's brother. The three were reportedly in a car when the gun went off.

O'Brian had reportedly just moved into her dorm at the College of Staten Island for her freshman year of college and was back in Queens for Labor Day.

Staten Island Live reports College of Staten Island President Dr. Timothy Lynch wrote in a statement, "As you may have seen in media reports, it is with a heavy heart that I must convey the tragic news of the death of a CSI undergraduate, Shantasia O’Brian, this past weekend. Our hearts go out to her family and friends during this difficult period, and I want to take this time to extend our condolences to all."

O'Brian's mother, Karen O'Brian, told the New York Post police believe the shooting might have been an accident.

She said, "I don’t know what he was doing with a gun. It doesn’t make any sense, why do you have to play with a gun? And he was there with a gun and he shot her. The officer told me he was playing with the gun and it was an accident. It was an accident, but I lost my child and she can’t come back."

The day Shantasia got shot, Karen received a call from her daughter's phone number, but it was a man's voice on the line saying, "Shanny's been shot."

Karen said she has "this guilt on my conscience" because she picked up her daughter to bring her back home for the holiday weekend.

She told the New York Post, "This boy doesn’t know how many lives he ruined. My heart is in shambles."

MORE:

• Boy, 15, arrested in 17-year-old girl’s shooting death in Queens: NYPD - WPIX
• Teenage girl killed in Queens had just moved into college dorms, heartbroken mom says - WPIX
• Girl, 17, killed in apparent accidental shooting in Queens had Staten Island ties. Boy, 15, arrested - Staten Island Live
• Mother of slain NYC girl Shantasia O’Brian says shooting may have been accidental - New York Post