Two young adults shot at screening of ‘Forever Purge’ in California

One young adult was killed and another seriously injured in a shooting late Monday at a California movie theater’s screening of the dystopian horror film “The Forever Purge,” according to police. 

The Corona Police Department said in a Tuesday press release that officers had responded to a report of an incident at a Regal Cinemas location in the city, which is located almost 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. 

Officers said that an 18-year-old woman found with gunshot wounds was pronounced dead at the scene and a 19-year-old man who had also apparently been shot was taken to a nearby hospital with “life-threatening injuries.” 

The department later in the day identified the woman killed as Rylee Goodrich, and the male victim as Anthony Barajas, adding that the two had attended the movie showing together.

It is not clear who may have fired the gunshots, though police later Tuesday said that the incident was being investigated as a homicide.

Police noted that they had completed their sweep of the crime scene, adding that while investigators had “recovered items of evidentiary value,” they did not find a firearm within the theater. 

Police are still looking for anyone who may have been in the theater at the time, with department spokesman Cpl. Tobias Kouroubacalis telling local news outlet KTLA that six tickets had been sold for the movie showing. 

“We don’t know what exactly happened in there,” Kouroubacalis explained. “We’re still taking a step-by-step process, going through every seat, going through every part of that movie theater to find any kind of evidence we have, and also asking for the public’s help at the same time.”

Regal Cinemas said in a statement shared with KTLA and other news outlets that it was “working with the local authorities regarding the investigation.” 

“Our primary concern is for the safety and security of our guests and staff,” the company added. 

“The Forever Purge,” released on July 4, is the fifth installment of the “Purge” film franchise, which depicts fictional stories of an annual event in which all crime, including murder, is legal for a 12-hour period across the country.