Teen Playing With TikTok Challenge Orbeez Gun Dead After Corrections Officer Shot Him in the Face, Police Say
An off-duty corrections officer has been charged with murder after fatally shooting a New York City teenager in possession of a toy water gun featured in a notorious TikTok challenge.
Dion Middleton, 45, was also charged with manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon after taking the life of Raymond Chaluisant, 18, in the Bronx. Cops say Chaluisant was inside a car firing an Orbeez gun—a toy that fires water-filled pellets and is associated with a viral challenge on the social-media platform—though it’s unclear who or what the teen may have been aiming at. Middleton then shot the youngster with a real firearm, firing several rounds, according to sources cited by the Daily News. Chaluisant’s sister, Jiraida Esquilin, told the publication that her younger sibling was just taking part in a water fight with friends.
“I can’t believe a corrections officer killed my brother,” Esquilin said. “Everything nowadays is a rage thing. They were just having fun,” she added. “It’s a new nerf gun that shoots water. The whole neighborhood was having a water gun fight. It was 90 degrees.”