Popular TikTokker charged with manslaughter after accidentally shooting friend

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A TikTokker with 1.6 million followers shot and killed her friend in a horrific accident, police say.

According to a court filing by the state of Texas, the shooting happened on 17 January. Mary Anne Oliver-Snow, who goes by “yandere.freak” on TikTok, was drinking with some friends at her home in Houston when she allegedly brought out a gun that she said her ex-boyfriend had left behind, which she believed was unloaded.

At that point, according to the court filing, Ms Oliver-Snow “did then and there unlawfully, recklessly cause the death of Helen Rose Hastings by pointing a handgun at the complainant and pulling the trigger”.

Ms Oliver-Snow has been charged with manslaughter. Police say she has been “cooperative” and willingly gave a statement, in which she insisted she didn’t know the gun would shoot.

Ms Hastings had been a freshman at Oberlin College in Ohio. In Oberlin’s school newspaper, friends remembered her for her “laughter, enthusiasm, and compassion”.

“Helen had this really bubbly, really energetic personality and a good sense of humor,” fellow freshman Zach Gershon told the paper.

Ms Hastings had been friends with Ms Oliver-Snow since high school, police said, and by January had been staying at Ms Oliver-Snow’s house “for a couple of months”.

The young women were fans of the Batman fictional universe, Ms Oliver-Snow told police, and enjoyed “cosplaying” as the characters. Tragically, that fantasy may have played a role in Ms Hastings’ death.

“The Defendant stated they were watching ‘Gotham’ and said she was drunk, laughing, messing around,” on the night of the accident, police said, “and told her friends she had a gun like Penguin does”.

“The Defendant said the Complainant came up to her,” the report continues, “and was joking around telling the Defendant, ‘Ooooh shoot me.’ As they were laughing the Defendant said ‘Oh ok,’ and said it went off.”

After her arrest, Ms Oliver-Snow was released on $20,000 bond, Dexerto reported. An evidence exchange in her case is scheduled for 21 October.