Fort Worth woman in prison for fatally shooting friend as she played with rifle
In the early hours of Aug. 26, 2019, A’zjah Lampkin and her friends, Rytwann Lee and his girlfriend, were in Lampkin’s bedroom talking and jokingly having disagreements.
The three were staying at Lampkin’s Fort Worth home.
At some point, the then 18-year-old Lampkin grabbed a rifle, began playing with it and pointing it at Lee’s girlfriend, according to court documents.
Tragedy then ripped through the Fort Worth home.
As Lampkin lifted the weapon away, the rifle fired, striking Lee in the face and killing him.
Lampkin began screaming, saying she was sorry and she has a baby, according to a warrant.
The teen was later arrested and charged with manslaughter in the case.
Last month, Lampkin, 20, was sentenced to four years in prison in the shooting death. She remained at the Linda Woodman State Jail in Gatesville on Wednesday.
Family members of Lee, who was 19, and Lampkin could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Lampkin’s arrest warrant was obtained this week by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and provided these brief details of the shooting:
Several people were in the home in the 5100 block of Bonnell Avenue in Fort Worth on the morning of Aug. 26, 2019, but there were only three in the bedroom where the shooting occurred — Lampkin, Lee and Lee’s girlfriend.
Lee and Lee’s girlfriend had been staying with his mother, but on this day they were staying at Lampkin’s home on Bonnell Avenue.
At some point, Lampkin grabbed the rifle, which she kept in the bedroom. She pointed the weapon at Lee’s girlfriend until Lee and Lee’s girlfriend told her to stop doing that.
Lee’s girlfriend told detectives Lampkin was pulling the rifle away when she heard a gunshot and immediately saw Lee bleeding. Lampkin began screaming.
Initially, Lampkin told detectives all three of them were playing with the rifle, then they put it aside and went to sleep. Lampkin told police that after the lights were turned off, she heard a gunshot and she heard Lee’s girlfriend screaming.
But as detectives continued to question her, Lampkin’s story changed and she admitted that she was holding the rifle.
Lampkin told detectives her finger was on the trigger when she was lifting the rifle and the weapon fired.
Lampkin told detectives she had fired weapons in the past.
