Inset: David Anthony Vargas Acker (GoFundMe). Background: Deputies investigate his death (WOFL).
Authorities have reportedly announced a criminal case against a girl for allegedly shooting and killing a 16-year-old boy.
The victim, David Anthony Vargas Acker, 16, was fatally shot July 30 while he, the girl, and a friend were playing with a gun, said the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Florida, according to Fox Orlando affiliate WOFL.
"He was only 16 and had so much more life ahead of him. He was always so full of joy," family said in a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the funeral and legal fees amid the ongoing investigation. "David brought laughter, happiness and light into every room he entered. He had so much love to go around. This tragedy has left a huge void not only in our lives, but everyone who had the privilege to experience David."
David had brought the gun to the home on the 1100 block of Easton Street, deputies reportedly said. That ended in tragedy that early morning July 30. He, the girl, and a friend were pointing it at each other and posed with it. Then the girl pointed it at David and pulled the trigger, authorities claim.
Charged as a juvenile, the girl is now facing a count of aggravated manslaughter of a child. Authorities arrested her Wednesday, according to CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG.
"Just feels like a nightmare, and we want to wake up from it," the boy's mother, Veronica Acker, told the outlet in an Aug. 1 report.
"I haven't eaten in three days," his father, David Vargas, said. "Can't stop crying. I wake up crying, go to sleep crying. They practically had to drag me to my bed yesterday."
David Acker was the fourth of their six children. He planned on graduating early from high school and working alongside his father as a contractor.
"David was the glue," Veronica Acker said. "He was the glue that kept this family together."
Note: Citing reporting that referenced deputies, the original version of this article described the defendant as David Acker's girlfriend. In a statement obtained by Law&Crime, the sheriff's office described her as his girlfriend. David's mother, however, told Law&Crime the girl was just a friend.
