PHOENIX — Brittany Gutierrez-Bugarin had a bright future ahead of her.
In May, she turned 18 years old, graduated high school, and was getting ready to start an Esthetics program. She wanted to be a business owner like her mother one day.
Gutierrez-Bugarin was two months away from celebrating her one-year anniversary with her boyfriend. The two had recently adopted a cat she named Jake Sully.
“She was so silly, she named him after the guy from Avatar,” Alexa Torres told 12News about her little sister. “She had so much going on for herself, she was truly inspiring.”
On Tuesday around 6 a.m. Esmeralda Bugarin woke up to loud knocks on her front door. It was the police bearing bad news, Gutierrez-Bugarin, her youngest child had passed away after a road rage shooting hours before.
“She was an innocent person whose life got taken,” Torres said. “Her life was taken from us by an angry person.”
A young life cut short.
Brittany Gutierrez-Bugarin was shot just before 1 a.m. near 83rd Avenue on Interstate 10, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.
The 18-year-old's family told 12News she and her boyfriend were going home after having dinner when she was injured. They said her boyfriend was driving and Gutierrez-Bugarin was in the passenger seat.
“He called 911,” Torres said. “He tried to help her do live saving measures on her, but when they got to the hospital it was too late.”
The other vehicle involved left the scene. It is believed to be a 2010-style Chrysler 200 that is either silver or gray, DPS said.
It’s still unclear what led up to the shooting.
“She didn’t deserve this,” Bugarin said about her daughter. “She was so young and had a lot to give.”
'A happy girl, truly inspiring'
The 18-year-old was the youngest of three kids in the family.
Esmeralda Bugarin said her daughter was her partner. Her little spoiled princess.
“We lived together and did everything together,” the mother said. “She was a very lovely girl. Wherever she went, she shined.”
Brittany Gutierrez-Bugarin’s family said she was talented, always creating things with her hands. She was an animal lover and had recently been hired as a cashier at PetSmart.
“The day she was able to get her permit, she was like ‘let’s go get my license' and she made her appointment and did it all on her own,” Torres said. “She was very independent.”
They want Gutierrez-Bugarin to be remembered as a happy girl, who inspired others to chase their dreams.
“If that person hadn’t taken her life, she would have achieved all of it,” Esmeralda Bugarin said. “Because everything she set out to do, she achieved.”
As detectives continue investigating the case, the family hopes the community can help them catch those responsible.
“I just really hope they get caught and spend their life behind bars,” the older sister said. “No matter how angry you are, you don’t have the right to take somebody’s life away.”
The family has created a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses, you can donate here.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 1-877-4AZ-TIPS or submit online. The reference incident number is I23047127.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: 'Su vida nos fue arrebatada': La familia clama justicia después de que una joven de 18 años muriera en un tiroteo sobre la I-10
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