Gunshot wound kills girl

Corona teen arrested in death of stepsister

A 14-year-old girl in Corona de Tucson was shot to death Saturday and authorities have arrested her stepbrother, according to Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Dawn Hanke.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 100 block of W. Andrew Potter Street at about 10 p.m., said Hanke, and encountered Alexandria Salinas dead at the scene from a gunshot wound.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene, said Hanke. Upon further investigation, Shelden Andrew Pruitt, 15, was arrested and charged with suspicion of second-degree murder, said Hanke.

Sunday, friends held a vigil for Salinas, who had just started her freshman year at Empire High School, where she was remembered as a good friend.

Pruitt, meanwhile, remained in custody at the Pima County Adult Detention Facility, a Pima County Jail booking clerk said.

He was being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond, she said.

Pruitt appeared in video court on Sunday, authorities said.

The teens’ parents were not home at the time of the shooting, but other siblings were, said Hanke.

She said Pruitt was allegedly in the room with his sister who was on the phone and left the room only to re-enter with a handgun and shot her once in the head.

Because he is 15 and the nature of the crime, Pruitt may be tried as an adult.

Vail School District officials expressed sadness on the loss of one its students.

School Superintendent Calvin Baker said the district would have staff available at several district schools to give students someone to talk with if they’re upset.

Baker said the students involved in the incident have impacted several district schools, including Corono Foothills Middle School, Vail High School, Empire High School and Cienega High School.

Salinas was a recent graduate of Corona Foothills Middle School.

Chris Dabovich and Adam Bernal are staffers with the Vail Sun, a sister newspaper of the Green Valley News with Wick Communications Co.