18-year-old shot dead day after graduation by fellow teen who thought gun was unloaded: police

A Tennessee teenager graduated from high school Friday and was fatally shot the next day, apparently by another teen, who told police he did not know the gun was loaded.

Lily Basil, 18, of Franklin, was killed Saturday in a shooting that happened a day after she celebrated her graduation, Page High School Principal Katie Hill said in a statement to HuffPost.

“Her smile lit up every room she entered,” Hill wrote. “Although she was new to the Page community, she quickly embraced the Patriot spirit and was a friend to everyone she met.”

Matthew Roufail, 18, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide following the shooting, a Franklin police spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost. His bail was set at $150,000.

According to an affidavit cited by local FOX affiliate WZTV, officers responded to a 911 caller who said he was taking Basil to the hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the right shoulder. The police told him to stop and wait for paramedics.

Basil was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, about 4 miles from where she was shot, according to the outlet. She was pronounced dead shortly after.

A witness at the scene of the shooting identified the suspect as Roufail, who they said left to go to another hospital, according to the outlet.

Roufail allegedly told police that he shot Basil with an AR-15-style rifle that he thought was unloaded, according to the Williamson Herald, a local news site. A witness told police that Roufali shot Basil with a .22 caliber rifle “in the trunk of his car.”

Basil's family held a celebration of life ceremony at a local church on Friday.

Tennessee has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the United States, according to Everytown, a gun control nonprofit, which cited the state's permissive gun laws. open carry and no background check requirements for those looking to purchase firearms.