A 27-year-old Connecticut man is in police custody on suspicion of shooting his 16-year-old girlfriend in the head before she died in a car crash on Monday. Police responding to the single-vehicle accident in Waterbury, Conn., found 16-year-old Evalyce Santiago dead inside a silver Nissan.
Police arrested Santiago’s “visibly shaken” boyfriend Dominique Pittman at the scene of the crash. The suspect, who had been driving, reportedly shot Santiago before crashing the car into utility poles. He suffered only minor injuries, the NY Daily News reported.
Grieving family members say Pittman has three children by Santiago’s older sister.
The family created a GoFundMe account to help pay the funeral expenses. The fund raised $987 of the $10,000 goal by early Wednesday.
“Evelyce had a vibrant life ahead of her. She was full of joy and laughter and knew how to light up a room,” the family wrote.
The age of consent in Connecticut is 16, though it is not known how long the couple had been dating.
