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Shootings

Woman shot and killed after witnessing a robbery while playing Pokémon Go, police say

A girl playing Pokemon Go on her mobile phone.

Police in New Mexico are searching for the people who fatally shot a 21-year-old woman while she was playing Pokémon Go near her home.

Cayla Campos and her boyfriend, were playing the popular mobile game near Bianchetti Park just before midnight Friday, according to the Albuquerque Police Department. Then the pair saw two people attempting to rob someone in a car.

As Campos turned her car to flee the area, multiple shots were fired into her vehicle, police said. One of the bullets hit Campos, causing her to crash into a nearby home.

She was taken to a hospital but later died of her injuries.

Twenty-one-year-old Cody Bell, a friend of Campos', called her "one of the best people I've ever met" and said she was always able to make people laugh, in a message to USA TODAY.

"She's touched the hearts of so many people and this has been hard for everyone to deal with," Bell wrote. "Everyone lost someone who was special. I'm still in such disbelief and shock about this."

Police said Tuesday that they have not been contacted by the victims of the robbery, but have received several anonymous tips and are pursuing leads.

Teens shot at while playing Pokemon Go:Pokémon players shot at in Palm Coast, Fla.

Pokemon Go, which became a viral sensation when it was released in 2016, encourages players to explore their neighborhoods and cities to find and capture digital Pokemon.

"We encourage users to use their own judgment about which parts of the city or countryside they feel safe going to at various times of day or night," the game's website states.

Although the app warns players about safety and awareness, several people have been injured and killed while playing the app.

An 18-year-old girl was stabbed and robbed while playing the game with a friend in a California park in 2016. A month later, a 20-year-oldman was fatally shot while playing the game at apark in San Francisco.

In 2018, a father and son were arrested after brutally beating another Pokemon player during a dispute about the game.

"We want to express our deepest condolences to Ms. Campos' family and friends at this terrible time," Niantic Inc., the software company that developed Pokemon Go, said in a statement. 

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Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg

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