Woman jailed after TikTok Live spat ends in fight, shooting in Liberty City, police say

MIAMI — A Miami woman is facing an aggravated battery charge after they said a fight to “settle ongoing arguments that were being held through TikTok Live” led to a victim being shot on Tuesday.

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Celia Penichet Lopez, 41, is facing an aggravated battery charge. Miami police said the shooting happened at around 9:30 p.m. near her home in the 1100 block of Northwest 57th Street in the city’s Liberty City neighborhood.

Authorities said the victim and two witnesses met with a group of women to fight over the online dispute at Miller J. Dawkins Mini Park and then walked back to the victim’s home.

One witness said she believed that the group was being followed. A few minutes before the shooting, another witness “was called/texted by an unknown number to come outside the house to continue fighting,” according to police.

“Upon going outside, (the first witness) stated that they got into a verbal argument with the group that arrived,” an arrest report states. “A Black male wearing all black and a black mask from the offending group then began to reach into his waistband. (The witness) stated she believed the offender was about to brandish a firearm and she began to run.”

The witness then heard multiple shots being fired and “found the victim screaming,” having been shot in the leg, police said.

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Police said after reviewing videos, it turned out that the victim had been caught in the crossfire: They said the clips showed the man taking the gun out and pointing it at the group, but putting it back, turning his back and walking away before Penichet, whose stepdaughter had been involved in the altercation, began firing at him.

They said the victim was shot after the man fired eight shots back at Penichet.

Authorities said she claimed that she only fired at the man when fired upon, but later admitted, after being shown surveillance video, that she opened fire first.

Police concluded: “After reviewing the surveillance footage and (Penichet’s) statement, it was determined that the male was not a threat and was actively removing himself from the area when the defendant decided to discharge her firearm at him. The male only returned fire after (Penichet) shot first.”

Penichet’s actions, they said, “initiated the chain of events that ultimately led to the victim’s injuries.”

Records show Penichet was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond following her arrest.

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