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US prosecutors have released shocking footage showing the moments leading up to the death of Youtuber Pedro Ruiz, who died after asking his girlfriend to shoot him with a high-calibre pistol in a video stunt.

Footage released by Minnesota officials shows how Mr Ruiz urged his girlfriend to shoot him with a gold-plated gun to see if a .50-caliber bullet could pass through a book.

In the shocking clip, Mr Ruiz, 22, shows off the .50-caliber Desert Eagle handgun and the bullet he wanted Monalisa Perez to fire at him as he held a hardcover encyclopedia against his chest. The couple planned to post the video on YouTube.

In the tape, Mr Ruiz can be heard to say: "If I die, I'm pretty much ready to go to heaven right now."

"The most trustworthy person that I trust in this world is my girlfriend, Monalisa", he says.

Perez is heard pleading with her boyfriend. She says: "I can't do it, babe. I'm so scared."

"Babe, I'm not doing this, I can't."

"Babe, if I kill you what's gonna happen to my life. Like no this isn't OK," she said. "I don't want to be responsible."

Mr Ruiz tells her, "As long as you hit the book, you'll be fine. Come on."

The bullet went through the book, killing Mr Ruiz. Video of the shooting and aftermath were not released.

Perez, 20, of Redfield, South Dakota, was sentenced earlier this year to 180 days in jail for second-degree manslaughter. Her sentence will be served in 30-day instalments each year for six years.