A small community in Arizona is in shock after a security guard said he accidentally shot and killed his 19-year-old girlfriend while trying to frighten her with his firearm.

According to KVOA, deputies from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office were called to the Red Rock Feeding in Red Rock just before 7 p.m. on Monday, where the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Ramiro Delcid, 20, told investigators that he was sitting in his work truck when he unloaded his weapon, pointed it at his girlfriend and pulled the trigger.

KPHO reported that Delcid had just started working at the company as a security guard and that his boss had no idea he was armed.

“This case is a tragic reminder of how quickly a life can be taken by those who handle firearms irresponsibly,” Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu noted in a statement on Tuesday. “Ramiro took the life of his girlfriend because he thought it would be funny to scare her with a gun. His poor judgment and decision making took the life of this young woman with her entire life ahead.”

Delcid was being held at the Pinal County Jail after being booked on charges of negligent homicide.

Watch this video from KPHO, broadcast Oct. 16, 2013.

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CBS 5 – KPHO

(h/t: Talking Points Memo)