‘Ray of sunshine’: Premila Lal, 18, was killed after a prank went wrong (Picture: Facebook)

A teenager described by her father as a ‘ray of sunshine’ was shot dead by a close friend in a prank that went tragically wrong.

Premila Lal, 18, was allegedly fired at by Nerreck Daniel Galley, 21, after she hid in a cupboard and jumped out to surprise him.

The high-school graduate, from Longmont, Colorado, was taken to hospital on Friday night but died shortly afterwards.

Her father, Praveen, said she was ‘a ray of sunshine everywhere she went’.


He told CBS Denver: ‘My life ended so suddenly and I think it’s going to take a few more days for us to really comprehend she’s gone.’



Premila and her 12-year-old cousin were supposed to be attending her old school’s homecoming football game but sneaked into the family home on the way. It was almost empty as the family was in the process of moving house, but Galley has been asked to stay behind and look after the property.

The pair hid in a closet and made noises to scare Galley and Premila’s 15-year-old brother, who was with him at the time.

But the joke went tragically wrong when Galley, a gun owner, gave the teenage boy a firearm and they began to search the house. Galley is alleged to have opened fire once they isolated the sounds.

Family friend: Nerreck Daniel Galley, 21, faces charges over the events leading up to Premila’s death (Picture: Facebook)

He and the others rushed Premila to Longmont United Hospital, where he spoke with her father briefly before his arrest.

Mr Lal said he felt no anger towards Galley, from Orem, Utah, who is being held over charges relating to child abuse, reckless endangerment and permitting a juvenile to have a firearm.

‘He is like an older son to me,’ he told the Longmont Times-Call. ‘He has got a life sentence already.’

Police were looking at whether Galley should be charged over Premila’s death.

But Mr Lal said the family did not want him to go to prison.

‘We lost a daughter, so we don’t want anybody else to lose their son – especially when it was an accident,’ he said.