Lesbian teen dead, another in hospital after shooting

BY NATASHA BARSOTTI – A double shooting in a Portland, Texas, park has taken the life of Mollie Judith Olgin, 19, and leaves Mary Christine Chapa, 18, in serious condition, the Huffington Post reports.

Olgin was pronounced dead at Violet Andrews Park. Chapa underwent emergency surgery and is listed in stable condition, according to the Corpus Christi Caller, which originally reported on the shootings.

Friends of the two women say they had been dating for five months. Portland police chief Randy Wright reportedly told MSNBC that it has yet to be determined if the women’s sexuality was a motive for the shootings, adding that “that’s always something we’re looking for.” Various news media are reporting that investigators believe the two women walked down a trail into knee-deep grass and were then shot with a large-calibre handgun. Police have yet to identify any suspects.

A report on the shootings is at kris-tv.com.

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

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