"It happened so fast," said Sharice Anderson.
She and her younger sister, Chelsey, were stopping by 24-year-old Tyler Ruiz's Mesa apartment early Monday to grab some clothes. Sharice said Chelsey had just broken up with Ruiz the week prior.
"It was like one moment we're speaking and talking... and the next minute, I'm trying to play dead on the floor," Anderson said.
According to Mesa police, Ruiz pulled the trigger on Chelsey and her sister before killing himself on Monday. Chelsey didn't make it. The couple's 1-year-old son was inside the apartment unharmed. Sharice was shot five times and, miraculously, is already recovering out of the hospital.
Flipping through photo books, Chelsey's family told ABC15 the 23-year-old believed in "living life to the fullest."
She was a performer at heart -- singing and dancing ballet through high school and, in 2010, was crowned Miss Black Teen Arizona.
Greg Anderson remembers his daughter's compassion.
"If she had a problem she would rather help you with your problem than her own," he said.
Family members are now caring for Chelsey and Ruiz's 1-year-old son.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with funeral expenses.
A car wash fundraiser is also being held to raise money for Sharice's medical expenses and that young boy:
WHEN: Sunday, February 11, 2018, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Family Life Assembly of God, 5402 West Union Hills Dr., Glendale, AZ 85308
