Around midnight on October 18, 21 year old Cayla Campos was shot and killed while playing Pokemon GO at a park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She and her boyfriend were sitting in their car playing the game when they witnessed a robbery. Campos and her boyfriend attempted to leave the area, but the robbery suspects shot at their vehicle. Cayla was tragically shot in the head and then crashed her car into a house. She later died of her injuries at a local hospital.
This tragic story has since become viral on the Internet, with many Pokemon GO players on social media and Internet forums offering their condolences and reminding each other to stay safe when playing the augmented reality game. Some of these Pokemon GO fans have also figured out a way to honor Cayla in-game.
Apparently, Cayla's favorite Pokemon was Psyduck, so some Pokemon GO players have started making Psyduck their buddy Pokemon in honor of her. Some have even gone as far as to give their buddy Psyduck "Cayla" as a nickname.
Cayla's tragedy isn't the only time that Pokemon GO has gotten headlines for unfortunate reasons. When Pokemon GO was at the height of its popularity, it played a role in a number of car crashes. The Pokemon GO car crashes caused multiple deaths and millions of dollars in damages. It seems as though most Pokemon GO players have stopped playing the game while behind the wheel, but it's still an occasional problem.
Sadly, Cayla is also not the first person to be killed while playing Pokemon GO. For example, a 20 year old was shot and killed while playing Pokemon GO in San Francisco back in 2016, resulting in a $110,000 reward for information on the murder suspect.
The real world nature of Pokemon GO means it's likely that the game will be associated, however loosely, with other tragedies in the future. There are some Pokemon GO safety precautions that players can practice to try to avoid dangerous situations, but unfortunately, sometimes things like this are unavoidable. All people can hope to do is try their best to stay safe. In the meantime, anyone with information about the robbery suspects who shot and killed Cayla Campos are encouraged to reach out to the Albuquerque police department at 505-242-2677.