In a tragic turn of events, a woman allegedly shot and killed her friend after claiming she felt “good” just hours before the incident, reportedly while under the influence of drugs.
Jamica Mills, 32, is accused of fatally shooting her friend, 26-year-old pharmacy student Ariel Spillner, on November 4. Only two hours prior to the alleged shooting, Mills broadcasted a live video on Facebook, which was later reviewed by the Daily Mail.
During the 11-minute livestream, Mills declared to her audience that she was “clean from all that stuff,” seemingly referring to drugs, and expressed that she “felt good for real” while playing religious music in the background.
Throughout the broadcast, Mills appeared to engage in conversation with an unseen woman while listening to tracks by gospel artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard.
According to a criminal complaint, Mills claimed the shooting was accidental, explaining that paranoia led her to believe her friend was about to stab her while they were smoking marijuana together.
The document also revealed that Mills confessed to shooting herself in the stomach during the chaotic incident, emphasizing that she never intended to harm Spillner.
She told police that Ariel was supposed to cut her dog’s hair with scissors, but she became paranoid that her friend would use them to attack her so she retrieved a gun from her bedroom, per the complaint.
When she returned, Mills said that Spillner made a ‘hand motion’ that panicked her and led her to shoot her at around 9.40pm, police said.
Mills was found inside her home conscious but on the floor with a gunshot wound and Spillner was pronounced dead at the scene
Jamica Mills livestreamed herself on Facebook just two hours before she is accused of killing Ariel Spillner
Mills was found inside her home conscious but on the floor with a gunshot wound, and Spillner was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Ruger LCP .380 caliber handgun and two spent .380 caliber casings were also found in the home.
Mills allegedly became combative as she was transferred to the hospital.
Police said that she was initially uncooperative when first interviewed and told investigators that she could not remember what happened between waking up in her living room and arriving at hospital.
But she allegedly changed her story, admitting she and Ariel both became paranoid after smoking weed together, the complaint states.
Marijuana is illegal for recreational purposes in Milwaukee.
Mills admitted her friend never made any threats to stab her, according to the complaint.
She said that after firing at Splinner, she then walked towards her front door and accidentally shot herself in the stomach.
Authorities conducted a search warrant on the home and arrested another person living with Mills.
Spillner (pictured) was pronounced dead at the scene
During the bizarre stream, Mills blasted gospel music and professed that she was ‘clean from all that stuff’ in an apparent reference to drugs
The shooting unfolded around 9.40pm at Mills’ Milwaukee home
That person was suspected of lying to the police about the incident, but they have not been formally charged.
Mills is facing charges of first-degree reckless homicide, and remains in custody with a $150,000 bond. She is next due in court on November 17.
Tributes poured in for Spillner after the shooting and her family described her as an ambitious and kind-hearted student ‘with the most infectious laugh.’
Her sister Courtney told WMTV: ‘She was literally the best person you could ask for as a friend, as a sister, as a daughter.
‘She was the best to everyone. She would be there for anyone, no matter what you needed, when you needed it.’
Mills is facing charges of reckless homicide in the first degree and is due back in court next week
According to a criminal complaint, Mills told investigators she shot herself in the stomach during the chaotic episode and insisted that she did not mean to kill Spillner
According to her sister, she was in her final year at Concordia University and the two had their final conversation just an hour before the shooting.
Courtney added: ‘The last thing we said to each other was that we loved each other, so I am forever holding that memory close.’
Courtney said they ‘don’t know anyone who would want to hurt Ariel in any way, shape or form. And it’s hard that an apparent friend would do this to her.’
Ariel’s family say they oppose handing Mills a potential plea deal, and hope that she ‘gets the justice that she deserves’.
