Teen shot, killed in prank gone wrong

BOULDER, Colo. -- The combination of a gun and a surprise gone wrong left a beloved 18-year-old track star dead, authorities in Longmont, Colorado, say.

Premila Lal jumped out of a closet as a harmless joke to surprise a family friend, her father says. But the noise startled the friend, who grabbed a gun and shot her.

The incident happened Friday night in the city about an hour north of Denver.

Just before 8 p.m. Premila Lal showed up at a house her family once called home. They had since moved, and were preparing to sell the place. In the meantime, Nerrek Galley, a 21-year-old friend of the family, was staying at the house.

Lal and her 12-year-old cousin apparently came to visit Galley. Lal's 15-year-old brother was also at the home, hanging out with Galley.

The girl's father, Praveen Lal, said in interviews with local media that his daughter entered the home unbeknownst to Galley.

Authorities say the father's description of what happened next -- involving the closet, and Galley's gun -- is consistent with their investigation.

"All the witnesses had consistent statements," Commander Jeffrey Satur of the Longmont Police Department told CNN Sunday.

A neighbor told CNN's affilate KVDR that she saw the group rush out of the home, screaming. Lal was admitted to a hospital and was pronounced dead about an hour later.

"We lost a daughter, so we don't want anybody else to lose their son, you know, especially when it was accident," Praveen Lal told Denver TV station KCNC.