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TikTok teen influencer speaks out after father shoots armed stalker at Florida home

NAPLES, Fla. — A teen is speaking out about the shooting death of her stalker after he showed up at her Florida home with a gun.

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Ava Majury, who is currently 15, initially joined TikTok when she was 13. During the pandemic, Majury gained over a million followers on the app, according to The New York Times.

During her rise, one fan made a noticeable effort to reach out to Ava personally by messaging her on various apps including Instagram and Snapchat.

In an interview published in The New York Times on Thursday, Ava revealed that this particular fan, Eric Rohan Justin, started asking for “booty pics” and pictures of her feet.

Ava blocked Justin from all of her accounts despite continued efforts from Justin, including offering her money through Venmo to unblock him, the Times said.

Rob Majury, Ava’s father and a retired police lieutenant, texted 18-year-old Justin informing him that she was a minor and to stop contacting his daughter.

On July 10, 2021, while the Majury family were sleeping, Justin arrived at their Naples home armed with a shotgun. He shot the front door open but his gun jammed, giving Rob Majury time to chase Justin off the property.

Maury then guarded the front door, armed with a handgun, in preparation for Justin’s return.

The family said Justin returned to the home and Rob Majury shot him. Justin would later die from his injuries.

Police would later determine that under Florida’s “stand your ground” law, Rob Majury used justifiable deadly force in the incident.

Ava Maury and her father have recently made appearances on morning talk shows, including “Good Morning America” and “Today,” to share their experiences with others.

She continues to maintain her TikTok accounts with support from her family, despite new stalking concerns.

“I think we just had to allow her to make a decision and sort of support her. I think it’s going to help her heal. It sounds corny, but I don’t know what else you would do it for,” Rob Maury told the Times.

Social media platforms are under recent scrutiny on their efforts to protect minors.

TikTok is tightening its privacy practices for those under-18 by changing the default privacy setting for accounts with users aged 13 to 15 to private. Teens will still be able change this setting to public if they want, according to the Associated Press.

In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission asked TikTok’s parent company, along with Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and five other social media companies, to provide detailed information on how they collect and use consumers’ personal data and how their practices affect children and teens.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.