We have all heard about Justin Bieber’s encounter with illegal drugs, but what exactly happened with the paparazzo, Chris Guerra, that was killed while trying to catch him in action?  As if enough attention has not already been drawn to Bieber in the last few weeks, now this tragic accident has appeared in the news.

On Tuesday, January 1^st, Guerra was struck by an SUV while trying to snap pictures of Justin’s Ferrari.  He started to run across the street while taking pictures; therefore he was clearly not paying any attention to the oncoming traffic surround ding him.  It turns out Bieber was not even in his Ferrari at the time.  According to CNN, police officers told the paparazzo multiple times to not cross the street to Bieber’s car, but he did not listen and went ahead with his plans.  Apparently, a photo of Bieber is worth a lot these days.

The woman that hit Guerra was a 69-year-old female.  She stayed at the scene and no charges are being pressed against her.  Sources say that there were no drugs or alcohol in her system, which proves that it was merely an accident.

Bieber released a statement on the accident soon after it occurred.  He said, “While I was not present nor directly involved with this tragic accident, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim.  Hopefully this tragedy will finally inspire meaningful legislation and whatever other necessary steps to protect the lives and safety of celebrities, police officers, innocent public bystanders, and the photographers themselves.”

It has been noted that Charlie Sheen donated $12,000 to the funeral of the man struck by the car.  According to TMZ, Sheen was a “friend of a friend of Chris Guerra”.

Hopefully this tragic accident will spark the need for the paparazzi to be more cautious when they are out on the streets.