Yolanda’s Standoff
News of Selena’s death quickly spread and many T.V. stations were covering the live  event of negotiators trying to get Yolanda out of her car (which lasted long after Selena had been pronounced dead). As Yolanda sat in her car she put her .38 caliber revolver to her head numerous times and threatened to kill herself. She screamed repeatedly, stating she had just killed her friend and that she didn’t deserve to live. However as time passed she quickly changed her story and began to say it was an accident. Nine and a half hours after locking herself in her car (just under 10pm), negotiators finally got Yolanda out. Inside the safe of the hotel room she was in, empoyees discovered $1900 in cash. The safe was immediatly locked and the police were called back to retreive this.

 

Murder: 1st Degree or Tragic Accident?
To this day Yolanda claims that the entire incident was an accident. She claimed to have pulled out the gun to shoot herself in the head when it abruptly went off (misfired) and shot Selena in the back. However this does not support witness accounts of Yolanda following Selena after shooting her, shouting profanity at her and aiming the gun at her a second time.

 

Forgiveness?
It was said that in her last moments Selena had forgiven Yolanda for what she did. Selena tightly grasped the Faberge egg ring (that she believed Yolanda had bought her as a present) from the moment she was shot, until she passed away in the ambulance where it fell out of her hand.

 

The Hotel
After access was granted back to the public numerous mourners left gifts outside the hotel room of where Selena was shot (158). To try to discontinue this practice, Days Inn changed the number of the rooms in the complex.

 

Controversy
-After her death, The Globe magazine published photos of her autopsy which enraged both her family and fans.
- Just three days after her death, Howard Stern mocked the death of Selena on his radio show by playing gunshots over her music. He then claimed her music lacked any soul nor feeling and questioned her success. This also enraged fans leading to Howard giving a public apology.

 

Tributes
- Immediately after the news of her death spread, tributes were paid to her from numerous radio stations.
- Two weeks after her death, the then governor of Texas (George W. Bush) declared April 16th (Selena’s Birthday) Selena Day.
- In 2005 a concert, Selena ¡VIVE!, was held in tribute of the 10th anniversary of her death. In attendance were Gloria Estefan, Kumbia Kings (the group that both her brother and husband were in at the time), and an introduction from Jennifer Lopez. This event sold out and became the highest rated and most viewed Spanish-language TV special ever
- A bronze statue was made in her honor located in Corpus, Christi Texas.

 

Legacy
As with numerous other stars, Selena’s popularity after death escalated with the release of her first English album and biopic (the ‘Selena’ movie) which starred Jennifer Lopez. Her English album ‘Dreaming of You’ sold over 5 million copies and to this date remains the second fastest selling album to be released by a female artist.

Many believe she was on the road to superstardom giving reference to the success of her incomplete English album. Today millions of fans all over the world remember Selena as her husband does. Far more then just possessing an amazing voice, she was a caring, young, beautiful girl whose life was ended prematurely in a very tragic manner that should never have occured.