A California woman was fatally shot by her 2-year-old toddler, leading to the arrest of her boyfriend who is accused of failing to properly store the weapon, Fresno police said this week.
Jessinya Mina, 22, died Friday after police were called to an apartment in the 5200 block of North Fresno Street, where she had been shot once in the upper body while in bed, Fresno police Lt. Paul Cervantes said in a Tuesday press conference.
Cervantes called the shooting a “tragedy” that was “preventable.”
Jessinya Mina.
“The firearm was stored in a location where the toddler accessed the firearm, and then at some point in time, while handling that particular weapon, the toddler was able to manipulate the trigger,” Cervantes said.
Mina’s boyfriend, Andrew Sanchez, 18, spoke to investigators and said he was responsible for the 9 mm gun being found by the 2 ½-year-old toddler. Police said Mina had another child, an 8-month-old infant.
Sanchez was booked into jail on charges of child endangerment and criminal storage of a firearm, both felonies, police said in a statement.
Sanchez, who does not have a criminal record and attempted to take his wounded girlfriend to the hospital in a vehicle, has since bailed out of jail, Cervantes said.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday if Sanchez had retained an attorney.
The investigation remains ongoing, Cervantes said, and police are in consultation with county prosecutors about filing appropriate charges.
Prosecutors were not immediately reached Wednesday afternoon for an update on the case.
The incident, Cervantes said, is a grim reminder for gun owners to be diligent about where they store their weapons.
“The Fresno Police Department is deeply saddened by this type of tragedy that’s … devastating and definitely serves as a stark reminder of the significance and importance of being able to properly store your weapon and do so in a manner that children do not access it,” he said.
Mina’s relatives were not immediately reached for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com