Calif. Toddler Accidentally Shoots and Kills Mother with Unsecured Gun: Police

A 22-year-old mother in California is dead after police say her toddler accidentally shot her with an unsecured gun.

The incident occurred on Friday, Dec. 6, at an apartment where Jessinya Mina lived with her 2½-year-old toddler and an 8-month-old infant, along with her 18-year-old boyfriend, Andrew Sanchez, the Fresno Police Department said in a news release on Monday, Dec. 9.

During a news conference, Lt. Paul Cervantes said that the loaded 9mm handgun “was stored in a location where the toddler accessed the firearm, and at some point, in time, while handling that particular weapon, the toddler was able to manipulate the trigger, and it actually struck Mina as she was lying in bed.”

After the incident, Sanchez and “other roommates attempted to assist Mina by giving her life-saving measures,” Cervantes said.

“They were in the process of transporting her to the hospital when they made the 911 call, and instructions were made to actually remain at the location and wait for police and fire to arrive,” Cervantes said.

Mina, who was found with a single gunshot wound to her upper body, would later receive emergency aid from officers and EMS personnel before being transported to the Community Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, the news release explains.

Cervantes said Sanchez was detained and gave a statement indicating that “he was, in fact, responsible for placing the weapon in a location where it could be accessed.”

Sanchez was booked at the Fresno County Jail for one count of felony child endangerment and one count of felony criminal storage of a firearm, per the press release. He has posted bail, Cervantes said, noting that Sanchez has no criminal history.

“We’re continuing to work this investigation forward, collaborating with the district attorney’s office to see [that] the appropriate charges are going to be filed,” he added.

Cervantes stated that while the incident “appears to be a tragedy,” there is an ongoing investigation, which includes forensic analysis of the evidence and Mina’s autopsy.

“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 added.

In a statement to ABC 30, Mina’s sister, Jessica Rodriguez, said Mina was in the process of going back to cosmetology school and finishing her career.

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“My niece and nephew will have to live off of memories and stories of my sister rather than her presence,” she added, remembering her sister as “a beautiful soul who touched the lives of anyone she ever encountered.”

Rodriguez has set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds for Mina’s funeral arrangements and care of her two children.