SAN JOSE — A homicide ruling has been handed down by the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office this week in the accidental shooting death of a San Jose teen. However, despite criminal culpability, the cause of the death ruled by the coroner’s office has not been filed as a homicide but was filed as a negligent firing of a handgun.
On Jan. 6th, 2019 police reported that three teen boys, who at the time were 15 and 14 years old, were at a home on Thistlewood Court off Capitol Expressway west of Highway 101 when the incident occurred.
After recording themselves playing with unloaded guns, one teen decided to load a live round to see what it was like. During a brief interview of the teen, police learned that while placing the guns back, the firearm discharged. According to San Jose Police, “A round struck the 15-year-old victim, killing him.” The young teen was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased from a single gunshot fired from the loaded handgun.
The boy who was shot was playing with his grandfather’s handguns. The teens were able to access the guns due to the grandfather’s condition of dementia, who was unable to identify the type of activity the teens had decided to entertain.
This marks San Jose’s 10th homicide of the year.
