An 8-year-old boy who was fatally shot at a home in northeast Guilford County last month died after gaining access to a firearm that investigators say was left unsecured and accessible to children.
According to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded at about 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, to a reported gunshot wound at a residence at 7679 US Highway 29 North in Reidsville.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they found 8-year-old Gabriel Sanchez suffering from what authorities described as an apparent gunshot wound.
The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Following an investigation, sheriff’s investigators determined that the firearm involved in the shooting had been left unsecured and was accessible to multiple juveniles inside the home.
After consulting with the Guilford County District Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office charged 19-year-old Luis Alberto Sanchez Jr. on Monday, June 1, with misdemeanor storage of firearms to protect minors under North Carolina General Statute 14-315.1.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Sanchez is Gabriel’s older brother and was responsible for securing the firearm at the time of the shooting.
Rather than being arrested and taken into custody, Sanchez was served with a criminal summons. He’s now scheduled to appear in Guilford County District Court on Tuesday, June 16, at 8:15 a.m.
Sheriff’s officials stated that no additional charges are anticipated at this time.
The cause and manner of Gabriel’s death remain pending the results of an examination by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Detective A. Miller of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office at 336-641-5966 or Guilford County Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000.
In a statement released Monday, the sheriff’s office expressed its condolences to Gabriel’s family, friends and loved ones
what useful thing did the gun ever accomplish ? gun owners are a potential liability everywhere they have that gun ! nervous nellies ! they think it could NEVER end up in the hands of some other WHACK ! & the gun ‘asset’ attracts the thief ! the best ‘defense’ is physical/mental fitness because THAT IS ALWAYS WITH U ready to go without malfunction
Markel I’ll have to disagree with you in so many ways.
the problem with your ‘weapon’ is my ‘weapon’ – now play that nasty game forward while ‘policing’ it ! my RPG is better than your Gatling gun ! my catapult is better than your attack geese ! bring it
Mr. Spackle, I have to disagree with you on this one. Without the 2nd Amendment, all citizens would be subject to attack and domination locally, and tyranny both domestically and foreign. And, all the other Constitutional protections will fall. Look at states like N. Korea, China, Iran, Russia. It will be 1984 all over again.
Sure people get hurt or killed. So do people in automobiles. If you don’t want to own a firearm, that’s your choice. I might point out that what mostly keeps invaders from your home is the possibility that you may have one.
Miller, my thoughts exactly. My Dad had a small country store, after it was broken into a couple times he put a large sign on the front door that said “ I sleep armed here 3 nights a week you choose which nights”. Funny thing it was never bothered again. My Dad was from the depression era. He was a good and kind hearted soul who would help anyone. He was a WW2 combat veteran who didn’t believe in nonsense. The same goes for my house.
because of human sexual dimorphism women especially need reliable ‘arms’. plus the physical, mental, entourage formation . earlier than male maturity – smarter faster because of male lethality. i took a long sleeve shirt & sewed on 2 more arms/hands (holding cig beer) with slogan: I AM WELL ARMED
There is nothing you said that is true.
Why do you think that.
A gun saved my life in 1988.
I mean, not for nothing, every time I’ve been to a flea market with Mexicans and these people are very obviously Mexican with their names, they would be walking around with guns and just recklessly handing them to the little kids with them who would spin them around on their fingers. We made the comment about it to one of the people and he just laughed. They think it’s a joke and it’s absolutely not. People with guns need to exert proper control. Guns are not something you give children to play with. And before people like Chris or somebody else says something, these were real guns not toys. I’m not an idiot. I am a responsible gun owner. I know a real gun from a toy. It seems that the Mexican culture thinks that children should be allowed to play with guns and they should not! Just go walk around some of the flea markets and watch.
i get mine out & start fiddling with it to shorten meetings