A California family is in mourning and looking for answers after a young mother’s death. The woman was resting in her bed when she was shot once by her toddler. The gun used allegedly belonged to the woman’s boyfriend.
According to family members, the mother didn’t want the gun in her house. It’s likely that she feared her toddler would somehow get hurt. It’s unfortunate to know that her fears were warranted, and because of someone else’s poor choices, two young children no longer have a mother.
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The mother was lying in bed when she was shot.
Just after 5:30 p.m. December 6, Fresno police were called to the apartment of the 22-year-old woman, Jessinya Mina. They were alerted that there was a shooting victim and found Mina with a single gunshot wound in her upper body. EMS provided care, but the woman was declared dead at the hospital some time later.
Police learned that the gun belonged to her boyfriend.
Police detectives learned that Mina lived with her 18-year-old boyfriend, Andrew Sanchez, as well as an 8-month-old and a 2-year-old. The gun reportedly belonged to Sanchez, who “negligently left his loaded 9mm handgun in a location within their bedroom,” making it easily accessible to the children.
“While handling the firearm, the toddler was able to pull the trigger, resulting in Mina being struck,” police noted in a statement.
Sanchez was arrested on multiple charges.
According to Fresno Police Lt. Paul Cervantes, Sanchez stored the 9mm gun in “a negligent manner.” Sanchez was detained at the scene of the crime and interviewed by police. That night, he was booked into jail for negligent storage of a firearm and felony child endangerment, but he was bailed out. Police said Sanchez has no prior criminal history.
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This tragic accident was entirely preventable.
During a news conference, Cervantes called the shooting “tragic … preventable and avoidable,” adding that the Fresno Police Department is “deeply saddened by this type of tragedy.”
“It’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.
According to Jessinya Mina's sister, she had asked Sanchez multiple times not to keep the gun in the house.
The sister, Jessica Rodriguez, released a statement to KSFN, calling her sister “a beautiful soul who touched the lives of anyone she ever encountered.”
“Now because of her boyfriend’s carelessness, his arrogance, his irresponsibility, and neglecting my sister’s wishes of never having a gun in her house, she’s gone forever,” she shared. “My niece and nephew will have to live off of memories and stories of my sister rather than her presence. We will never be able to witness my sister carry out her lifelong goals and accomplishments due to his negligence. My sister didn’t deserve this.”
Rodriguez started a GoFundMe account to pay for Mina’s funeral expenses.
