Insets depict Jessinya Mina with her partner Andrew Sanchez (GoFundMe/Fresno Police Department), set against the backdrop of their residential apartment complex (KGPE/YouTube).
A California woman was shot to death by her 2-year-old son while she was sleeping after the toddler got his hands on her boyfriend’s loaded 9 mm pistol, which was “negligently” stored inside their bedroom by the young man — who is now facing felony charges, according to police.
“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,” Jessinya Mina’s sister, Jessica Rodriguez, told local ABC affiliate KFSN in a statement Monday. “My niece and nephew will have to live off of memories and stories of my sister rather than her presence.”
Mina, a 22-year-old mother of two, was killed Friday at her home in the Butterfly Grove Apartments complex in Fresno. The Fresno Police Department says her 18-year-old boyfriend, Andrew Sanchez, stored his 9 mm handgun in a “negligent manner” within the couple’s bedroom. Officials said it was kept in a location “where children were able to access it,” with Mina’s 2-year-old grabbing hold of it sometime before 5:30 p.m., which is when authorities responded to the scene after receiving a call about the fatal shooting.
“Sanchez negligently left his loaded 9mm handgun in a location within their bedroom,” FPD officials said Monday on Facebook. “While handling the firearm, the toddler was able to pull the trigger, resulting in Mina being struck. Sanchez was detained on scene and interviewed by detectives. The firearm used in the shooting was located and seized as evidence.”
Sanchez was booked in the Fresno County Jail on felony child endangerment and felony criminal storage of a firearm charges and has since bailed out. Investigators are still probing the circumstances surrounding the shooting and evidence, but right now they believe it was Mina’s son who took her life.
“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,” said Fresno Police Lt. Paul Cervantes at a Monday press conference. “He left that firearm in an area that was accessible. … It was a 9mm KelTec firearm.”
Cervantes pointed out how the model does not have any type of external safety feature and explained that it’s a “striker-fired weapon” that requires a trigger pull of around five to six pounds of pressure, which he says is “conceivable” for a small child.
“It has happened in the past,” Cervantes said. “Where children have access to a firearm and have sufficient strength to manipulate the trigger. And all indications, at this point, indicate that is exactly what happened.”
Mina’s family has launched a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses, which shows her posing for a photo with her son.
“She was 22-years-old full of love and life and an amazing beautiful mother to a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old daughter,” the online fundraiser says.
Speaking in her statement to KFSN, Mina’s sister described her as a “loving” mother who “should’ve been given the opportunity to spend a long happy life” with her children.
“We will never be able to witness my sister carry out her lifelong goals and accomplishments due to [Sanchez’s] negligence,” Rodriguez said. “My sister didn’t deserve this.”
Police say they are continuing to investigate Mina’s death, despite Sanchez’s arrest, and are working with the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office to see if additional charges should be filed. “Although an arrest has been made, detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this shooting to please contact the Fresno Police Department,” FPD officials said.
