06-13-2012, 02:47 PM
TODAY'S DARWIN AWARD GOES TO---
The Monitor
SOUTH OF ALAMO — A 17-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed himself with a semi-automatic handgun Monday night when the single round he fired at a butane tank
ricocheted and hit him in the head, authorities said.
“It was just an accident under the influence of alcohol,” Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said Tuesday.
The Sheriff’s Office, which received a call about a shooting about 11:15 p.m. Monday, quickly dispatched officers to the South Tower Estates home, but family had already transported the wounded teen to a McAllen hospital, the sheriff said.
Authorities identified the deceased teen as Israel Torres.
Deputies spoke to the teen’s “highly intoxicated” father, who told them he and his two sons were in the backyard when they heard a gunshot and saw Torres drop. But that version of events did not make sense to officers, and after a brief period of questioning, the father told a different story.
“All three are pretty drunk when someone pulls a .380-caliber, semi-automatic (handgun) and shoots it into the backyard,” Treviño said. “The 17-year-old gets it and tells his girlfriend, ‘Here, look, pull the trigger.’”
The teen’s girlfriend refused to handle the loaded weapon, so he pulled out the gun’s clip and turned to a butane tank, Treviño said.
“He fires one time and shoots himself in the head,” Treviño said.
Investigators did not find any indication of foul play or intentional suicide.
Deputies have not arrested anyone and were not planning on making arrests any time soon, the sheriff said, but they are looking into the criminal responsibility of the father and researching applicable laws.
The whole family is in the United States illegally, Treviño said. The boy’s parents moved to the country several years ago, but their two sons had just arrived about six or seven months ago.
![[Image: m5j83d-m5j823061212.accidentalgundeathli...o.naxi.jpg]](http://images.onset.freedom.com/monitortx/gallery/m5j83d-m5j823061212.accidentalgundeathlittlemexico.naxi.jpg)
The Monitor
SOUTH OF ALAMO — A 17-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed himself with a semi-automatic handgun Monday night when the single round he fired at a butane tank
ricocheted and hit him in the head, authorities said. “It was just an accident under the influence of alcohol,” Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said Tuesday.
The Sheriff’s Office, which received a call about a shooting about 11:15 p.m. Monday, quickly dispatched officers to the South Tower Estates home, but family had already transported the wounded teen to a McAllen hospital, the sheriff said.
Authorities identified the deceased teen as Israel Torres.
Deputies spoke to the teen’s “highly intoxicated” father, who told them he and his two sons were in the backyard when they heard a gunshot and saw Torres drop. But that version of events did not make sense to officers, and after a brief period of questioning, the father told a different story.
“All three are pretty drunk when someone pulls a .380-caliber, semi-automatic (handgun) and shoots it into the backyard,” Treviño said. “The 17-year-old gets it and tells his girlfriend, ‘Here, look, pull the trigger.’”
The teen’s girlfriend refused to handle the loaded weapon, so he pulled out the gun’s clip and turned to a butane tank, Treviño said.
“He fires one time and shoots himself in the head,” Treviño said.
Investigators did not find any indication of foul play or intentional suicide.
Deputies have not arrested anyone and were not planning on making arrests any time soon, the sheriff said, but they are looking into the criminal responsibility of the father and researching applicable laws.
The whole family is in the United States illegally, Treviño said. The boy’s parents moved to the country several years ago, but their two sons had just arrived about six or seven months ago.