Third San Antonio child injured by gunshot in less than two weeks
Back on April 17, five San Antonio children were injured in gun incidents.
SAN ANTONIO – When San Antonio police responded to a north side home on Monday and found a 2-year-old boy dead after an alleged shooting, it marked the latest incident of children injured or killed by gunfire in the city of the Alamo in a short amount of time.
In the past two weeks, three children aged 8 months to 2 years have been shot in unrelated incidents being investigated by the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD). Back on April 17, the number of such incidents rises to five as the victims get younger.
According to the police, three of these five situations proved fatal for the young victims. At least one of them is believed to be accidental in nature, according to police.
Ernest Hernandez, who owns a gun store west of downtown, said that while parents may use certain devices to keep guns out of their children’s hands, education is an even bigger asset.
“From a young age, exposing them to it, taking them to a shooting range, showing them how it works, maybe letting them wind it up and giving them some experience removes curiosity,” Hernandez said. “Curiosity is a bad thing. You don’t want them curious about the gun, whether the parent is home or not.”
Here’s where the investigation into each recent incident involving children and firearms stands:
April 17th
Police say a 6-month-old boy suffered shrapnel wounds after the driver of a car he was in started shooting at another commuter in a bout of road rage.
Police said at one point the suspect, 22-year-old Efrain Murillo, stopped at a business to drop off the child and a 22-year-old occupant before giving chase again. Murillo was eventually taken into custody and remains incarcerated since Monday on child endangerment and aggravated assault on a deadly weapon charge.
April 18th
Police say Rosalinda Martinez was shot to death as her parents fought over possession of a gun.
According to arrest affidavits, Alejandro Dominic Martinez was sitting in a car with a gun in his belt and Ruby Marie Mora was standing with the baby in her arms when they began to wrestle over the weapon.
Both Mora and Rosalinda were shot, authorities said, and later taken to a hospital where the little girl was tied up that same night. Mora was arrested soon after being released from hospital, but Alejandro Martinez was not arrested until Saturday, more than two weeks later.
Both Mora and Martinez were charged with reckless injury to a child, with Martinez also charged with breach of bond and assault on a pregnant person. They remain incarcerated since Monday afternoon.
April 27th
A 2-year-old boy died after being hit in the head by a gun that fell off a shelf and exploded, according to San Antonio police. It happened inside a house along the 9900 block of Kents Store on the far west side.
According to police, the boy’s father took him to a local hospital at around 3.14am. He told authorities that his son had accidentally pulled his gun while looking for something else.
Police are holding off further investigations until the Bexar County Medical Examiner determines the exact cause of death.
May 6th
A 2-year-old may have been playing with a gun when it went off and was shot in the face, according to SAPD officials.
It happened in the evening inside a house to the northwest. Authorities said the boy was rushed to a hospital in critical but stable condition.
Police say they arrested the child’s father, 20-year-old Fabian Cardenas, on Sunday on charges of endangering children. According to online court documents, he was released on bail the same day.
May 8th
SAPD Chief William McManus said Monday afternoon police arrived in a North Side neighborhood after reports of a shooting, where they found a 2-year-old girl dead after an apparent drive-by. Five other kids inside the house weren’t injured.
“This was a pathetic act by someone who really didn’t care who was going to be hurt in that house,” McManus said.
At around 2.45pm, police were investigating a potential suspect, but have not yet identified him.
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