SAN ANTONIO – A 17-year-old boy who was critically wounded in an accidental shooting on the Northwest side has died, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.
A staff member identified him as Diego Rodriguez, 17.
San Antonio police said Rodriguez was one of three people inside an apartment in the 3600 block of Callaghan Road. They said one of them, a 15-year-old boy, was playing with a gun, and Rodriguez tried to stop him.
“The victim took the gun away from him,” said Sgt. David Soto with SAPD. “When he grabbed it, the gun went off.”
Rodriguez, who was shot in the chest, was taken to University Hospital by ambulance. He died later from his wound.
The 15-year-old suspect, meanwhile, had become frightened and ran off, police said. After officers search the area for about an hour, they said two men walked up and handed them a gun, saying the suspect was inside their nearby apartment.
Drevonte King told KSAT 12 News he and his brother were shocked when the suspect barged into their home.
“He was, like, ‘I shot somebody! I shot somebody!,” King said. “He said, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ So he goes to the bathroom and tries to put the bullets in the toilet.”
King said his brother quickly wrestled the gun away from the suspect. He and his brother then walked out of their home toward the officers.
However, King said he began to worry that they, armed with the gun, might get into trouble.
“We got on our knees because a lot of people are being killed,” he said. “So we came and did that, got on the ground and gave them the gun. Then we told them (the suspect) was in our apartment.”
Police said they found the 15-year-old inside the brothers’ apartment and arrested him without incident. Soto said although the shooting was accidental, he could face a charge of manslaughter.
As of 8:30 a.m., police had not released the name of the teen who was arrested.