MILWAUKEE – Two relations have been charged in reference to the dying of a 5-year-old boy who by chance shot and killed himself along with his father’s unsecured gun in Milwaukee on Feb. 21.
Authorities charged the boy’s father and the daddy’s second cousin, who was watching the 5-year-old on the time of the incident, every with neglecting a baby with the consequence being dying – as a celebration to against the law, a category D felony in Wisconsin.
If convicted, every defendant could also be sentenced to as much as 25 years in jail and fined as much as $100,000.
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Father texted ‘watch my room I’ve obtained a gun in there’
In keeping with felony complaints:
On the afternoon of Feb. 21, Jose Gonzalez, Elijo Gonzalez’s father, rushed out of his residence for a job. Bryan S. Jaensch, Jose’s second cousin who additionally lives on the residence, was watching Jose’s two youngsters, the 5-year-old boy and an 11-year-old lady.
After leaving, Gonzalez realized he left his loaded .40 caliber gun unsecured on his mattress and despatched a textual content message to Jaensch that learn, “watch my room I’ve obtained a gun in there,” a felony criticism mentioned.
In keeping with a questioning of Jaensch by police, he was sitting subsequent to the 11-year-old in the lounge whereas Elijo was taking part in on his dad’s mattress. Jaensch, 58, might see Elijo from the place he was seated, the criticism famous.
Holding his dad’s gun, Elijo mentioned “take a look at what I obtained” to Jaensch and the 11-year-old.
Jaensch yelled, “you higher put that down, that’s your dad’s,” and Elijo put it down on the headboard of the mattress. Jaensch mentioned he moved it to a shelf hid by a sliding door within the headboard. Elijo was nonetheless on the mattress and “doubtless noticed” the place Jaensch positioned the gun, the criticism mentioned.
Nevertheless, in an interview detectives performed with the 11-year-old, she mentioned she noticed her brother taking part in with the gun on the mattress and informed Jaensch.
Jaensch took the gun away and positioned it on the mattress’s headboard, then Jaensch continued taking part in along with his cellphone, the lady mentioned, in response to the criticism.
About 20 minutes later, the 11-year-old mentioned she noticed Elijo once more holding the gun and informed Jaensch. Jaensch yelled for Elijo to place the gun again as an alternative of taking it away from him, the 11-year-old mentioned.
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Minutes later, shortly earlier than 8:30 p.m., Elijo shot himself within the head, in response to the criticism.
The 11-year-old ran to verify on her brother, didn’t suppose he was respiration and went exterior to get assist.
A girl close by who heard the commotion referred to as 911, went into Gonzalez’s residence and commenced giving Elijo medical assist.
When police arrived, Elijo – laying on the mattress – had a big wound to the brow, however gave the impression to be respiration and had a pulse, the criticism mentioned.
A mini fridge subsequent to the mattress had a handgun situated on high of it, the criticism mentioned. And when an officer pulled the comforter out of bed to wrap Elijo in, a totally loaded shotgun was revealed.
A medical unit offered life-saving measures to Elijo, then took him to a hospital the place he was later pronounced useless.
Detectives conducting a scene investigation situated a black .40 caliber Smith & Wesson and a shotgun with a pump slide on the mattress, the criticism mentioned. A number of unfired cartridges have been discovered contained in the shelving items of the headboard, and extra ammunition was situated inside a dresser.
Gonzalez mentioned he leaves every gun loaded with a spherical chambered, in response to the criticism. When requested about utilizing a gun lock or another mechanism to safe his firearms, Gonzalez mentioned he didn’t have one.
Jaensch was set to make an preliminary look in court docket Monday, and a preliminary listening to was scheduled for Gonzalez on March 6.
Find out how to safely retailer a gun
In keeping with the American Academy of Pediatrics, roughly a 3rd of U.S. houses with youngsters have weapons, and even younger toddlers are able to find unlocked weapons and are robust sufficient to drag the set off.
In houses with weapons, the probability of an unintentional dying by a gun is 4 occasions greater. The simplest method to forestall unintentional shootings is the absence of weapons in houses.
However for those who do have them, the academy recommends weapons be locked away and ammunition locked and saved individually. Kids and youths shouldn’t be in a position to unlock the bins that retailer firearms, and weapons which might be loaded and unlocked shouldn’t be saved in a automotive or wherever else in your property.
The academy recommends weapons be unloaded any time they’re set down.
Contributing: Drake Bentley and Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.