Neighbors say Boyle Heights shooting involved love triangle

The investigation into a man who reportedly accidentally shot himself with a neighbor’s gun while drunk took a tawdry turn Monday when neighbors told detectives the victim was having an affair with the gun owner’s wife.

Police were still interviewing witnesses to the Boyle Heights incident, and it was unclear if charges would be filed, but Lt. Perry Griffith of the Los Angeles Police Department gave this account:

Early Monday morning, a group of people were drinking at a barbecue in the 3200 block of Folsom Street when “a handgun joins the party,” Griffith said. The homeowner took out the gun to show it off.

“It’s basically, ‘I have a nice gun. Do you guys want to take a look at it?’” Griffith said.

The gun owner grew nervous as he watched the weapon get passed from one drunk person to another.

“He didn’t believe his party people had the skill set to handle the weapon,” Griffith said.

When it ended up in the hands of one man, the owner tried to take it away.

“It’s basically, ‘No, I got it.’ And the gun goes off,” Griffith said.

The partygoer, whose name was not yet released, was shot in the eye and died, he said. Guests immediately called 911 and stayed for questioning.

The witnesses’ statements are consistent, but neighbors in the area who were not at the party said people knew the victim was having an affair with the gun owner’s wife, Griffith said.

“We have a group of detectives investigating possible homicide on some of the rumors we have heard,” he said. “But we haven’t validated that at all.”

Police were interviewing the gun owner at the Hollenbeck station Monday afternoon and were checking his hands for gunpowder residue as part of “standard procedure,” Griffith said.

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Joseph.serna@latimes.com

@josephserna