Boy, 6, Killed in Shooting Accident

A 6-year-old Anaheim boy accidentally shot himself in the head with a handgun while his 4-year-old sister watched, police said Monday.

Joseph Lee Saldana died of a single gunshot wound to the head minutes after the accident occurred at his father’s apartment about 4 p.m. Sunday, Anaheim Police Lt. Peter De Paola said.

The girl, whose name was not released, was not injured, De Paola said.

The children’s father, Felipe DeJesus Saldana, 26, was sleeping in his bedroom when the children apparently wandered into Saldana’s roommate’s bedroom and removed a loaded .357-caliber revolver from a drawer, De Paola said. The boy sat in a corner and the gun accidentally went off, striking him in the temple, the officer said.

Police said Saldana and his wife, who was not identified, are either separated or divorced and the children were visiting their father for the weekend. Saldana, who works an overnight shift and shares the apartment with a roommate, had gone to bed after coming home from work Sunday morning, De Paola said.

“The roommate was there when the father went to bed. Then later in the day the roommate left while the children were watching television,” De Paola said.

Police refused to release the name of the 24-year-old man who shared the apartment with Saldana. Authorities said the shooting has been ruled accidental, but an investigation is continuing.