OXNARD : Shooting of Boy, 15, Called Accident

Ventura police say the shooting of a 15-year-old Oxnard boy by his 13-year-old friend Monday was an accident, but they plan to investigate the source of the gun and will ask the district attorney to determine if charges will be filed.

“There was no evidence of drinking or hostilities,” Ventura Police Sgt. Robert Anderson said. “From what we can tell, some kids got a hold of a cheap gun off the streets and mishandled it. It could have been worse.”

Ricardo Francisco Vasquez was shot by Rigo Aguirre of Ventura, who was handling a 25-millimeter semiautomatic pistol when it went off. The bullet pierced Vasquez’s right arm, then entered his rib cage and came out his back.

“The doctor said the bullet passed one inch from his spinal cord, and they were afraid it messed up his esophagus and aorta,” said Rosa Veloz, the victim’s mother.

Vasquez, a sophomore at Channel Islands High School, was reported in fair condition at Ventura County Medical Center.

Aguirre, who lives in the 200 block of South Santa Rosa Street in Ventura, said the shooting occurred about 8:15 p.m. in his bedroom. He said he was with four friends: Vasquez; his twin brother, Daniel Vasquez; Gerardo Hernandez, 15, and Efrain Sanchez, 16. No adults were home.

Aguirre said he took the gun, which he had been keeping for a friend for several weeks, from his closet to show his friends.

“The first day I got it, I played with it a lot in the back yard, but it didn’t work,” he said. But Monday when he pointed the gun at the floor and moved the cocking mechanism, the gun fired, striking Vasquez who was standing about five feet away.

“I was in shock,” Aguirre said. He and Hernandez remained at home to meet police while the three other boys drove Vasquez to the emergency room.

Hernandez and Aguirre attend Mar Vista Continuation High School in Ventura. Sanchez is a neighbor and schoolmate of the Vasquez brothers. Vasquez’s mother said the boys often help in the sandwich shop she manages in Ventura.

“I hope they learned a lesson,” she said. “Kids want to experiment. They don’t want to learn by other people’s mistakes. They want to do it themselves.”

Aguirre said he told Ricardo Vasquez that he feels bad about the accident. “If he had died, I would have died too. We’re real close.”