VAN NUYS : Boy Shot in Face Is in Stable Condition
Victor Tamayo, a Van Nuys 14-year-old shot in the face by a 12-year-old friend Friday, was reported in “stable and improving” condition Tuesday at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.
Victor was critically injured when he and his friend, Roberto Ortiz Jr., were playing with a loaded .38-caliber handgun.
They were playing with the weapon in the living room of Roberto’s Van Nuys apartment when the gun went off, striking Victor in the left upper cheek.
Hours after Friday’s shooting, Roberto told police he and Victor found the handgun a week ago in Van Nuys near the baseball diamond at Delano Park, where the boys play on the same baseball team.
Roberto was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and later released to his father’s custody. Although he originally told police that Victor had accidentally shot himself, Roberto admitted after further questioning that he himself accidentally pulled the trigger.
Bill Ryder, deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, is reviewing the case and expects to make a final decision today.
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