Man Suffers Gunshot Wound to Head in Apparent Accident
A man was seriously injured Wednesday morning when he apparently shot himself in the head by accident.
About 11:45 a.m., people in the 500 block of North Oak Avenue reported hearing a single gunshot, Police Chief Bob Gonzales said.
Officers found Rogelio Torres, 20, of Santa Paula in a green Honda Accord with a gunshot wound to the right side of his head, Gonzales said. A small-caliber handgun was found in the vehicle.
Torres remained in serious and unstable condition at Ventura County Medical Center, according to a hospital nursing supervisor.
Investigators believe Torres accidentally shot himself, although they were trying to determine why Torres was on the street and why he had a gun.
“The investigation so far told us this was an accident,” Gonzales said.
Police will perform residue tests on Torres’ hand to confirm that he fired the shot, Gonzales said.
Investigators do not believe the shooting was a suicide attempt. They are trying to determine whether Torres, whose ex-girlfriend lived on the street, planned to injure someone else or himself at a later time.
“He knew some people in the immediate neighborhood,” Gonzales said.
Officers towed the car to search its contents.
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