Boy Finds Gun in Anaheim, Accidentally Shoots Himself

Anaheim police were searching Wednesday for the owner of a handgun found in an Anaheim alley by a 12-year-old boy, who then accidentally shot himself in the stomach.

Investigators were checking the gun’s serial number with the national weapon registry and trying to get fingerprints from the weapon.

The boy underwent surgery Wednesday and remained hospitalized at UCI Medical Center in Orange. His parents requested that his condition not be released.

According to Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez, the boy and his friend, who were not identified because they are minors, were walking down an alley behind a strip mall in the 2000 block of Ball Road about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday when they discovered a bag containing the loaded 9-millimeter handgun and ammunition. The sack was placed in a crevice between a brick wall and a maintenance storage unit, Martinez said.

For unknown reasons, he said, the gun fired once, startling the boys. They dropped the bag and ammunition, but “got scared and started running with the gun down the street,” Martinez said.

When they got to the intersection of State College Boulevard and Almont Avenue, the gun fired, striking the boy in the stomach.

Martinez said an investigation is continuing to determine how the gun fired. It was also unclear if the boy was carrying it in his waistband, he said.