Shoreline Apartments

Yeah .... From: -Anonymous- Date posted: 5/9/2006 Years at this apartment: 2005 - 2006 3 responses   05-09) 14:50 PDT ALAMEDA -- A man in his early 20s who was shot and killed by a 3-year-old Monday afternoon had recently emigrated from Guatemala and was not related to the toddler, police said today. Aside from the victim, the Shoreline Drive apartment where the shooting occurred was home to two adult couples and two young children -- the 3-year-old boy and a girl, 1, said Alameda city police Lt. David Boersma. The gun that was fired belongs to the victim's cousin, a man who was at work at the time of the incident, Boersma said. The gun owner, who also is not related to the toddler, has not returned to the apartment since the shooting and is not cooperating with police, Boersma said. According to Boersma, that man is the only person who counts as next-of-kin to confirm the identity of the victim, whose immigration status is unclear. Boersma did not say whether the gun owner actually lived in the apartment. "He may be concerned that he may face prosecution, but no decision has been made on that," Boersma said. "We just want him to come in and help us confirm the identity of the victim. ... We haven't been able to question him to find out the status of the gun. We wanted to know how it was stored, how he came into possession of it." The gun was not registered but had not been reported stolen, Boersma said. Police are considering the shooting an accident based on their preliminary investigation. "Witnesses told us the child was playing with it and not pointing it in any particular direction or at any particular person," Boersma said. But Boersma said it was too early to tell whether criminal charges would be filed. The gun owner could face felony charges for having an unlocked gun in the presence of a child, Boersma said. "We have every indication that the (boy's) parents were not aware that the gun was in the apartment," he said. Police said that the 3-year-old boy recently had been given a toy water pistol and knew how to operate a trigger. They are not sure whether the .38-caliber pistol that the toddler fired was in a cocked position. "When I first heard about the call and was briefed, I was in disbelief that a 3-year-old could fire a handgun," Boersma said. "But in going over all the interviews, I can see how easily this might have occurred." According to Boersma, the adult residents of the two-bedroom apartment and some guests were playing cards and talking around 1 p.m. Monday while the 3-year-old boy sat at a table eating with his mother. "The victim walked over to an attached balcony, where he was gathering some bottles and cans to take them to be recycled," Boersma said. "During all this, the toddler wandered off. The toddler found the gun -- unsecured -- in a closet. He began playing with the gun and wandered back into the main room. One of the grownups saw that he had the gun, and then there was pandemonium." The victim was walking back from the patio when he dropped a bottle, Boersma said. He was just picking it up when he was struck in the chest by a bullet. Neighbors said that in recent years, the apartment complex at 1777 Shoreline Drive had become home to low-income tenants and immigrants. Some tenants had been evicted for trashing the hallways or not taking care of the common areas, they said. A neighbor who did not want to be identified said she had heard the gunshot Monday afternoon. "I heard a pop, a noise and a man groaning, and then I heard screaming and saw people running down the hallway," the woman said. "There was a lot of chaos. ... It's a tragic. It's sad. I'm sure the little boy had no intention of hurting anybody." Police are encouraging gun owners to visit their local police department and request a free gun lock.

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