Chula Vista police say the firearm with which a 12-year-old boy fatally shot himself in July was an unregistered phantom pistol, making it difficult for investigators to determine how it ended up in the hands of a teenager who brought the gun to the child’s house.
Max Mendoza died July 3 after he held the gun and accidentally shot himself during a sleepover, police said.
Max Mendoza, 12, died in July at his Chula Vista home.
(Courtesy photo)
–
–
Family members told the San Diego Union-Tribune they heard a gunshot and found Max bleeding at his home. They took him outside, where his mother said she held him in her arms. When paramedics arrived, they took him to a hospital, where he died.
Investigators questioned the 15-year-old boy who had the gun and later handed him over to his family. Police then said they were trying to determine how the teenager got the gun and to whom it belonged.
“The story of how the 15-year-old got the gun is unclear,” Chula Vista Police Lt. Dan Peak said recently in an email.
He said detectives were working with an attorney representing the teen to obtain additional statements from him.
The lieutenant said the weapon is a phantom pistol – a type of firearm assembled by hand from pieces of prepackaged kits. Authorities say ghost weapons are untraceable because the parts lack serial numbers and the weapons, once assembled, are not registered as required by state law.
Peak said the investigation into the shooting at the Woodland Hills condos on Telegraph Canyon Road was “active” and ongoing.
In a recent interview, Max’s mother and father questioned whether anyone will be responsible for their son’s death. Max’s father, William Tagle, lamented the ghost weapons, saying they are “another tool for people to commit crimes and get away with it.”
They also questioned whether Max shot himself, saying they haven’t been able to see the autopsy report – which would confirm the cause and manner of death – because it was sealed by the police. The death certificate – issued four days after Max’s death – indicated that the cause and manner of death were pending.
“I just hope, above all else, (that) in the end justice is served,” said Max’s mother, Aida Mendoza. “I just hope that justice is on our side.”
To read this story in English, click here.
–
