A 22-year-old woman was accidentally shot dead by her two-year-old toddler on California’s Fresno Street and San Jose Avenue on Friday. The victim, identified as Jessinya Mina, was rushed to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. The toddler is reported to have accessed the loaded firearm inside the apartment.
The incident happened on Friday night when Mina's toddler got hold of the loaded firearm. Mina used to live with her 18-year-old boyfriend Andrew Sanchez, and two children, an eight-month-old infant and a two-and-a-half-year-old toddler, the Fresno Police Department said in a statement posted on the social media platform.
What does the police say?
A Facebook post by the Fresno Police Department reads, "Detectives learned Sanchez negligently left his loaded 9mm handgun in a location within their bedroom, where children were able to access it. While handling the firearm, the toddler was able to pull the trigger, resulting in Mina being struck."
The statement further revealed that Sanchez was "detained on the scene and interviewed by detectives".
US tightens background checks for gun sales
In other developments, the outgoing US President Joe Biden earlier this year signed an executive order that sought to increase the number of background checks undertaken during gun sales. Briefing the reporters over gun violence in March this year, Biden said, "I am announcing another executive order. They will accelerate and intensify this work to save more lives more quickly. This executive order helps keep firearms out of dangerous hands. As I continued to call on Congress to require a background check for all firearm sales and in the meantime, my executive order directs my attorney general to take every lawful action possible to move us as close as we could to universal background checks without new legislation."
According to the White House statement, the Executive Order will look to keep more guns out of dangerous hands by ensuring the effective use of red flag laws. The law will seek to strengthen efforts to hold the gun industry accountable and expedite law enforcement efforts aiming to identify and apprehend the shooters menacing the communities. Further, it added that President Biden is also encouraging the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report, which will analyse how gun manufacturers market firearms to minors.
(With inputs from agency)
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