Local man fires gun into floor, alarms neighbor
By Daily Press staff
PICO NEIGHBORHOOD — A Santa Monica man who was cleaning a shotgun while drunk was arrested here on Tuesday after he accidentally shot into the floor of his apartment, alarming his downstairs neighbor.
Jaime Gomez, 38, was arrested by Santa Monica Police for illegally discharging a firearm within the city limits, a misdemeanor.
Gomez’s neighbor, who lives in the apartment below, called police at 10:56 p.m. after she heard a shot fired from above her ceiling. When police arrived, residents in the building were evacuated and officers called Gomez’s home, informing him on an answering machine that the complex was surrounded and demanding that he surrender.
Gomez came out of the apartment and admitted to officers that he accidentally pulled the trigger. Police quickly realized Gomez had been drinking and took him into custody. The shotgun was recovered and placed into evidence, SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega said.
No one was in the apartment at the time of the incident. And although no children were in the apartment, the accident serves as a reminder that guns should be locked and away from a child’s reach, police said.
“Firearms should be cleaned at a secure location such as a public range, not your apartment,” Fabrega said. “A discharge can cause serious injury.”
The SMPD is involved in a national program called “Project Childsafe,” which gives out free gun locks. The locks are available in the lobby of the Public Safety Facility behind City Hall, the Pico neighborhood and Second Street police substations. The SMPD is distributing 2,000 of the locks, which come with a pamphlet detailing safety tips for gun owners. “It’s better to be safe than sorry when handling firearms,” Fabrega said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 15, 2004. Read the original PDF.