Gunowner Arrested After Child Shoots Herself At Party

Police today arrested an Indio man allegedly responsible for allowing a gun to fall into the hands of a child who accidentally shot a 7- year-old girl on Sunday.

Miguel Angel Sanchez, 26, was booked on suspicion of child endangerment and concealment of evidence, Indio police Cmdr. Ben Guitron said.

Investigators determined the girl was accidentally shot in the chest while playing — unsupervised — with other children in a bedroom of an Ocean Beach Lane home during a family Mother’s Day party.

The girl, who has not been identified, remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition at Loma Linda Medical Center, according to Guitron.

Sanchez lives at the home in the 83400 block of Ocean Beach Lane with his “significant other” and children and is the owner of the handgun, according to police.

Sanchez is related to the injured girl, but is not a member of her immediate family, Guitron said.

Sanchez left the house prior to the arrival of officers and allegedly avoided contact with police, Guitron said. He was arrested about 8 this morning at a residence in the 84500 block of Avenue 52 in Coachella.

The suspect, whose bail was set at $45,000, is set to be arraigned Thursday at the Larson Justice Center, according to court records.

The injured girl lives in Indio, but not at the home where the shooting occurred, he said. “She was there visiting due to the family celebration” when the shooting took place at 8:43 p.m. Sunday, he said.

The child came out of the bedroom complaining of chest pains after being shot. She was driven to JFK Memorial Hospital by family members and later transferred to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, according to police.

“We’re happy the child is in serious but stable condition. That gives us a sign of hope because (Sunday) we didn’t know which way it was going to go,” Guitron said. “Hopefully she walks away with just remembering she had a bad weekend.”