A 56-year-old man was arrested by Irvine police after a 13-year-old boy shot and killed himself at the man’s Irvine home on Thursday, March 27, authorities said.
Whether the boy shot himself intentionally or accidentally was not yet known, Irvine police spokesman Kyle Oldoerp said.
Irvine police were called to the area of Heathergreen and Weepingwood shortly before 2:45 p.m. regarding a juvenile suffering from a gunshot wound, found the boy in a bedroom and began medical help but he died a short time later, Oldoerp said.
The boy, an eighth-grade student at Southlake Middle School, did not live at the home, Oldoerp said. He and another boy were visiting a friend at the home when he came in contact with an unsecured firearm and it went off, the spokesman said.
One of the other boys called 911, Oldoerp said.
“We are trying to understand what occurred before the incident,” he said.
Christian Douglas Yeager was later arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of child endangerment and criminal storage of a firearm, Oldoerp said.
He was not at home when the boy picked up the gun and it went off, the spokesman said, adding that it was believed the firearm was “in relative plain view” and loaded on a bedside table.
Detectives found multiple unsecured firearms in the room and believe the boys were aware the weapons were in the bedroom prior to the shooting, Oldoerp said.
Police were working with the Irvine Unified School District to offer support and resources to students and staff at Southlake Middle School, the spokesman said.
Oldoerp said the incident was a reminder for residents to learn about firearm safety. The Irvine Police Department offers complimentary gun locks at its business desk.