Police: Fatal South Bay shooting of 12-year-old boy an apparent accident

CHULA VISTA - A 12-year-old boy who suffered a fatal gunshot wound over the weekend at a South Bay condominium complex appears to have

accidentally shot himself with a firearm provided by a friend, authorities said today.

Patrol officers responding to a report of a shooting in the 500 block of Telegraph Canyon Road in Chula Vista shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday found the

child lying near a sidewalk, mortally wounded, according to police.

Paramedics took the victim to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name has been withheld because he is a minor, according to Lt. Dan

Peak of the Chula Vista Police Department.

Investigators determined that the gun involved in the fatality was brought to the victim's home by a 15-year-old boy who had been invited to spend

the night, according to police.

``Sometime during the sleepover, it appears, the victim was given access to the firearm while inside the residence and then accidentally shot

himself,'' the lieutenant said. ``The victim was then moved outside by family members, where he was located by officers.''

Detectives have questioned the older boy -- whose name also is being withheld because he is a juvenile -- and are seeking to ascertain who owns the

gun and how the teenager came into possession of it, according to Peak.

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