Man arrested after boy dies from possible self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say
By Marissa Wenzke
Click here for updates on this story
IRVINE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — An Irvine man was arrested after a boy died from what detectives believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said Friday.
Christian Douglas Yeager, 56, was booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of criminal storage of a firearm and child endangerment in connection with the fatal shooting, according to the Irvine Police Department.
Officers found the boy injured and tried to save him after responding to the home in Irvine at about 2:42 p.m., police said. He died a short time later.
Police said he did not live at the home but did not release any information on how Yeager and the boy knew each other. It’s not clear whether they were related.
In a statement, the Irvine Police Department said detectives believe the boy’s fatal wound was self-inflicted but they are still investigating.
“Whether the injury was intentional or accidental remains under investigation,” the police statement reads. “We are trying to understand what occurred before the incident.”
Under California Penal Code § 25100 (a), criminal storage of a firearm is defined as a crime in which a person keeps a firearm within any premises under their custody or control and they know — or reasonably should know — that a child is likely to gain access to the firearm without a guardian’s permission or that a person who cannot legally possess a firearm is likely to gain access to it.
Guilt of the crime also requires that a child — or a person legally prohibited from possessing a firearm — obtains access to the firearm and thereby causes death or great bodily injury to themselves or another person.
Irvine police said officers have been working with the Irvine Unified School District to offer support and resources to students and staff at a middle school in the district. The department has provided information on firearms safety which can be found here.
The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 988 and the Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting TALK to 741741.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
