Off-duty officer accidentally kills bystander while cleaning gun, California cops say
An off-duty California police officer accidentally killed a bystander while preparing to clean his personal gun, authorities said.
Francisco Villicana, 22, an officer with the Santa Cruz Police Department, fired the single round, injuring himself in the hand and wounding Luis Alfredo Ferro-Sanchez in the upper torso on Friday, Oct. 21, the Salinas Police Department said in an Oct. 25 Facebook post.
Both men were taken to a hospital, where Ferro-Sanchez died from his injuries, the post said.
Detectives with the Salinas police are handling the investigation, the post said.
“This incident appears to be a tragic accident, however, the case will be forwarded to the Monterey County District Attorney’s office for their review,” the post said.
Villicana was “placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the death investigation and administrative investigation,” the Santa Cruz Police Department said in an Oct. 25 news release.
“This tragic incident is devastating for everyone involved, and we acknowledge many people are grieving,” Santa Cruz Police Chief Bernie Escalante said in the release. “Words cannot express the sorrow we feel for the family and friends of Mr. Ferro-Sanchez.”
Ferro-Sanchez, 20, enjoyed “ singing, playing soccer and boxing” and dreamed of becoming a police officer, according to an obituary with Ave Maria Memorial Chapel.
He is survived by his parents and two siblings, the obituary said.
Salinas is about 60 miles south of San Jose.
This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Off-duty officer accidentally kills bystander while cleaning gun, California cops say."
