8-year-old dies after gun left unsecured at home with children, NC sheriff says

A gun left unguarded in a home with multiple children led to the death of an 8-year-old boy, according to investigators in North Carolina.

Gabriel Sanchez died “from an apparent gunshot wound” after being taken to a hospital, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 1 news release.

The shooting happened around 4:40 p.m. on May 25, at 7679 U.S. Highway 29 North near Reidsville, the sheriff’s office said.

Specifics of who pulled the trigger have not been released.

“It was determined that the firearm involved in the incident was left unsecured and accessible to multiple juveniles in the home, which ultimately resulted in the fatality,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Luis Alberto Sanchez, Jr. was charged on June 1, 2026, with misdemeanor storage of firearms to protect minors. ... Sanchez, Jr. is Gabriel’s older brother and was responsible for securing the firearm at the time of the shooting.”

The N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is working to determine “the cause and manner of death,” officials said. Additional charges are not expected, the sheriff’s office said.

Court documents report 19-year-old Luis Alberto Sanchez, Jr. also lives in the home where the shooting occurred.

The family’s home is about a 105-mile drive northeast from uptown Charlotte.