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Victor Lara-Ortiz, 18, was sentenced to six to 23 months of home confinement at his sentencing hearing before Judge Analisa Sondergaard in West Chester on Tuesday, Feb. 14, said District Attorney Deb Ryan.
The sentence draws to a close the tragic chapter that began on Feb. 28, 2022, according to the DA's Office.
On that day, while Lara-Ortiz was out of the house, authorities say his little brother Roman Aguilera-Ortiz walked into the teen's unlocked bedroom, picked up a handgun from the table, and shot himself in the head.
The boy was pronounced dead at the scene of his East Chestnut Street home from "an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound," the DA has said.
Prosecutors have noted that the gun was loaded, unholstered, and unsecured. Investigators have also alleged that Lara-Ortiz bought the gun illegally through a straw purchaser who has also been charged.
He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, illegal firearm possession, and endangering the welfare of a child, per the District Attorney.
At sentencing, Judge Sondergaard said that Lara-Ortiz had made efforts to rehabilitate himself following his brother's fatal shooting. The teen had been expelled from high school at the time, but has since re-enrolled, and is raising his grades in hopes of attending college, according to the release.
“The defendant’s criminal actions had devastating and irrevocable consequences, and it cost the life of an innocent child," DA Ryan said.
"The defendant was not eligible to own a firearm and now a family and a community have been shattered. We must be vigilant with the responsibility that comes with gun safety ownership, and keep illegal guns off the streets.”
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