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Victor Lara-Ortiz, 18, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, firearms not to be carried without a license, and related offenses in the death of his brother, Roman Aguilera-Ortiz on Monday, Feb. 28, in Coatesville, Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said.
Responding officers found the boy with a gunshot wound to the head inside a home in the 300 block of East Chestnut Street, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene from "an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound," the DA said.
During a warranted search of the home, officers found a semi-automatic Glock model 43x pistol in a pool of blood on the floor next to the boy's body inside Lara-Ortiz's bedroom, according to a criminal complaint.
There was one spent shell casing in the gun's chamber, as well as several unfired bullets inserted into the magazine well, records show.
Lara-Ortiz was not present when his brother fatally shot himself, but he did admit to leaving the loaded gun unlocked on a table in his bedroom with the door open when he left earlier that day, the complaint says. He apparently refused to tell detectives where he got the gun.
Detectives traced the gun’s serial number and discovered that the Trop Gun Shop in Gap sold it to William Thomas, 31, of Coatesville, on Feb. 15, DA Ryan said.
Thomas was not allowed to license or purchase a firearm because of a prior criminal conviction, the DA noted. He apparently used Lara-Ortiz’s phone number instead of his own on the application and failed to report his prior conviction.
Thomas "illegally transferred" the semi-automatic Glock 43x to Lara-Ortiz the same day he bought it, authorities said.
While searching Lara-Ortiz's cell phone, investigators discovered a picture of the same gun, two magazines, and the sales tag with a serial number dated Tuesday, Feb. 15, they said. Detectives found two more photos of the gun, and a video of Lara-Ortiz firing the gun from the front passenger's seat of a car in Valley Township on Wednesday, Feb. 16, court papers show.
This was not Thomas' first attempt at a straw purchase, according to the DA.
He tried to buy two other firearms on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at Chester County Outdoors in Malvern and Saturday, Feb. 19 at Trop Gun Shop in Gap, authorities said.
An eyewitness told police that Lara-Ortiz was with Thomas when he tried to buy the additional gun on Tuesday, Feb. 15, the DA said.
Both sales were denied.
Thomas was charged with illegally purchasing and transferring a firearm, delivery of firearms to a minor, and related offenses.
Lara-Ortiz's bail was set at $100,000 while Thomas' was set at $50,000. Both men were remanded to Chester County Prison.
Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 23.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Brandon Harris at 610-384-2300 ext. 3212 or Chester County Detective Keith Cowdright at 610-344-6866.
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