VISTA – A young Oceanside man who loaded a gun and gave it to a teen who ended up killing himself accidentally was sentenced Monday to three years in prison.
On Feb. 6, several teens were visiting the home of Edward Inzunza, 21, in the 200 block of Rancho del Oro when he showed them an unloaded handgun.
Sometime later, for reasons unexplained, Inzunza put two bullets into the chamber, prosecutor James Koerber said.
High school junior Brady Waite, 17, would later pick up the gun, put it to his head and pull the trigger.
Inzunza eventually pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
"I think the level of irresponsibility for someone to take out a gun with a bunch of kids and then load it without telling anyone after they played with it is beyond belief," the dead boy's father, Bob Waite, said during an emotional court hearing.
Judge Timothy Casserly noted "a bad combination" was in play that day – a gun, alcohol and minors. "The defendant created a situation where someone getting shot was foreseeable."
However, the judge rejected a county probation report calling for a four-year sentence.
The defendant's brother, Carlos, who described himself as a close friend of the victim, said another youth had asked to see the gun, after which the weapon was put on a table.
With the defendant out of the room, Brady picked up the gun and, without saying a word, placed it to his head and pulled the trigger, Carlos Inzunza said.
Edward Inzunza also admitted to a charge of criminal storage of a firearm.
"I'm horribly sorry for what happened that night," the defendant said. "Without me, this wouldn't have happened."
Brady did not intend to harm himself, and did not know that bullets had been loaded, he said.
Defense attorney Rena Wallenius conceded that the defendant did not initially cooperate with investigators, and that his brother wiped the gun clean and removed the remaining bullet.
