Drizzt
June 8, 2003, 08:32 PM
Austin American-Statesman (Texas)
June 7, 2003, Saturday
SECTION: Metro/State; Pg. B3
LENGTH: 339 words
HEADLINE: Teenager accidentally shoots self, friends say
BYLINE: Sarah Coppola, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
BODY:
ROUND ROCK -- Mark Valentine loved MTV and rap music. He liked to shoot pool and joke around with friends.
He had a serious side, too: He had just gotten his General Educational Development certificate and was planning to join the Navy in August.
But Valentine, 19, of Round Rock died early Thursday morning after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a small handgun, friends said.
The incident occurred at a Limestone Ranch apartment at 2800 La Frontera Blvd., where Valentine was hanging out with some friends.
Valentine's best friend, Adrian Duval, 17, said he, his girlfriend, his cousin and Valentine were watching a movie in his bedroom when Mark asked to see the gun. Duval got the .22-caliber handgun from a hallway closet.
"He kept playing with it, and I told him to stop doing that, but he wouldn't," Duval said. "He said he knew what he was doing." He said Valentine knew the gun was loaded.
A few minutes later, about 1:30 a.m., the gun discharged.
Police said Valentine was pronounced dead that afternoon at Brackenridge Hospital.
Duval said his friend knew how to use a gun. But Valentine's father said his son wasn't familiar with firearms and had often said he didn't like them. Valentine had drunk two beers, Duval said. Police said they do not believe the alcohol was a factor.
Duval's sister and her husband were in another bedroom; his mom, Maria Alvarado, and two of her young grandchildren were asleep in a separate bedroom.
Alvarado said she owned the gun for protection and kept it in a secure place, away from view on a high shelf.
"You always have some regret," she said. "You also feel that people have to be responsible if they're going to handle a weapon."
Mark Valentine's father, also named Mark, said the teen, who had attended Stony Point High School, had never been in trouble with police. He had a good group of friends who didn't stir up trouble, his father said.
"He was a big, friendly guy," the father said. "He didn't have an enemy in the world."
June 7, 2003, Saturday
SECTION: Metro/State; Pg. B3
LENGTH: 339 words
HEADLINE: Teenager accidentally shoots self, friends say
BYLINE: Sarah Coppola, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
BODY:
ROUND ROCK -- Mark Valentine loved MTV and rap music. He liked to shoot pool and joke around with friends.
He had a serious side, too: He had just gotten his General Educational Development certificate and was planning to join the Navy in August.
But Valentine, 19, of Round Rock died early Thursday morning after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a small handgun, friends said.
The incident occurred at a Limestone Ranch apartment at 2800 La Frontera Blvd., where Valentine was hanging out with some friends.
Valentine's best friend, Adrian Duval, 17, said he, his girlfriend, his cousin and Valentine were watching a movie in his bedroom when Mark asked to see the gun. Duval got the .22-caliber handgun from a hallway closet.
"He kept playing with it, and I told him to stop doing that, but he wouldn't," Duval said. "He said he knew what he was doing." He said Valentine knew the gun was loaded.
A few minutes later, about 1:30 a.m., the gun discharged.
Police said Valentine was pronounced dead that afternoon at Brackenridge Hospital.
Duval said his friend knew how to use a gun. But Valentine's father said his son wasn't familiar with firearms and had often said he didn't like them. Valentine had drunk two beers, Duval said. Police said they do not believe the alcohol was a factor.
Duval's sister and her husband were in another bedroom; his mom, Maria Alvarado, and two of her young grandchildren were asleep in a separate bedroom.
Alvarado said she owned the gun for protection and kept it in a secure place, away from view on a high shelf.
"You always have some regret," she said. "You also feel that people have to be responsible if they're going to handle a weapon."
Mark Valentine's father, also named Mark, said the teen, who had attended Stony Point High School, had never been in trouble with police. He had a good group of friends who didn't stir up trouble, his father said.
"He was a big, friendly guy," the father said. "He didn't have an enemy in the world."