Off-Duty CA Officer Shoots Self, Kills Bystander While Cleaning Gun

An off-duty Santa Cruz, CA, officer accidentally shot through his own hand and then hit and killed a 20-year-old man last week, according to the Salinas Police Department.

Officer Francisco Villicana was cleaning his personal gun Friday around 5:45 p.m. in Salinas when he mistakenly fired the single round that killed Luis Alfredo Ferro-Sanchez, police said.

When officers arrived to the scene they found Villicana with a gunshot wound to his hand, and Ferro-Sanchez with a wound to his upper torso. Both were taken to the hospital, where Ferro-Sanchez died, KTVU reports.

Police did not say whether the two men knew each other. They said the incident appears to be an accident, but the case will be investigated by the Monterey County District Attorney.