According to the police report, the boy found the .40 caliber Glock handgun on the center console. The gun went off. Police said the boy sustained a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and died early Tuesday.
Rena Kopystenski said her son is a doting father who has been “destroyed” by the loss of his 5-year-old son.
Alex Kopystenski drove his injured son to Spring Valley Hospital. The boy was then taken to University Medical Center, where he died.
The Glock used in the shooting was registered to Alex Kopystenski, 31, of Las Vegas.
Kopystenski was arrested and charged with felony child endangerment late Monday. He was released on bail Tuesday from the Clark County Detention Center.
In the arrest report, police said a family friend, David Jones, was in the backseat when the shooting happened.
Jones told police that Alex Kopystenski often kept his handgun out and unsecured while at home and usually carried a gun on his person.
Jones also told police that the Glock had been sitting on the GMC’s center console before the shooting.
The dead boy's grandmother uses the classic defense that most gun nuts use:
Rena Kopystenski said Alex, a disc jockey who goes by the name DJ Lexo, had a lucrative career performing at nightclubs on the Strip and around the country. He carried a gun to protect himself, she said.
“He has had the right to bear arms since he was 18,” she said. “It’s an unfortunate situation the way society is today. People in the public eye need to protect themselves so much.”
The questions she never answered, as she kept making excuses for her irresponsible son, who should have been charged with Reckless Homicide, was this: Who's going to protect us from them? and Who was protecting her grandson?
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Very, very, sad. While my daughter was growing up I always told my husband to leave his gun at work. I just don't think homes with children should have guns in them. I don't care how much you teach a child gun safety there is always a possibility they aren't going to listen...and then it's too late...and people start making excuses like this grandmother.
ReplyDeleteBut...is this really about CCW??
The gun advocates always try to reassure those opposed to CCW are licensed and therefore very responsible. This story belies that fantasy tale.
ReplyDeleteOh for goodness sakes...I read that whole post and at the end I thought it was saying the gun was in the house. Okay...I get your point now. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteFrom the link: "Kopystenski has had numerous encounters with local law enforcement that resulted in drug and weapons charges."
I wonder if he was even carrying legally??
The article also stated he was licensed, so I would believe that he was legally carrying it. I don't know their state statutes, but I would not be surpised if it was very lax when it comes to guns.
ReplyDeleteMy Great Grandfather who my brother and I spent every summer of our lives with was a cattle drover and a real life cowboy in an age when there were no licenses for guns. He owned a shot gun, 2 rifles and a Colt. My brother and I spent uncountable hours exploring every nook and cranny of the farm house, chicken coop, tool shed finding old books, antique tools, family photos dating to the Civil War, we never saw a gun or a shell unless he went hunting and never saw it again after he came back. He taught us how to use them but the gun never came out until we were already outdoors waiting for him. When he died, in his will he left these guns to my brother and my Mom went to where he kept them and got them out. My brother and I, who were teenagers, were shocked they had been in the house in a locked compartment built into the floor under his bed. My mother's statement was, "Guns and kids don't mix well. He loved you enough to make sure you were never hurt because of something he could have stopped." That's real gun safety and responsibility, loving someone so much you want to make sure they are never hurt because of you...
ReplyDelete