11-year-old girl accidentally shot herself with brother’s gun
By Felix Cortez
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SALINAS, California (KSBW) — An 11-year-old girl in Salinas who died Wednesday died from an accidental shooting from an illegally modified firearm.
The girl, identified as Natalie Romero Puente, a fifth-grade student at Creekside Elementary School, accidentally shot herself. The gun belonged to her 18-year-old brother, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Prosecutors told KSBW 8 that the gun that killed Natalie was an illegally modified fully automatic Glock.
School leaders remembered Natalie as a leader in the classroom and on the playground.
“It’s pretty sad for them. My daughter’s taking it pretty hard. They were all classmates, teammates on volleyball and the girl’s a pretty good girl. The school’s taking it pretty hard,” said Andy Meza, a parent at Creekside Elementary School.
Grief counselors and psychologists have been at the school and will continue to be available for students and teachers or the next week.
On Thursday, the Alisal Union School District released the following statement:
The Alisal Union School District learned this morning about the passing of a 5th grade student who attended Creekside Elementary. Upon conducting an investigation, the Salinas Police Department determined the child’s death not to be an intentional act.
Our hearts extend to the student’s family and friends, students and staff, as the Creekside community processes and copes with this tremendous loss. Creekside and Alisal Union School District offer sincere condolences to the family during this very difficult time. We ask the Salinas community to keep this family in your thoughts in the coming days, weeks and months as we mourn the loss of a member of the Creekside Cougar family.
Alisal social workers and counselors, along with a team from across the district, arrived on campus this morning to comfort and support students and staff. During this terribly difficult time, the Alisal Union School District Board of Trustees, the Superintendent and the entire Alisal family are filled with compassion and sympathy for our entire Creekside Elementary School family. Please keep them in your heart today.
GETTING HELP | If you are looking for support for yourself, or someone in your life struggling with their mental health, KSBW 8 has compiled a list of resources that can help.
Link: List of local Youth Mental Health resources
National Crisis Text Line: 741-741
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
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