OCEANSIDE–An Oceanside man Tuesday was arrested for accidentally shooting a child outside an apartment complex, Oceanside police department
The suspect, 39-year-old Martin Rockwell, was charged with willful discharge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner. He was booked into the Vista Detention Facility.
Last week, police officers responded to a reported shooting at the apartment complex in the 400 block of Vandegrift Blvd. When they arrived on scene, they found an 11-year-old boy near the pool area with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his hand. He was transported to Children’s Hospital by air-ambulance. He is in stable condition.
The victim stated he was skateboarding near the pool area with two friends and sustained the injury to his hand by an unknown source. He said he heard a loud single pop then noticed the injury to his hand.
Rockwell told officers he was unloading his .223 caliber rifle and accidentally fired a bullet through the exterior wall of his apartment. Officers found one bullet hole in the exterior of the building in the same area as where the children were playing.
