Mesa police say teen was ‘playing’ with gun in back seat when driver was fatally shot

PHOENIX – A 16-year-old boy is accused of fatally shooting a woman in Mesa while he was “playing” with a gun inside the vehicle she was driving, authorities said Tuesday.

Officers responded to a shooting outside Superstition Springs Mall around 2 p.m. Monday, the Mesa Police Department said in a press release.

Initial calls said the driver, 20-year-old Elena Hernandez, was hit by a bullet that came in through the windshield. However, police said evidence indicated that the shot was fired inside the vehicle.

“Officers questioned the 16-year-old boy and learned that the boy was ‘playing’ with a handgun in the back seat of the vehicle when he pulled the trigger accidentally,” Detective Brandi George said in the release.

Hernandez died after being taken to a hospital.

The boy was booked into Durango Juvenile Detention Center on one count each of manslaughter, minor in possession of a firearm, tampering with physical evidence and unlawful discharge of a firearm, police said.

The suspect’s name was not released because of his age.

No other details were made available.

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