Norma Gamble says she was in the kitchen of her mid-Wilshire home in the 1800 block of Willington Road cooking dinner around 5:30 p.m. Sunday when her nephew walked in with his girlfriend and her sister.
"They went upstairs to the room, and about 15 minutes later, I heard a loud pop and then I heard screaming," said Gamble.
When Gamble rushed upstairs, she said her nephew was frantic. Nearby, his girlfriend lay wounded on a bed by a single gunshot. Gamble demanded answers.
"Finally he told me, the gun went off. I said 'Gun? What gun?' I had no idea there was even a gun in my house. And he pulled a gun from underneath the bed and threw it on top of the bed," Gamble said.
After speaking with the grief stricken victim's sister, Gamble says she learned her nephew had allegedly been waving a gun around.
"She said that the gun went off. He said 'My girl, my girl, she's going to die, she's going to die,' and I was trying to calm him down, and I was trying to calm the girl down on the bed," said Gamble.
Paramedics from the /*Los Angeles City Fire Department*/ responded and took the victim to a nearby hospital, where she died a short time later.
The young suspect was booked and taken to Eastlake Juvenile Hall. He is currently being held without bail.
"The person we have detained has given us an account of what occurred, and we're confident that the person we have detained, who is a minor, had caused the demise of our victim," said LAPD Lt. Brian Wong.
Police are still investigating the circumstances of the shooting to determine whether it was negligence, intentional or accidental.
Gamble believes the tragedy was a horrible accident. She issued a warning to young people.
"Guns are no toys, and young people think that nothing is going to hurt them. They feel like they're infallible," Gamble said.
Detectives say they expect to forward their case to the district attorney's s office as soon as Tuesday.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call Wilshire Area Homicide Detective Frank Carrillo at (213) 473-0446. During non-business hours or weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).
