Hollmer Zelaya (via Shelby County (Tenn.) Sheriff’s Office).
A Tennessee man is behind bars after allegedly accidentally shooting his friend in the face with a gun he found in a couch.
Hollmer Zelaya, 24, was arrested in Memphis on Monday, according to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime. Officers responding to a call about a shooting said they found Zelaya’s friend Kevin Ariel-Gonzalez with a gunshot wound to his face.
“Hollmer Zelaya told officers that he accidentally shot his friend Kevin Ariel-Gonzalez with a pistol that he found between the couch cushions,” the affidavit said.
According to the report, witness Jose Betanco-Landero told police he, Zelaya, and Ariel-Gonzalez were “hanging out in the living room” when Zelaya “found a gun between the couch cushions and started messing with it and then waving it around” in the direction of the two other men.
“[T]he gun discharged and hit Kevin Ariel-Gonzalez,” Betanco-Landero told police, according to the affidavit.
Zelaya reportedly told police that he had then hid the gun “in a drainage ditch close to the apartment.” Police recovered the weapon and then arrested Zelaya.
Ariel-Gonzalez was taken to the hospital, while Zelaya was taken into custody. Court records indicate that he has been charged with reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon and tampering with or fabricating evidence.
Zelaya’s arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday and a bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
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