In the early moments of a July morning in Federal Way, Washington, the life of 14-year-old Hispanic male Alex Gonzales was cut short. On July 2, 2019, inside the apartment he shared with his parents, a single gunshot ended the boy's life. The incident occurred shortly after midnight in the 30000 block of 46th Place Southwest. When police arrived, they found Alex deceased in his bedroom from what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his head.
Present in the room with Alex at the time of the
shooting were his 16-year-old girlfriend and his best friend, another 14-year-old boy. According to accounts from Alex's sister, who was in another room, she heard a gunshot and then the suspect repeatedly saying, "No, no, no," followed by the cries of her brother's girlfriend. Upon entering her brother's room and seeing what had happened, she was met by the suspect who hugged her, apologized, and then fled the apartment with the gun.
The investigation that followed suggested that the fatal shooting may have been the result of the mishandling of a firearm. The gun in question was not registered to anyone in the home. It was later revealed that the suspect had shown Alex the gun, which he called a "pocket rocket," two days prior to the shooting, claiming to have purchased it. The King County Medical Examiner's Office later ruled Alex's death a homicide, determining that the gun was either touching or very close to his head when it was fired.
A few days later, on July 5, the 14-year-old suspect, accompanied by his mother, turned himself in to the Federal Way police. He was subsequently charged with first-degree manslaughter and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. The tragic event left a family and community mourning the loss of a young life, described by friends as a kindhearted and remarkable individual with so much potential.
