ST. PAUL, Minnesota. — A court has found a 33-year-old man guilty of multiple firearms offences after he 13-year-old niece shoots 11-year-old boy in the head in his St. Paul apartment earlier this year.
Martinez Castillo Lloyd was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and negligent storage of firearms for the March 29 incident.
The shooting happened around 9 p.m. at 800 Pierce Butler Route in St. Paul.
The indictment alleges that Lloyd is the father of several children who were in his apartment the night of the shooting. Several friends and family members, ranging in age from 10 to 13, were also present.
Lloyd had just left to go to the store when an 11-year-old boy and Lloyd’s 13-year-old niece entered his bedroom and took two of his firearms. The firearms were kept in “an upper, unlocked drawer in a cabinet that is within easy reach of the minors,” the complaint said.
As the girl brandished a revolver, it went off, hitting the boy in the face.
In an interview with police, Lloyd told investigators that he had seen the children playing with the guns in the past and had told them to put them back. He added that he usually kept the guns unloaded in a high cabinet and only had them for protection.
Because Lloyd has a prior felony conviction, he is not allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition.
Lloyd’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 6.
WCCO Staff
