Juan Manuel Martinez Sr., a 55-year-old Hispanic man, died on May 25, 2014, in Homestead, Florida, after being shot in the chest during a family barbecue at the Martinez residence. His 28-year-old son, Juan Manuel Martinez Jr., had been drinking alcohol and using cocaine at the event and retrieved an AK-47 rifle to show his father and a friend. After Martinez Sr. inspected the rifle, he left it on a table unattended. A 6-year-old nephew picked up the loaded rifle and accidentally pulled the trigger, fatally wounding Martinez Sr.; he was airlifted to Kendall Regional Trauma Center but did not survive.

Martinez Jr. was arrested and charged with culpable negligence for leaving the firearm accessible to a minor; the arrest report said the rifle was within a few feet of him and that he failed to supervise it. Alcohol and drugs were found in the home. Family members stated they did not blame the child and said he did not understand the consequences; the boy received therapy for his trauma. Martinez Jr. later bonded out of jail.

What information do readers have about how the firearm came into the family’s possession or how it was stored before the barbecue?