(Newswire.net — May 25, 2015) — Fair Oax, Calif. – A man died of gunshot wound as result of a bulletproof vest test gone wrong. The police arrested the shooter.
The tragedy took place Friday night on the American River Bike Trail near Bannister Park in Fair Oaks, KYTX reported.
According to the victim’s brother, he and his friends were ‘fooling around’ with a bulletproof vest and a gun, which resulted in one killing the other.
Twenty-one-year-old Elijah Lambert faces murder charges in the death of 19-year-old Miguel Henry Martinez, Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies said.
“Martinez died in the most senseless way,” said Martinez’s older brother. He said that event occurred around 9:45 p.m. Friday.
“Miguel was fooling around with his buddies. They were in possession of a gun and a bulletproof vest,” Tom Cline, Martinez’s brother, told the police.
According to Cline, three Martinez‘s friends encouraged him to put on the vest, assured him that he would not be hurt. However, the bullet went right through upper part of the vest fatally wounding Martinez in the chest.
“The kid had shot my brother. The bullet penetrated the top of his vest,” said Cline. “My brother was hit. My brother said he couldn’t breathe,” Cline said according to the police.
Cline told the police that after shooting, one person ran for help, and two men carried Martinez up the bike path to meet deputies. However, Martinez died along the way.
According to Cline, his brother might have survived the shooting if someone called for help sooner. It is not yet known where the vest and the gun came from.
Lambert is expected to go before a judge Wednesday to answer to homicide charges. Meanwhile, the sheriff’s department would not comment, KYTX reported.
“My brother did not deserve this death,” Cline said. “I want everybody to know Miguel Henry Martinez was a good boy.”