Man pleads not guilty after toddler fatally shoots mother with gun in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A man pleaded not guilty on Friday to leaving a loaded gun unsecured after his girlfriend was shot to death by her toddler at a Fresno apartment complex.

18-year-old Andrew Sanchez is accused of leaving the gun in the bedroom of a Northeast Fresno apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Jessinya Mina, on December 6th.

Police say Mina's two-year-old child got ahold of the gun and accidentally shot and killed the 22-year-old mother.

Sanchez was arraigned in court Friday.

The prosecutor told the judge hat Sanchez is a threat to public safety, revealing that the 9mm handgun used in the shooting was not registered to Sanchez.

"This was an individual who was known to have firearms that were not registered to him and were not stored properly," said Amber Collins with the Fresno County District Attorney's Office.

Collins went on to say that the bail should be raised.

"I would ask that he at least be able to post the statutory bail amount," said Collins.

Surrounded by family, Sanchez appeared in court out of custody after posting a $30,000 bond.

The judge ruling to keep the bond amount as is, short of the over $50 thousand-dollar statutory bail.

He entered a not guilty plea to felony child endangerment and felony criminal storage of a firearm.

Sanchez's lawyer advocated for his client stating he has no prior record.

"I believe the pre-trial service is more than sufficient as he'd be subjected to searching. He's living with his parents now, so I don't think there would be any issue and they're willing to abide by any course regarding this matter as well," said Gabriel Pacheco, the attorney representing Sanchez.

Mina's family members were also in the courtroom, too emotional to speak on camera on Friday.

In a previous statement to Action News, they wrote:

"Anyone who knew her was truly blessed by her presence. Now because of her boyfriend's carelessness, his arrogance, his irresponsibility, and neglecting my sister's wishes of never having a gun in her house, she's gone forever."

The judge acknowledged Sanchez as a possible danger to the community. He issued a criminal protective order, mandated the defendant has no firearms, has no contact with the victim's family, is under pretrial supervision, and is subject to search and seizure.

If convicted of the felony counts, ABC30 Legal Analyst Tony Capozzi says Sanchez could face anywhere between 2 to 4 years in state prison.

He is scheduled to be back in court on February 6th for a pre-preliminary hearing.

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