A San Antonio woman is sharing her tragic story after her husband accidentally shot and killed himself while cleaning his gun.
Angel Biela and her husband Valeriano Medelez have been together for more than 15 years. Last Saturday, Medelez was cleaning his gun at a friend's house after a night out. Biela said that the gun went off, shooting her husband in the head.
He died instantly.
"He knew how to clean a gun," Biela said. "He's not stupid. It's just, liquor makes you do stupid things and he wasn't thinking clearly."
Medelez leaves behind his wife and five children, including a 6-month-old and a young special needs daughter.
"You start messing with something so lethal like that and it takes a second, a second to leave everything behind," Biela said. "What do you do without your soulmate?"
Gerard Bednarek, an assistant manager at the Bullet Hole Shooting Range, said tragedies like this one happen too often.
"The Second Amendment is a right of law-abiding citizens. However, with that right comes a high degree of responsibility," Bednarek said. "That responsibility needs to be maintained consistently."
Bednarek added that when it comes to cleaning your gun, there is a list of safety precautions gun owners have to check, including being clear-headed and removing any ammunition away from the gun.
"Always point the muzzle in a safe direction," Bednarek said. "Even if you are home, point it somewhere in an unfortunate event of a discharge it wouldn't hurt anyone, if anything, cause minimal property damage."
Biela is heading to work soon, but friends and family have set up a GoFundMe page to help her and her five children get through this difficult time.