Teen accused of hiding gun in shooting

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published July 25, 2007

TEMPLE TERRACE - A 17-year-old from Temple Terrace has been arrested, accused of hiding a gun Monday after a 19-year-old playing with the weapon accidentally shot himself in the head, police say.

Kristopher Jolly of 11500 Summit West Blvd., Apt. 38 F, faces a felony charge of tampering with evidence, two misdemeanor charges of possession of a firearm by a juvenile and a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer without violence, said Temple Terrace police spokesman Michael Dunn.

The shooting happened at 12:14 p.m. at the Summit West Apartments, Dunn said. Ismael Angel Vazquez, 19, was playing with the .357-caliber Smith & Wesson when he accidentally shot himself in the head, Dunn said.

"He didn't think it was loaded," Dunn said. "He put the gun to his head. He pulled the trigger. Apparently, it was."

On Tuesday afternoon, Vazquez was in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital, said hospital spokeswoman Ellen Fiss.

After police arrived at the scene Monday, they found Jolly, who also lives in the apartment complex. Jolly heard about the shooting from witnesses, then went into Vazquez's apartment, took the gun and hid it in his apartment, Dunn said.

It's unclear who owns the gun. After several hours of questioning, Jolly told police he had hidden the gun, Dunn said.

Jolly was arrested at 5 p.m. Monday and taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

Jolly was arrested earlier this year in March by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office on charges of robbery, jail records show.

Abbie VanSickle can be reached at vansickle@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3373.

[Last modified July 25, 2007, 00:34:15]