A 20-year-old man is accused in his girlfriend’s death after he said she accidentally shot and killed herself with his gun in a Southeast Portland apartment Sunday.
Leonel Macias, 20, is accused of first-degree manslaughter in her death, according to court records. He was initially booked on allegations of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon, but prosecutors declined to file those charges Monday afternoon.
Court records identified the woman who died as Kimberly Venegas-Gonzalez.
Macias’ mother told police she was in the apartment earlier in the evening with Macias and Venegas-Gonzalez, according to a probable cause affidavit. The mother left the apartment to get ice cream when, about 10 minutes later, she got a call from Macias, who said Venegas-Gonzalez accidentally shot herself while playing with his handgun.
“He did not know there was a bullet in the chamber,” prosecutors wrote in an affidavit.
Macias called his mother back on FaceTime and showed himself holding a gun to his chin, according to the affidavit. When she returned to the apartment in the 2600 block of Southeast 170th Avenue, she saw him standing in front of a couch holding a gun to his side. Venegas-Gonzalez was slumped over on the couch, the affidavit said.
His mother’s boyfriend tried to calm him down, the affidavit said, but his panic increased once he heard the sound of police sirens. Macias told his mother to leave and said he was going to shoot.
The affidavit said Macias called 911 around 6:30 p.m. and reported his girlfriend was dead. His mother also called 911 to alert dispatchers.
Tactical officers from the bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team and Crisis Negotiation Team responded to the scene. The team knocked open the front door, police and neighbors said.
Nearby residents had received messages to shelter in place.
When tactical officers entered, they saw Venegas-Gonzalez on the couch and removed her from the apartment, the affidavit said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police had said Macias refused to leave the residence. Court records say officers did not see Macias in the living room. A two-hour standoff ensued before he surrendered around 9 p.m. He was arrested outside the apartment, the affidavit said.
Police recovered a single .45-caliber bullet casing at the scene.
On Monday afternoon, the apartment entrance was covered with a rectangular, wooden panel. Several strands of crime scene tape were thrown in a nearby dumpster.
Neighbors said Macias is part of a “good,” church-going family and that police remained in the area until 3:30 a.m. Monday.
Macias remains in Multnomah County custody as of Monday afternoon and is being held without bail.
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