California Teen Dies While Testing Bulletproof Vest

A California teen is dead and a young man faces a homicide charge after a bad idea took a horrible turn on Friday night. Guns.Com reports that 19-year-old Miguel Henry Martinez agreed to wear a bulletproof vest while his friends shot at him.

ABC News 10 reports that the 19-year-old teen began complaining about not being able to breathe not long after he was shot. His older brother Tom Cline gave statements to the media about the accidental death of his brother, and he expressed his heartache.

“The kid had shot my brother. The bullet penetrated the top of his vest. My brother was hit, my brother said he couldn’t breathe.”

Cline said that the friends that were with Miguel didn’t think he would be hurt since he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Reports also indicate that as soon as the California teen began showing signs of injury, one of the group of friends immediately ran to call for help. Authorities in Fair Oaks believe that this was an accidental shooting with no malicious intent.

The death of Miguel Henry Martinez is a bizarre example of the types of accidents that can take place when guns and inexperienced people mix. This is also not the only time a similar situation has taken place. In 2014 a South Carolina woman named Taylor Kelly was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter after she shot a friend who was wearing a bulletproof vest. The bullet managed to hit the friend in the heart, which killed him. In Baltimore in the same year, the very same thing happened between friends Mark Ramiro and Darnell Mitchell. Unfortunately, Mitchell was fatally wounded. In other words, when inexperienced people test bulletproof vests, bad things can happen.

The young man who shot Miguel has been charged with homicide and is currently in Sacramento County Jail. Elijah Lambert is 21-years-old and already has a relatively long rap sheet. He has been in trouble for unlawfully possessing a firearm and for robbery, but both of these charges are on his juvenile record. As for Miguel Henry Martinez, his loved ones now have to pick up the pieces and move on with a loved one missing from their lives. While it’s been confirmed that the bulletproof vest failed, there are no reports indicating whether or not the family will be seeking damages in civil court against the manufacturers or the young man who shot the California teen.

Photo: Sacramento County mugshot