Heartbroken Aunt’s Warning After Her Nephew & Friend’s Fatal Overdose Goes Viral
Gunner Bundrick and Jake Morales, two 19-year-old boys from Tucson, Arizona, passed away after accidentally ingesting fentanyl in a pill they thought was Percocet. The duo was spending the night out with friends before returning to Bundrick’s home to spend the night eating pizza and playing video games.
According to Fox News, the 19-year-olds each consumed a pill labeled as “Percocet” at some point in time during the evening.
Percocet is a prescription strength opioid that contains oxycodone. It is a drug often taken for its numbing side effects. It is extremely common for teenagers around Gunner and Jake’s age to get curious and experiment with drugs like Percocet.
What Gunner and Jake did not know was the Percocet pill was laced with fentanyl. Moreover, it was later determined each pill contained enough fentanyl to kill 10 average-sized adult males.
The boys were discovered the next morning. Local authorities believe the duo likely died instantly and pain-free in their sleep. They were also believed to be dead for hours before their bodies were discovered by family members.
Accidental fentanyl fatal overdoses are a far too familiar story across the United States. Brandi Bundrick Nishnick’s viral Facebook post is the reason this particular story has caught so much traction.
“Gunner never had a chance,” his heartbroken aunt penned in her Facebook post.
Since Tuesday when the post was published, it has accumulated over 185,000 comments, 469,000 reactions, and just shy of a million shares.
Gunner Bundrick, Jake Morales, 19. 11.3.18 Fentanyl. Prescott Valley, AZ “Though many knew [Gunner] as an accomplished athlete, we are proud of him for being much more: … a loving son, a wonderful grandson and nephew, a protective brother and a loyal friend.” #notanotherstat pic.twitter.com/xdR2O29V4q
— Harry Nelson (@nelsonh) November 25, 2018
Brandi explained she made the decision to share the details of Gunner’s story because she believed he was an amazing kid and she hoped his story could save someone else’s life.
“I’m sharing Gunner’s story because Gunner had a whole life ahead of him. He had goals and aspirations. He wanted to be a dad. He wanted to continue to play football and baseball in college. He wanted to go hunting and fishing with this grandpa. Gunner wasn’t done,” she continued to explain.
She added, “One bad choice, one stupid minor mistake was all it took.”
PLEASE SHARE: Why Gunner Bundrick's story 'could very well save your child’s life' https://t.co/dvfmnpc3H1 @gunner_bundrick @brian_bundrick @RyleeBundrick
— Shannon Bundrick (@SBundrick5) November 24, 2018
According to Gunner’s aunt, her nephew did not have a history of drug use and this tragedy was the result of experimentation gone wrong.
“THERE CAN BE NO EXPERIMENTING.”
Brandi ended her heartbreaking viral post by begging everyone to share her nephew’s story and read it to their teenagers.
“Tell your kids Gunner’s story. Show them his picture. I can’t describe the amount of pain my brother, sister-in-law and Gunner’s sisters are going through- a pain that will NEVER end. A hole that will NEVER be filled. A life that will never be brought back. A beautiful life. Gone forever,” she pleaded.
