A Collier County woman says her stolen handgun may have been the weapon used in a fatal shooting earlier this week involving two teenagers.
Joy Cardenas, who lives in the Golden Gate area, told Gulf Coast News that she believes the purple Taurus G2C 9mm recovered by deputies after the killing of 15-year-old Christian Chavez belongs to her. Cardenas said the firearm was stolen from her vehicle last week.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said 13-year-old Irving Lopez accidentally shot Chavez with a handgun. Lopez has not been publicly charged as of Tuesday evening.
Cardenas said deputies informed her that her gun had been recovered as part of a homicide investigation.
Just one day before that revelation, deputies arrested another 13-year-old, Edgar Calachij, in connection with the case. Investigators say he may have been involved in stealing the weapon from Cardenas’s vehicle. She said she does not know Calachij personally.
“It’s mind-blowing,” Cardenas said. “How the gun can be stolen from my car by one kid, then another kid ends up with it and kills somebody with it?”
So far, the sheriff’s office has not confirmed if Lopez and Calachij knew each other or how the firearm was transferred between the teens. A spokesperson said the case remains under active investigation and that detectives will submit the gun to a laboratory for further testing.
Chavez’s family is also seeking answers. His older sister, Priscella Lopez, shared the emotional impact of the tragedy on Tuesday with Gulf Coast News.
“Maybe I’m dreaming, you know, but no, this is actually real and he’s gone,” she said.
The sheriff’s office has not released further details on charges or the timeline of events leading up to the shooting.
As the community mourns and authorities continue their investigation, Cardenas said she is left with one overwhelming question: how did a gun taken from her car end up in the hands of children?
“It has to be related,” she said. “There’s no other explanation.”
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