A man was arrested early Saturday after firing a semi-automatic pistol near homes with young children in a Mendocino County neighborhood, authorities said.
Deputies responded around 4 a.m. to reports of gunfire on the 3400 block of Ruddick Cunningham Road, where Lucio Romero-Ortiz, 31, allegedly discharged several rounds near a home with small children, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. Romero-Ortiz then entered another residence and fired the weapon again, just feet away from a 2-year-old child, officials said.
Romero-Ortiz later shot himself in the leg. Deputies who responded to a call about an accidental shooting took him into custody. Romero-Ortiz was charged with negligent discharge of a firearm, child endangerment, and possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm.
