Those who knew Christopher Gray, the San Benito High School
student killed in a shooting accident over the weekend, was a
dedicated athlete who liked to tell jokes.
Hollister – Those who knew Christopher Gray, the San Benito High School student killed in a shooting accident over the weekend, was a dedicated athlete who liked to tell jokes.
“He was just like any other kid … like us,” said SBHS sophomore Justin Jenkins, who had been a friend of Gray’s since last summer. “When you think about it, stuff like that doesn’t happen to someone you know.”
Like many who knew Gray, Jenkins said he was shocked to hear that the 15-year-old freshman had been killed Saturday afternoon. Monterey Chief Deputy Mike Brassfield said another SBHS student was holding a rifle when it went off and a bullet struck Gray in the head. The two were out target shooting in a remote area of Aromas.
“There are no words that can express our loss,” said the boy’s father, Monterey Sheriff’s Cmdr. Malcolm Gray. “Our family is everything to us. He was a wonderful son and brother and a great athlete.” Gray’s mother is Salinas Police Sgt. Victoria Gray.
Gray, Aromas resident, who played on SBHS’s freshman football team, was athletic and enjoyed hunting, said freshman Garrett Miller, who counted Gray among his friends.
“He liked sports a lot,” Miller said.
That love of sports showed itself on the field and in the weight room, said Chris Cameron, head coach of SBHS’s varsity football team. Gray was one of the few freshman football players chosen to practice with the varsity team as it prepared for last year’s play-off games, he said.
“You could count on him being there every day,” Cameron said. “He was there every single day and happy to be there.”
Cameron said that Gray had the drive to go far in the game of high school football.
“I thought he had a lot of good potential. He was promising,” he said. “He did well. He worked really hard.”
Despite his seriousness on the football field, Jenkins said Gray had a good sense of humor and kept his friends in good spirits.
“He was fun to hang around,” he said. “There wasn’t a dull moment when he was around. He told jokes all the time.”
For Gray, the laughter and potential came to an end Saturday during an afternoon of target practice with a friend, a 15-year-old boy who attends SBHS. The pair were shooting in the Aromas area of Monterey County. The .22-caliber rifle being used by Gray’s companion accidentally discharged a bullet that struck Gray in the head, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. Brassfield declined to release the other boy’s name because he is a minor.
“The young man explained that he had made certain movements and the gun went off and struck his friend (in the head),” Brassfield said. It appeared to be an accidental shooting, he said.
Following the shooting, Gray’s friend used a cell phone to call the police. Gray was dead by the time Monterey Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene around 3:15pm.
Though the shooting has thus far been ruled an accident and police don’t suspect foul play, it is still under investigation, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. When the investigation is finished, the findings will be sent to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review.
For many, Gray’s young age makes Saturday’s accident more difficult to reconcile.
“It’s a horrible thing,” Cameron said. “He’s just a young guy. He had so much to live for, a lot of life ahead of him. It’s a shame to see it all go.”
The Associated Press Contributed to this report.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at lr****@fr***********.com
