By Jim Patten
jpatten@eagletribune.com
December 16, 2008 02:40 pm LAWRENCE — A 24-year-old Lawrence man shot himself in the head during an apparent drunken game of Russian roulette and was in critical condition, police said. And police said the gun Israel Rodriguez used in the ultimate game of chance was missing early yesterday. Rodriguez was in the basement of an East Laurel Street apartment at the time of the shooting. Geraldo Martinez, 19, a resident of the apartment told police that he, Rodriguez and one other person were drinking and playing video games when Rodriguez suggested they play Russian roulette. Martinez told police he told Rodriguez to stop fooling around but watched as his friend removed bullets from a small silver revolver. Martinez said Rodriguez then spun the chamber and held the gun against his temple. Martinez said the gun went off and he ran upstairs to tell his mother and called police. He also told police that Rodriguez had been dropped off at his home and was "very drunk and may have been on some kind of medication." Police found two .38-caliber bullets on the floor near Rodriguez and two more on his lap. They also found three boxes of bullets in a small black bag beside a computer desk. However, the gun was nowhere to be found, said police Chief John Romero. When police asked about the gun, Martinez told them it should be underneath Rodriguez, but after a search of the area, no gun was found. "The fly in the ointment obviously is that the gun is missing," Romero said. Romero said investigators have received conflicting stories about how many people were in the basement when the gun went off. Romero said the investigation was continuing, but that it does appear to be a self-inflicted wound. Early yesterday afternoon, Martinez answered the door at his home but refused to answer questions about the incident. He did take a reporter downstairs to the basement to view the scene. The shooting took place in a small area at the foot of the basement stairs that had a couch, a computer desk and the wooden straight back chair that Rodriguez appeared to have been sitting in when he shot himself. A trail of blood spots led down the concrete front steps and a walkway to a pile of plastic gloves and a towel. Rodriguez was treated at Lawrence General Hospital and was later transferred to Boston Medical Center, where officials said he was in critical condition. ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
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