Santa Rosa drug suspect accidentally shoots himself in leg

A Santa Rosa man under the influence of drugs accidentally shot himself in the leg Tuesday night while pocketing the .45-caliber handgun, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies are seeking an arrest warrant for Drew Gonsalves, 26, to take him into custody after the injured man is released from a hospital, sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Crum said Wednesday. Gonsalves is suspected of being a felon with a gun, possession of methamphetamine and other drug charges.

At the time of the shooting, Gonsalves had been at a relative’s home on Linda Lane in northern Santa Rosa where he had been smoking methamphetamine and snorting crushed Oxycodone, according to deputy reports.

While putting his brother’s handgun into a pocket of his pants, the weapon went off. His father took him to a hospital and deputies were called at about 11:30 p.m. about a gunshot victim.

Deputies are requesting the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office issue the arrest warrant, Crum said.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.