Who owns this gun?

SANDUSKY — John Verhovec Jr., 18, who died last month from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound, is among the hundreds of people who die annually from firearm-related accidents.In 2016, approximately 495 Americans died from unintentional gunshot wounds, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. That accounts for less than one percent of accidental deaths that year.One of those deaths was Katelin Castile, 25, of Sandusky, who, on Jan. 1, 2016, was killed after her fiancé, Jermane Kennedy, 28, allegedly accidentally shot her while showing off his 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.The deaths of Castile and Verhovec share similarities. In both cases, the clip was removed from a semi-automatic handgun, but the owners were unaware there was one round in the chamber.Kennedy was charged with negligent homicide and sentenced to two years probation. Police, however, are still investigating Verhovec's case, but it does not appear his death was intentionally caused."We've found nothing else to indicate it was anything other than a tragic accidental shooting," Sandusky police Detective Kevin Youskievicz said.But what happens to the guns involved in these shootings? And how do police investigate these cases?The gun was described as belonging to Verhovec, but in Ohio, a person must be age 21 or older to purchase a handgun. Rifles, by contrast, can legally be purchased by 18-year-olds.The police investigation is focusing on how the .38 caliber Hi-Point semi-automatic handgun came into the 18-year-old Verhovec's possession.As is the procedure with cases of this kind, officers took possession of the gun and placed it into evidence. Weapons placed into evidence stay with the police until they are told otherwise by a judge.They are now making attempts to find the original purchaser of the handgun to see if it was stolen or if it was sold to someone."We put a trace out on the gun and hopefully it was registered," Youskivicz said. "Then we can get the information on who originally owned the gun and try to the connect the dots on how it ended up in Verhovec's possession."When a gun is first bought the firearm is registered in the buyer's name. The gun remains in the original purchaser's name even after it's sold to someone else unless a registration transfer is done."In private sales, the gun doesn't transfer registration unless the people who are doing the sale go to a gun shop to transfer the registration," Youskievicz said.If someone sold the gun privately to Verhovec while knowing he wasn't old enough to own one, then the seller could possibly face charges."We'd present what we found and it would be up to the prosecutor if actual charges would be filed," Youskievicz said.It is illegal to knowingly sell a handgun to a person younger than 21, unless the buyer is a law enforcement officer or an active duty military member, according to the Ohio revised code."Any transaction, selling or furnishing of a handgun to that age range could constitute a felony of the fifth-degree," Erie County prosecutor Kevin Baxter said on the generality of the law without knowing the specifics of the case.Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterThe Hi-point .38 caliber handgun placed into evidence after Verhovec's death.