A 16-year-old Santa Barbara boy who suffered an accidental gunshot wound last week at a shooting range in the mountains above Santa Barbara has died of his injuries, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Emergency personnel responded at about 1 p.m. Thursday to the Glass Factory shooting area along East Camino Cielo in Los Padres National Forest.
The victim, Kaiden Vague, was airlifted by Calstar medical helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, said Kelly Hoover, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
The teen died the next day, his 16th birthday, she said.
“The Coroner’s Office conducted a death investigation, and has determined the 16-year-old died as result of a traumatic accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Hoover said.
Family members reportedly made the decision to donate the teen’s organs to help others in need.
Kaiden was a sophomore at Dos Pueblos High School. He reportedly was training with his father and brother at the time of the accident.
He is survived by his parents, Tiffany and Shaun Vague; brothers John and Shaun Jr.; his older sister, Vivy; and his maternal grandparents.
A GoFundMe account, with a goal of $50,000, has been set up to help the family with medical and funeral expenses. Click here to make an online donation.
Funeral information was not available Sunday night.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.