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WILKES-BARRE — A Wilkes-Barre man who shot himself in the hand when he picked up a firearm inside a storage unit that was being ransacked by another person was sentenced to up to eight years in state prison on a firearm offense and trafficking fentanyl.
Moises Gonzalez, 42, last known address as North Fulton Street, was sentenced to four to eight years in prison by Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas on charges of possession of a firearm without a license and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. Gonzalez pled guilty to the charges Oct. 23.
Gonzalez and Autumn Ashford, 36, of Wilkes-Barre Township, were encountered by Wilkes-Barre Township police at a storage unit facility on Heinz Drive on Feb. 24, 2021. Police had stepped up patrols at the storage facility due to recent burglaries at the time.
Police found syringes and drug paraphernalia outside a storage unit rented by Gonzalez.
As additional officers were arriving at the storage unit, Gonzalez attempted to leave but exited a vehicle driven by Ashford after a short standoff, court records say.
When Gonzalez stepped out of a vehicle, police noticed he suffered a gunshot wound to his hand.
During an interview with Gonzalez, he claimed he entered a unit that had been ransacked and picked up a bag that contained a handgun. When he removed the handgun, the weapon discharged a round that passed through his hand, court records say.
Police searched Gonzalez’s vehicle finding a bag filled with fentanyl, a .45-caliber handgun and 37 rounds of .38 caliber bullets, court records say.
Ashford was sentenced to 18 months probation on charges of drug paraphernalia and misuse of vehicle documents by Lupas in September 2022.