San Diego police are investigating the shooting of a man inside a Clairemont home used as a daycare.

Michael Nugent, 21, died from a chest wound he suffered when his best friend’s gun dropped to the ground and fired, officials said.

San Diego police officers were called to the home on Gallatin Way around 1 a.m. Sunday.

Sharon Orr owns the home and the daycare and described Nugent as a longtime family friend.

“We are devastated,” Orr said.

Orr’s son was with his friend when the gun fired.

Paramedics found Nugent lying on a house’s front lawn and rushed him to a local hospital, said Lieutenant Mike Hastings.

He was later pronounced dead.

Investigators confiscated several firearms from the home. During the week, the Orr Family Daycare operates out of the home.

Orr said the guns were registered and kept far from the children who she supervised in the at-home daycare.

“The guns were in a $600 safe upstairs. The guns were never out of the safe during daycare hours and the children didn’t go upstairs,” she said.

About her daycare, Orr said, “been doing this for 27 years, it’s my life” and then began crying.

Clarence Allen has lived next door to the family for almost 50 years.

“They’re a great family. The boys have never been in trouble,” Allen said referring to Orr’s family.

"It’s a tragedy that it happened to the other boy because they were best friends,” Allen said.

If you have information about the incident, call San Diego Police’s Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

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