Lifelong Morgan Hill resident Anthony William Librers, 31, died
after apparently accidentally shooting himself with a handgun
during a camping trip Saturday.
Lifelong Morgan Hill resident Anthony William Librers, 31, died after apparently accidentally shooting himself with a handgun during a camping trip Saturday.
The accident occurred in a small town called Jupiter in Tuolumne County near the Stanislaus National Forest just early Saturday morning, according to Tuolomne County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. A.J. Ford.
Ford said deputies arrived about 3 a.m. to find Librers on the ground, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to Sonora Regional Medical Center, Ford said, and was later transported to the Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Modesto, where he was on life support until Sunday afternoon.
Librers, who went by Tony, was with a group of about 10 people for a bachelor party. They were staying at a cabin in this remote area of Tuolomne, Ford said.
At the time of the incident, “he was out there with a couple of other guys, the rest were in (the cabin) sleeping,” Ford said. “They were present, however, they did not witness it. They heard the gunshot and saw him fall.”
Ford said the county did not suspect foul play, and didn’t know whether the shooting was accidental or intentional, adding that an autopsy will be performed in the next couple of days.
Tony’s father Joseph Librers said Tony, who graduated from Live Oak High School, loved spending time with his three daughters, Julia, 12; Antonia, 8; and Adriann, 2. Librers wasn’t married and his daughters did not live with him, his father said. They lived with their mother and his longtime girlfriend, Heather Taylor, he said.
His boss Gary Ponzini of Ponzini’s Community Garage said he wasn’t so much of a worker as a friend. He and three others began working there about nine years ago, Ponzini said, and they were like family.
“He was a good guy. He loved practical jokes, riding motorcycles. If it was something exciting, he wanted to do it,” Ponzini said.
Librers was always the first to volunteer to tow “recoveries,” vehicles stuck in banks or in otherwise unusual circumstances, Ponzini said. Ponzini said Librers probably didn’t get home until 2 a.m. Wednesday, after Tuesday’s storm.
“He loved the excitement of them, they’re always different and harder to do,” Ponzini said.
Librers said his son was good with his hands, and could “do anything.
“He could write stories, paint and draw. He was physically fit. He liked to rappel down mountains.”
Librers said his son was a mechanic, too, and worked on his brother Joey Librers’s race car.
“He was a very good son. He was really an all-around good guy,” his father said.
Librers said his son’s organs were to be harvested for donation Monday.
“His mother, brother and I, and our spouses, agreed that it was something he would have wanted. He was in such good shape. (His organs) needs to be shared with other people. We believe he would have liked that.”
Librers was formerly the stepson of Councilwoman Marilyn Librers, who was married to Joseph Librers for several years during Tony’s childhood.
Marilyn Librers said he and her son, Tim Hennessey of San Jose, remained close.
“This is a horrible tragedy,” she said.
In addition to his three daughters, Tony Librers is survived by his father Joseph Librers and his wife Valerie; his mother Elizabeth Westphal and her husband Donald; his brother Joseph Librers, 33; several step-siblings, and his girlfriend Taylor.
