Two of 30 guns, each one a GunFAIL, discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country last week.
Lots of vague reporting language in the latest collection of stories, which I think kept the numbers of people clearly reported as having shot themselves down from our normal range. Still, a solid 13 people appear to have done so last week. In other news, four of our patriotic friends fired rounds into their neighbors' homes, and one into a neighboring hotel room, two accidentally discharged weapons they were cleaning, which of course means they were cleaning them while they were still loaded. Three were accidentally shot in hunting accidents, and three were accidentally shot by guns being shown around for no particular reason whatsoever. And that's not counting those accidents caused by "playing with" guns.
"Playing with" guns is usually what's behind a significant number of our child victims of GunFAIL, and it's no exception this week. Twelve kids were accidentally shot this time, ages 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 17, 17, plus one more described simply as a juvenile, and fully half of them did not survive the accident. Four sibling-on-sibling shootings were counted this week, as well as accidents wounding one son, two wives, and a nephew.
The nephew, an 11-year-old boy, stands out as one of the most egregious, and yet in many ways, the most routine of our GunFAIL stories. He and his 11-year-old cousin had asked to see his uncle's gun collection, which the uncle dutifully unlocked from his gun safe, suggesting he was perhaps a rather responsible gun owner after all, though the benefit of hindsight tells us that time was quickly coming to an end. In demonstrating the coolness of the laser sight attached to his Glock 27, the uncle fell prey to the old "there's no magazine in it" trick, trained the laser sight on his nephew's forehead, and then threw a lifetime of responsible gun ownership away in a split second. He also killed his nephew, of course. But the real tragedy is that now the uncle looks like a simple "gun nut," which is politically difficult.
The week's other stories aren't any easier to swallow, either. They include yet another "I thought he was an intruder" situation, and one "I only meant to scare my son, not shoot and kill him" story. After more than a year of collecting these stories, we know that these shocking examples are actually routine enough that we can summarize and categorize them with a short and familiar phrase.
Lastly, there's one update to a story included in the previous GunFAIL installment, number LXVII. It was the story of a 13-year-old Memphis, TN, boy who had accidentally shot and killed his 10-year-old sister. It turns out that the boy is actually the second brother in his family to accidentally shoot one of their sisters.
I can't top that one, at the moment. So on to this week's list, below the fold.
- EL DORADO HILLS, CA, 2/08/14: 2:45 a.m. Deputies responded to a report of an accidental gunshot wound on Springburn Way in El Dorado Hills. The investigation revealed no criminal intent. Two firearms were taken for safe keeping
- ALOHA, OR, 2/08/14: An Aloha man accused of firing his weapon twice into a hotel ceiling, underneath an occupied room, has been convicted and sentenced in Washington County Circuit Court. Deputies responded to an America’s Best Inn about 10:20 p.m. on Feb. 8 after a friend of the suspect’s girlfriend reported to authorities the suspect had made threats of suicide to his girlfriend and had fired a gun twice. Deputies found Rudolfo Verdugo, 44, later the same night near the 3300 block of Southwest 198th Avenue in Aloha. Deputies recovered the loaded gun underneath the deck of a house, according to a probable cause affidavit. Verdugo told deputies he accidentally fired the gun in the hotel room while he loaded it and flinched during the discharge, causing the second shot, according to the affidavit. Verdugo told deputies he did not check to see if anyone was hurt. Verdugo then decided to get rid of the gun because he was scared, according to the affidavit. The room above Verdugo was occupied but no injuries were reported.
- CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, 4/21/14: Madison Whitmore was dead-bolting the front door of her boyfriend's Jefferson Park Avenue apartment at about 10 p.m. April 21, when the bullet crashed through and lodged in the opposite wall. The 7.62mm round fired from an AK-47-style semiautomatic rifle missed Whitmore by 2 feet, going through her boyfriend's bike, she said Tuesday. "I went and hid in the bedroom because I could not process how close I came," the University of Virginia Law School third-year student said. Charlottesville police arrested Phil Pil Woo Lee and Jung Cho, both 22 and both UVa undergrads, on misdemeanor charges of reckless handling of a firearm. They were acquitted three days later following a bench trial, said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Joe Platania. "There was no dispute about what happened; the question was if this was a criminal act or an accident," Platania said. Neither drugs nor alcohol were involved, and Lee and Cho did not appear to have been roughhousing, Platania said. "It was a very close case, and I think the court wrestled with it, but you need proof beyond a reasonable doubt to convict someone in this country," he said. "The line between reckless and an accident is a very fine one, but we felt that we had enough to charge it."
- BATAVIA, NY, 4/22/14: While on a check-the-welfare call April 22, the handgun of a Batavia police officer discharged unexpectedly, Chief Shawn Heubusch confirmed today. The accidental discharged is being investigated, but the good news, the chief said, is nobody was hurt. Officers responded to a check-the-welfare call in the Grand View Apartments complex and the chief said the officers were either concerned the person they were checking on was in danger or could be a danger to others. An officer for this reason drew his or her weapon and when the officer went to return his weapon to its holster, the Glock .40 caliber fired. The investigation so far has not ruled out a mistaken discharge or a gun malfunction. What has been ruled out is defect with the holster. Heubusch confirmed that buttons on the sides of officers jackets have been known to catch on the triggers of guns, but the office in this case was not wearing a jacket and the officer had on no other clothing that might have caught on the trigger. The officer's name is not being released. Outside of acknowledging that the incident took place, the case is being handled as a personnel matter, which requires confidentiality for the officer involved.
- MCINTOSH, AL, 4/25/14: Sexton Adams, of McIntosh, Ala., said he accidentally shot his 17-year-old son Darius Friday morning after the boy allegedly came home behaving in a bizarre and aggressive manner. Adams said he tried scaring him with a gun, but it went off by mistake. He has not been charged in the shooting, according Call News. Adams told the Washington County Sheriff’s office he felt threatened by the boy and had no intention of actually pulling the trigger. Darius was shot in the stomach with a .38 Special revolver. Adams told deputies that his son had come home on Friday morning at around 2 a.m. and was acting totally out of character but did not offer specifics at the time. The 55-year-old father did tell investigators he felt threatened enough by his son’s behavior to get his revolver but that he had no intentions of shooting it. Adams thought that, by showing his son the gun, he would instill enough fear into him to change his erratic behavior. “He cocked the pistol and in the process, according to him, the pistol went off,” Washington County Sheriff Richard Stringer,”said. “know, it’s just a very tragic thing. The man killed his own son. It just doesn’t get much worse than that.”
- LOUISVILLE, KY, 4/26/14: According to a preliminary investigation by the Louisville Metro Police Department, a four-year-old boy accidentally shot himself and faces life-threatening injuries. Alicia Smiley, LMPD Public Information Officer, said the incident happened around 3:20 p.m. Saturday in the boy's home in the 2100 block of Narrangansett Avenue near Algonquin Park. LMPD reported the boy is alive and is being treated at Kosair Children's Hospital. It is not clear who the gun belonged to. They boy's mother and two other children were also in the home. No other injuries were reported. The Homicide Unit of the LMPD is conducting the investigation. UPDATE: Kamarion Posey, the 4-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the face April 26 at his home, has died of his injuries at Kosair Children's Hospital.
- LIGONIER, IN, 4/26/14: A young boy was accidentally shot yesterday in North Ligonier. The Noble County Sheriff's Department received a 911 call of a shooting at 5211 West CR 1100 at 12:26. When officers arrived they found that a 7-year-old Jaylin Miller had been struck by a single gun shot and was deceased. The investigation revealed that Jaylin and his brother were out in the yard with a firearm, attempting to kill ground moles while outside the firearm was accidentally discharged by his brother which struck him. The investigation by the Noble County Sheriff Department and Noble County Coroner confirmed that it was an accidental shooting.
- CALEDONIA, NY, 4/26/14: Livingston County Sheriff's deputies arrested a York man Saturday after he allegedly accidentally shot another man in the face. Kenneth Rogers, 30, was arrested after deputies received an ambulance call to 1058 McEwen Rd. for the report of a person with a gunshot wound to the face. Deputies arrived and found Jeffery Wilkin, 28, sitting in the bathroom of the residence with a bloody cloth on his face. An investigation later determined both Wilkins and Rogers were drinking alcohol and Rogers accidentally fired a .22 caliber rifle containing bird shot. The shot struck Wilkins in the face. Rogers was arraigned on one count of felony reckless endangerment and remanded to the Livingston County Jail on $1,000 cash bail or $2,000 secured bond.
- BILLINGS, MT, 4/26/14: A Billings homeowner accidentally shot a 19-year-old man staying in his house late Saturday night. Around 11 p.m., Billings police responded to a report of a shooting at 1328 Mirror Lake Lane off Lake Elmo Drive. Sgt. Pat Curry said that the 19-year-old man was in the garage of the house making a phone call. The man was a family friend of the 50-year-old homeowner, who was letting the 19-year-old stay with him while he attends seminary school in town. The 19-year-old was being quiet so as not to wake anyone in the home, Curry said, and the homeowner mistook the man for an intruder and shot him. Curry said it looked like the man was shot in the chest. Curry said the injury appeared to be non-life-threatening. The man was taken to a Billings hospital for treatment. At press time, Curry didn’t have any information on what type of gun the homeowner used. Curry said the homeowner will probably not be charged with anything, unless the man dies and then a negligent homicide charge could be brought against the shooter.
- ST. ALBANS, WV, 4/26/14: A man was taken to a hospital after being accidentally shot in St. Albans, WV. According to a news release issued by the St. Albans Police Department, 37-year-old Kevin Tolbert walked into the Kanawha County Ambulance station on 5th Street at about 7:40 p.m. Saturday, April 26, with a small wound to his left hand. He was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The device Tolbert described, which accidentally went off in his hand when he was walking in the area of the 400 block of 6th Avenue, led to the dispatching of the Bomb Squad of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office, as a precaution. The news release says a man who accompanied Tolbert led police to the device at a residence on Gallatin Street in Amandaville, finding it to be a zip gun, which is a disguised weapon with a flashlight on one end and a short gun barrel concealed inside exiting the other end. It fires a small caliber handgun bullet. According to the news release, there is an investigation on this gun and the incident.
- WYTHEVILLE, VA, 4/26/14: An Elk Creek man has been charged with shooting a Rural Retreat woman in the hand following an incident early Saturday morning in the parking lot of a Wytheville restaurant. Jonathan Drew Hall, 25, was charged with reckless handling of a firearm and firing a weapon within town, both misdemeanors. Wytheville Police Chief Rick Arnold said officers were called to the Log House Restaurant’s parking lot around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday. There they found that Kimberly R. Childress, 26, of Rural Retreat, had been shot in the hand with a .45-caliber pistol. Officers interviewed Childress in Wythe County Community Hospital’s emergency room, where she was being treated. He said Childress told officers that she and two other females were with Hall and another man at the bar Friday night into early Saturday morning. Childress, the chief said, was apparently the designated driver and when Hall went to the car she went, too. Hall opened the trunk and Childress saw the pistol, Chief Arnold stated. Hall picked up the gun to show Childress it was unloaded and the weapon discharged, hitting Childress in the hand, the officer said. Only one shot was fired, Arnold reported, and it appears to have been an accident. The car, Arnold said, was a 2004 Hyundai four-door sedan registered to Kristie L. Frazier of Rural Retreat. After being shot in the hand, Arnold stated, the victim returned to the bar for help. She was taken to the hospital by the two other females and Hall ran away, according to the officer. Deputies with the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office stopped Hall on North 4th Street later in the morning. At that time, he was charged with being drunk and disorderly in public, the chief stated.
- AMARILLO, TX, 4/26/14: Amarillo police are investigating a Saturday morning aggravated assault in which a man pistol-whipped a woman, causing the gun to fire a bullet through the front door of an apartment. About 3 a.m., police responded to the call in a third-floor apartment in the 3300 block of Eddy Street. Officers learned a 21-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man were fighting. The man hit the woman with his fist, knocking her down, police said. When she tried to reach her cell phone, the man picked it up and walked to the apartment door with it. When she tried to stop him, he hit her in the head with a .45 caliber handgun, causing the gun to discharge, police said. The man then left, and police took the gun, which belonged to another resident of the apartment. The woman was hospitalized, and police said she was not seriously injured. Police have not located the man. About 9 a.m., police responded to a call in the 3300 block of Nebraska Street, where a homeowner found a bullet that had penetrated an exterior wall and lodged into an interior wall of his house. Police said the bullet may have been the same bullet fired earlier that morning.
- NASHUA, NH, 4/26/14: Police say an intoxicated man shot himself in the leg early Saturday morning while inside his Oak Hill Lane apartment. Police were called at 2:55 a.m. to St. James Place for a report of a disorderly group. When they arrived, they found Peter Powers, 23, of 4 Oak Hill Lane, suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg. He was taken to a hospital where he was treated and later released. Detectives learned Powers was intoxicated and in possession of a firearm when he accidentally shot himself in the leg inside his apartment. Police said another man was inside the apartment at the time of the accidental shooting. He was not injured. Powers was arrested and charged with reckless conduct, a class B felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.
- ROSEVILLE, CA, 4/26/14: Roseville police have arrested a man on suspicion of negligently firing a round from a weapon into his neighbor’s wall. A woman came home about 6 p.m. Saturday to find a bullet hole in the interior wall of her apartment in the 800 block of Gibson Drive. Officers investigated and arrested her neighbor, 40-year-old Ryan Eugene Shirley. His charges included suspicion of possessing a firearm by a person prohibited by courts from having one, possessing an assault weapon and possessing a large capacity magazine. Police said Shirley is out of custody after posting $50,000 bail. The bullet hole was from a handgun. While investigating the apparently accidental discharge, officers found the illegal assault rifle and ammunition, according to police.
- PETALUMA, CA, 4/26/14: Petaluma police detectives, investigating what happened to a 17-year-old Petaluma teen with a gunshot wound to his chest, have evidence the teen may have shot himself. Petaluma Lt. Matt Stapleton Wednesday said the youth hasn't been cooperating with the investigation and has offered differing versions as to what happened to him, including that the shot could have been self-inflicted. Stapleton said evidence supports the theory he shot himself. The investigation began Saturday night when the teen stumbled into his father's Petaluma home, suffering from the wound. The teen, who hasn't been identified, remained hospitalized as of Tuesday, Stapleton said.
- MCMINN CO., TN, 4/26/14: The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is investigating a hunting accident involving a firearm that occurred on County Road 83 in McMinn County Saturday. The accident resulted in one injury.
- BRUNSWICK, OH, 4/26/14: 4500 block Aspen Lake Drive; a man accidentally shot himself in the hand while cleaning and moving his 9 mm semi-automatic Springfield Armory pistol. The man was taken to the hospital and police were able to locate the gun, with 11 rounds in the magazine. The spent round was found on the floor in the bedroom.
- MATTITUCK, NY, 4/27/14: A 71-year-old Eastport man contacted Southold Police to claim the handgun that was found on the floor of the Mattituck Hess station Sunday afternoon. Frederick Benz flagged down a Southold Town police officer shortly after realizing he had accidentally left the gun behind. The gun was returned to Mr. Benz after he showed proof of ownership and it was confirmed that he could legally possess a handgun, police said. The gun had been found around 1 p.m. by 54-year-old Frank Mole of Massapequa Park, a boater who was on his way out to the water when he stopped to use the rest room.
- MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 4/27/14: Minneapolis police said a reported shooting turned out to be an accidental gun discharge early Sunday morning. Police were called to the scene on the 2300 block of Aldrich Avenue North just before 4 a.m. One person was accidentally shot but suffered a non-life threatening injury.
- WEST ORANGE, NJ, 4/27/14: A federal air marshal accidentally shot himself in the leg with his service weapon inside of a West Orange office building this morning, police said. The marshal, who was not identified, suffered non-life threatening injuries after the shooting occurred around 10:30 a.m. inside of an office building on Rooney Circle, said West Orange Police Sgt. David Palmere. The marshal was taken to University Hospital in Newark, according to Palmere, who said the weapon used was a handgun. It was not clear what led to the shooting, and no one else was injured, Palmere said. While the incident remains under investigation, it did not appear that the marshal or anyone else would face criminal charges, according to Palmere.
- HUNTSVILLE, AL, 4/27/14: Newson Road: Someone was shot accidentally in the 4100 block close to 8 p.m. His injuries were not life-threatening.
- SPRINGFIELD, OH, 4/27/14: The husband of a 46-year-old woman shot in the buttocks at their home this afternoon was charged with negligent assault. Kent Scott told Springfield police he picked up a backpack from the floor when a handgun fell out. As he reached to pick it up, it discharged, Springfield police Sgt. Doug Pergram said. Kimberly Scott was hit in the left buttock, and the bullet was lodged in her right buttock near her hip, he said. "It was an accidental gunshot wound," Pergram said. Police and medics were called at 3:23 p.m. to the home in the 600 block of Damascus Avenue. The couple was not arguing, and drugs or alcohol was not involved, he said. Kimberly Scott was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center and was later flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where she was treated and released, hospital records show. Kent Scott was processed and released from the Clark County Jail, Pergram said.
- JACKSON CO., IN, 4/27/14: A mushroom hunter escaped serious injury Sunday after he was shot by a Danville man adjusting the sights on his shotgun in northwestern Jackson County. 65-year-old James Wilson of Kurtz was treated for minor injuries at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour Sunday afternoon. According to Conservation Officer Phil Nale, Wilson was hit with five pellets in the chest area and one in the left cheek. Wilson told police he had been hunting mushrooms on Gorbetts Chapel Road in the Hoosier National Forest when he was shot. Both men told police they had not seen each other before Morgan fired his shotgun. Nale was notified by the hospital staff about the incident at 2:35 p.m. According to Nale, Wilson was in a thicket 60 to 70 yards away from Morgan when he was shot. Morgan was apparently sighting his weapon when he fired the shot that hit Wilson. Nale says that activity generally is reserved for a shooting range. The incident is still under investigation and Nale says he still has to speak to Morgan about the shooting.
- FAIRBANKS, AK, 4/27/14: A Fairbanks man was treated at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital after shooting himself in the hand on Sunday while cleaning a handgun. John Murphy, 53, called police at 2:47 p.m. to report the accident. Murphy told police he thought the gun was unloaded but that turned out not to be the case. The bullet entered and exited Murphy’s hand before striking a frying pan and falling to the floor. Murphy was treated at the hospital and released.
- SEBASTIAN CO., AR, 4/28/14: Sebastian County authorities are investigating an accidental shooting just south of Hackett Monday morning (April 28th). That shooting happened around 8:30 a.m. off of Tyro Road in the rural part of the county, according to Sebastian County Investigator Philip Pevehouse. Once deputies got on scene, they ruled that the shooting was accidental. The victim sustained non life-threatening injuries and is being taken to a local hospital to be treated, according to Pevehouse. At this point, the cause of the shooting is still under investigation, Pevehouse said.
- DURHAM, NC, 4/28/14: A 9-year-old boy was shot and killed in a Macon Street home on Monday night, according to Durham police. Officers responded to the home at 412 Macon about 9:40 p.m. The child, whose name is not being released at this time, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said Tuesday morning that it appeared to be an accidental shooting involving juveniles. "Investigators are continuing to work to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting," Michael said. UPDATE: Durham police have released the name of a 9-year-old boy accidentally shot to death at his home. Police said Christian Pittman died in the shooting Monday night. Police Chief Jose Lopez said Christian and an older brother were playing with a gun when it went off.
- BEDFORD, IN, 4/29/14: Lawrence County police were alerted after a 13-year-old boy was taken to Indiana University Bedford Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound. According to Sheriff Sam Craig, officers were contacted by emergency room workers at 7:53 p.m. "The incident happened on Back Creek Road," Craig says. "We are still gathering information and should have more information available this afternoon. We do know at this time it was an accidental shooting." Craig says that officers were told the wound was not serious.
- WICHITA, KS, 4/29/14: A child shot and killed his 1-year-old brother after finding a loaded gun in a nightstand, Wichita Police said. The shooting, which is being investigated as accidental, happened around 2 p.m. in the 1300 block of north Pennsylvania Avenue. Police said 911 dispatchers received a call from an upset person about a shooting in the area, but could not get an exact address from the caller because he was so distraught. A second 911 call was made, saying the child was on the way to the hospital in a private vehicle. The 19-month-old boy was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. During the course of the investigation, police said a 4-year-old child found the loaded gun in a nightstand drawer. He didn't take it out, but pulled the trigger. The bullet went through the nightstand and struck his brother in the chest. Another sibling, a 3-year-old girl, was also in the bedroom at the time. Police said the children's parents were in the living room during the incident.
- KANSAS CITY, MO, 4/29/14: Two teenagers are charged in what authorities say was an accidental shooting death of a Kansas City woman. Jackson County authorities say 40-year-old Tina Castor died Tuesday after she was shot while sitting in a friend's car. The two suspects, both 16, were playing with guns in the back seat of the car. Investigators say one of the teenagers, a relative of Castro's, touched a trigger of a gun and fired a single shot into her back. She died at the scene. The Kansas City Star reports the teenagers have been charged as juveniles with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.
- CHARLESTON, WV, 4/30/14: Charleston police are investigating a violent robbery. It happened on the 11-hundred block of Livingston Avenue around 1 a.m. Police said the suspect pistol-whipped and tried to rob two men this morning. During the robbery, police believe the suspect accidentally shot himself in the foot. Another man drove the suspect to the hospital, but not before they crashed their vehicle nearby, police said. Shortly after, the two victims also showed to the hospital complaining of head and other injuries. Detectives are interviewing all people involved right now. Charges are pending against the robbery suspect, they said. UPDATE: Two men are being charged with malicious wounding and robbery after police say they robbed and hit two men with pistols in Charleston, WV. According to a criminal complaint, Darius Rose and Grant Patterson used pistols to hit and rob William Nice and Mark Richards. Richards had to get 10 staples in his head from the beating. Nice received abrasions on the left side of his face. During the robbery Patterson shot himself in the foot.
- UTICA, KY, 4/30/14: A Utica woman was taken to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital Wednesday morning after being accidentally shot in the foot. Morgan Palmiter, a detective with the Daviess County Sheriff's Department, said Mary Stancil, 48, of the 10900 block of Mill Street in Utica, was shot in the left foot sometime between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. Palmiter said Stancil told deputies she dropped her husband's .45 caliber handgun at their home and it discharged, striking her foot.
- PICO RIVERA, CA, 4/30/14: A 16-year-old boy accidentally shot and wounded his brother with a shotgun late Wednesday at their Pico Rivera home, authorities said. The injured 18-year-old man was struck in the legs, shoulders and arms by what was believed to be birdshot in the incident, but was expected to survive his injuries, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Chapman said. The shooting took place about 7:30 p.m. in the 5600 block of Eglise Avenue, the sergeant said. The young men apparently discovered a shotgun in the home and were handling it when it discharged, striking the older brother, Chapman said. “He was transported to (Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center) for treatment,” Chapman said. “It’s my understanding that he’s going to be okay.” Deputies determined the shooting was accidental and no arrests were made Wednesday, he said. Officials were continuing to investigate the incident and determine exactly who the shotgun belonged to, and how the 16-year-old boy ended up in possession of it.
- BRONX, NY, 4/30/14: An off-duty New York City corrections officer accidentally fired his weapon and the bullet went into his neighbor's apartment. The 52 year old corrections department captain accidentally fired a shot from his service revolver inside his Bronx apartment on Wednesday night, officials said. The bullet went through the wall and into a neighbor's apartment. The neighborwas not injured. The officer was initially facing reckless endangerment and related charges, but prosecutors declined to pursue the case.
- LOUP CITY, NE, 4/30/14: The Sherman County Sheriff's Office with the assistance of Kearney police is investigating what appears to be an accidental shooting in Loup City. Sherman County officials were called to a Loup City home a little after 10 p.m. Wednesday, where a woman at the residence was reportedly shot by her husband. According to authorities, Michael Hill had fallen asleep with a handgun on his chest that he had previously been checking. Officers were told the gun went off when Sandra Hill tried to awaken her husband. Sandra Hill was shot in her hip and was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital. Authorities say she is in stable condition. The shooting appears accidental, but officers say alcohol was involved. The investigation is ongoing.
- FULKS RUN, VA, 5/01/14: A Fulks Run man faces charges after an accidental shooting in the town Thursday morning. At approximately 10:30 a.m., the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office responded to an accidental shooting at 14480 Nash Hill Lane in Fulks Run. Jeremy Reid, 28, was cleaning a rifle and pointing it at a glass door, and in doing so he pulled the trigger and the weapon fired, according to the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office. Law enforcement says the round traveled through the glass door and hit Gene Bare, 56, of Fulks Run, who was standing outside a storage unit approximately 80 yards away. The round was a 7.62 X 37 SKS rifle round that hit Bare in the upper right arm, and went through the arm and lodged in his chest cavity. Bare was transported by ambulance to J. Frank Hillyard Middle School, and then was flown to U. Va. Medical Center in a medical helicopter. He is in critical condition at this time. Reid faces two charges: a felony charge for shooting from an occupied dwelling and a misdemeanor charge for reckless handling of a firearm. He was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.
- TIOGA, LA, 5/01/14: A teenager was killed Thursday afternoon in an accidental shooting in Tioga, authorities reported today. The victim was Tony Lawson, 17 of Tioga, according to the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office. “The victim and some friends were mishandling a firearm that they presumed was unloaded, and it discharged, striking the victim once,” said Sheriff William Earl Hilton. The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. Thursday in the 5000 block of Oaklane Road in Tioga, officials said.
- SANTA FE CO., NM, 5/01/14: Police said a 79-year-old man died after he shot himself in the stomach at a home on Arbol Grande.
- BUTLER TOWNSHIP, PA, 5/02/14: An Aspers woman was taken to the hospital following an accidental shooting, according to police. Troopers at Pennsylvania State Police, Gettysburg, are investigating the shooting in the 400 block of Center Mills Road in Butler Township around 1 a.m. Friday. Police said Tiffany Crouse, 24, was shot in the leg with a .45 caliber revolver and taken to York Hospital. The incident remains under investigation.
- POTTSTOWN, PA, 5/02/14: Police investigate a shooting where a teenaged male accidentally discharged the weapon into his leg Friday night. The incident occurred in Lesher Alley near Evans Street in the borough. UPDATE: The 15-year-old who accidentally shot himself Friday night was on probation for a previous offense and carrying a gun with the serial number scratched out when he wounded himself in the foot.
- DELAWARE TOWNSHIP, PA, 5/03/14: An 11-year-old boy died after being shot in the head by his uncle, according to state police in Pike County. Chad Olm, 34, was arrested and locked up on a charge of homicide. According to state police, the shooting happened around 5:30 p.m, Saturday at a home in Wild Acres development near Dingmans Ferry. Hunter Pedersen was at a family gathering that included Olm, who was his uncle, as well as Olm’s own son. Prosecutors say Olm was showing the boys his gun collection, which included a Glock 27 with a laser sight on it. According to court papers, Olm was showing the pistol to the boys and pointed the laser on the ceiling and walls. He then allegedly pointed the laser at his nephew’s forehead. Investigators believe Pedersen may have reached for the pistol before Olm pulled the trigger. UPDATE: According to police, the two boys asked Olm if they could see his handgun collection, which was in his bedroom in the basement of his parents' Wild Acres home in Pike County. Olm removed the guns from a locked safe and showed the boys each one. The last gun was a Glock 27 .40-caliber handgun with a laser sight. Olm said the gun didn't have a magazine in it, but he did not work the action to check or clear it, according to court papers. Laser on, he pointed the gun at the head of his nephew and pulled the trigger.
- CLEVELAND, OH, 5/03/14: A shooting near Case Western Reserve University prompted a security alert on the school’s campus early Saturday morning. According to Chris Sheridan, the Vice President for University Marketing and Communications, the shooting took place off campus and did not involve anyone affiliated with the university. Case Western issued the warning as a precautionary measure until it learned the details of the shooting. A Case Western University police officer responded to the shooting on Wade Park Avenue just before 1 a.m. According to police, a group of juveniles had been gathered on Wade Park Avenue when they saw four other young people walking nearby. One of the juveniles had a handgun and shot it in the air, as a threat to the other group of kids. When he tried to put the gun back into his waistband, he accidentally shot one of his friends in the thigh. No one else was injured.
- MILWAUKEE, WI, 5/03/14: A 3-year-old boy accidentally shot himself Saturday afternoon at a home on Milwaukee's northwest side, police said. The shooting occurred just after 2 p.m. when the boy was playing with a handgun that he found at a residence in the 8600 block of N. 106th St., according to a police news release. Milwaukee Fire Department paramedics took the boy to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin for treatment of a gunshot wound. Police did not disclose the child's condition.
- OTTAWA, KS, 5/03/14: A 28-year-old Ottawa man suffered a gunshot wound to a foot in a hunting mishap Saturday morning, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office said. Emergency personnel were dispatched just after 7 a.m. to the scene in the 20100 block of S. Shawnee Heights Road. Deputies found Justin Smith with a gunshot wound that wasn’t life-threatening to his right foot. Deputies determined the shooting to be accidental. Smith was taken to a Topeka hospital for treatment.