In Niles, Ohio, Nicklas Trkula, age 21, was attempting to shoot a man he believed to be his girlfriend’s lover. The bullet he fired passed through an apartment wall and struck another man in the leg while he was watching TV. Trkula fled the scene with his girlfriend, but was later tracked down by police …
Month: January 2021
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021
Nia Reyes of Phoenix, Arizona was attempting to shoot a shoplifter, but instead accidentally struck an Ace Hardware store employee in the leg. The employee was in pursuit of the shoplifter at the time of the incident. It is unclear why Ms. Reyes, age 45, believed it appropriate to use potentially lethal force on a …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021
In Ellisville, Mississippi, a four-year old toddler found a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his family car and accidentally shot and killed his two-year old sister. Their mother had left them in the back seat of the car temporarily. The toddler was able to climb out of his car seat and grab the gun. “It’s just …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
The Bennettsville, South Carolina Police Department issued the following statement about a gun accident that injured two children today, reprinted here in its entirety: “The Bennettsville Police Department Detectives’ Division was called in reference to a shooting at a residence inside the city limits of Bennettsville, SC. A preliminary investigation has led detectives to conclude …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2021
Brooklyn Terrell, a 17-year old Lockland, Ohio teenager, was accidentally shot and killed when she and two other teenagers were handling a stolen gun. A 16-year-old boy has been charged with reckless homicide, obstructing justice and tampering with evidence. The other suspect, a 14-year-old boy, is charged with obstructing justice, tampering with evidence and theft …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021
In Houston, Texas, Gerald Peavy was relaxing in his bed when he was killed by a shot accidentally fired by a friend staying in his living room. Peavy’s wife was with him at the time of the accident. The friend, Norez Hargrove, was examining a gun he had found in Peavy’s home. He told authorities …
MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021
In Engelhard, North Carolina, Brandon Marshall was accidentally shot and killed while duck hunting with his son. Details of the accident were not released other than that Marshall was in a duck blind at the time of the accident and that he died on the way to the hospital. An enforcement officer with the North …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2021
In Norton, Virginia, George Henry Sailers, IV, was charged with shooting his girlfriend in an accident that occurred while he was playing with his gun. Sailers allegedly told deputies that he had been trying to twirl a .22 Ruger pistol he had gotten for Christmas. While Sailers was trying to show how fast he could …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021
Two innocent bystanders were accidentally shot at 2:06 A.M. on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. According to the report, two people opened fire on each other. Neither of the shooters was hit. The two victims were an 18-year old woman and a 57-year old man. Police are looking for the shooters. Source: “NOPD Investigating Double …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021
There was another accidental gun death of a young child today. A three-year old in Owosso, Michigan found a gun in his home and shot himself. He later died at the hospital. “Owosso Public Safety offers its condolences to any family or friends who have been impacted by this tragic event,” the local public safety …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021
A 74-year old man was accidentally shot and killed in his Louisville, Kentucky home today. The round that killed him was fired in a dispute between two groups of people outside. The man has not been publicly identified and no arrests have been made. We call him Mr. Herb,” a neighbor said. “He’s a great …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021
Two young children were killed in preventable accidental shootings, one in Philadelphia, the other in Detroit. The incidents are strikingly similar. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, balloons were released at a vigil for nine-year old gun accident victim Nyssa Davis. Davis was shot and killed by a 5-year old relative in her home. The boy had found …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
At least three children were accidentally shot and injured today. They were aged 14, 15, and 7. The incidents occurred in states that have been regular sites of gun accidents involving children: Florida, Ohio and North Carolina. The most fully reported of the accidents was in Jacksonville, Florida. Ayva Guthrie, age 14,was accidentally shot by …
THE TAURUS PISTOL DEFECT
In 2017, the Brazilian company Forjas Taurus (“Taurus”)1 recalled nearly a million of its popular pistols2 in the United States as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit.3 The guns involved have a defect that sometimes causes them to fire even when the gun’s safety was in its “on” position and/or when the …
MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021
At a gated community in the Bronx, New York, Noble Grant, an eight-year old boy, retrieved a gun from a gun safe in his father’s closet and accidentally shot himself in the back of the head. It is unclear whether the safe was locked at the time the boy obtained the gun. According to a …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2021
A 20-year old Arkansas hunter was killed in an accident today. Yell County deputies responded to a shooting near the Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge where the young hunter had died from a single accidental gunshot wound. No further information has been reported. Source: “20-year-old Shot and Killed in Hunting Accident in Arkansas,” KATV (January …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2021
In Washington Terrace, Utah, a 47-year old man and a 25-year old woman were examining a gun they believed was unloaded when it fired. Both were struck. The bullet first passed through the man’s leg, just below the knee, the Sheriff’s Office reported. It then entered the woman’s thigh where it lodged, breaking her femur …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021
Once again, a Columbus, Ohio child was hurt in a gun accident. This time a three-year-old girl was hurt when her four-year old brother found a loaded unsecured gun in their home and pulled the trigger. The girl was struck and was hospitalized in stable condition. Source: “Police: 3-year-old Girl Accidentally Shot by 4-year-old Brother …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021
An 18-year old Lincoln, Nebraska man was shot and injured in a hunting accident today. Deputies said a 41-year-old man was putting a rifle in the backseat of a truck after deer hunting. The firearm discharged, went through the seat and hit the 18-year-old in the leg. The injured 18-year old suffered serious injuries but …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021
More than a year after an incident in which University of Central Missouri University student Jeremy Allen Manley accidentally shot and killed his friend, Stephon Abron, Manley pled guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter. At the time of the incident, which occurred in University housing, Manley had been arrested but not charged. Manley told …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021
In Gloucester, Massachusetts, a man with many guns in his apartment accidentally fired one of them through a wall and into his neighbor’s apartment unit. No one was injured. According to a report, investigating officers found a Remington 1100 12G Supermatic, a Remington 1100 20G, a Browning .22 long rifle, a Glock 19 9mm, a …
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
In Houston, Texas, 25-year old Karina Montelongo was shot in the face when she was attempting to show her roommate how to use a gun. The roommate told officers that Montelongo was showing her a gun she owned. She had never handled a gun before and did not know it was loaded. According to the …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021
A Sun Prairie, Wisconsin man was hospitalized after shooting himself in the leg. The accident happened while he was parked in the lot of a Nitty Gritty restaurant. There is an active investigation. Source: Emily Hamer, “Man Hospitalized after Shooting Himself in Leg, Sun Prairie Police Say,” Wisconsin State Journal (January 10, 2021).
SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2021
Two three-year old children and a five-year old were injured in gun accidents today. Reported facts about each incident are minimal. A five-year old Columbus, Ohio boy was playing with his mother’s loaded handgun when it fired. He is expected to survive. A Wichita, Kansas teenager was handling a handgun when it fired accidentally and …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
In Fort Wayne, Indiana, a toddler found a gun and used it to shoot his mother. Her injuries are not considered life threatening, but local police are investigating “possible child neglect.” No other information is available. The incident is one of many recent incidents in Indiana in which young children have been involved in serious …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021
At Hope’s Closet Thrift Store in Jacksonville, Florida, a “young child” found a gun and shot herself in the hand. She was treated at the hospital. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says “no criminal activity is being investigated at this time.” Source: Mindy Wadley, “Child Taken to Hospital after Finding Gun in Southside Thrift Store, Accidentally …
Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Mississippi Ongoing Investigation Pennsylvania
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021
Two 15-year old boys died in gun accidents today, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Mississippi. In Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, three teenagers were “handling a firearm” when it discharged. 15-year old Marcus Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene. No other details were released. In Pascagoula, Mississippi, a 14-year old and a 15-year old were …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021
A 15-year old boy in Pittston, Maine shot himself in the hand with his grandfather’s two -shot Derringer today. Police said the boy went behind a garage wearing a coat that belonged to his grandfather. The boy found the pistol in a pocket and “tried to pull the hammer back, when his thumb slipped off, …
MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2021
Indianapolis, Indiana police officers working part-time at Sam’s Club responded when they heard a shot fired inside the store. An armed shopper had accidentally discharged a gun and hit a store employee. The employee was grazed by the bullet and was hospitalized after the shooting in stable condition. The customer was not being charged with …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2021
Four-year old Andre Walker of Sedalia, Missouri, found a loaded gun in his home. He shot and killed himself. Two other children were in the home at the time. Police say the investigation is continuing but no foul play is suspected. Source: “Sedalia 4-year-old Dies after Accidentally Shooting Himself,” Fox 4 KC (January 5, 2021).
SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2021
A pair of two-year old children were shot and critically injured today, one in Kentucky and the other in Maine. Police are investigating both incidents. In Louisville Kentucky, a two-year old girl found a gun and shot herself. She is expected to survive. Police are investigating how she got the gun. In Waterville, Maine, a …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2021
Across the country, people young and old were injured or killed by celebratory gunfire on New Year’s morning. The incidents are too numerous to fully describe. Returning to Texas, the site of one of last year’s worst celebratory gunfire tragedies, at least four people, including a sleeping eight-year old Houston boy, were struck by celebratory …