Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
An 88-year old woman was killed and a three-year old child was seriously injured in separate gun accidents today. In Warren, Ohio, 88-year old Ruth Lewis was planning a funeral with family members when someone shot through a window and killed her. “This was a senseless death caused by a random bullet. Obviously, she wasn’t …
Two young men were arrested after accidental shootings that killed a four-year old and a 24-year old today. One accident occurred in Michigan, the other in Washington State. In Othello, Washington, Felipe Tapia-Perez accidentally killed his four-year old son when his stolen gun went off. The boy was hit in the head. Tapia-Perez, age 27, …
In Hays, Kansas, Raymond Nieman, a 72-year old man, died in a gun accident today. According to the report, he was attempting to secure his shotgun in the rear of his vehicle when it discharged and struck him in the chest. The man was found lying in the street next to his vehicle by a …
Two gun accidents were announced on social media today. @MoCoPGNews tweeted that a Silver Spring, Maryland man shot himself in the shoulder while cleaning his gun. The extent of the man’s injuries were unknown. In Arlington, Texas, “Arlington Texas Crime” posted on its Facebook page that a man shot himself in the leg while unloading …
In Louisville, Kentucky, Michael McGreggor was arrested after an incident that he claimed was an accident. McGreggor said he was defending himself “by hitting the victim with the gun and that he never intended to fire it.” According to the arrest report, he asked several times whether the victim would be alright. McGreggor’s victim is …
In Hardeman County, Tennessee, Jonterrious Hampton was arrested and charged with reckless homicide after a gun accident in which a 7-year old boy was killed. After the incident, Hampton took the boy to a local hospital where the boy was pronounced dead. According to Hampton, he was visiting the boy’s siblings at their home. During …
An 11-year old Lakewood, Washington girl died while filming a video of herself with her mother’s handgun. The girl’s 10-year old brother called police to report the incident, although her mother was home at the time. Police are investigating how the girl gained access to the gun in light of Washington law governing safe storage. …
19-year old Kahlis Parker of Bridgeport, Connecticut, accidentally shot himself in the arm and then lied to police about the incident. Upon release from the hospital, Parker was arrested and charged with risk of injury to a minor, carrying a pistol without a permit, stealing a firearm, interfering with a police officer, illegal discharge of …
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 22-year old Deyandre Gilmore was showing his gun to a 17-year old. The gun fired while being handled by the teen and Gilmore was shot dead. The teen, who has not been identified, has been arrested and charged with negligent homicide. The news report about the incident does not say whether …
At a Winston-Salem, North Carolina hospital, doctors discovered that an eight-year old had been shot in the head in her home. The girl was in critical condition. No other information has been released, including about the circumstances of the incident. Police are investigating. Source: John Hinton, “An 8-year-old Girl is Shot in the Head on …
In Beaver Township, Ohio, police charged a hunter with “discharging a firearm near a protected premises” after a round he fired hit a man inside his home. According to the report, hunter Kasen Smith fired at a deer on protected land. The bullet passed through the wall of a nearby home and struck a man’s …
In Clarksville, Tennessee, a two-year old child was killed in a home where there were three children under the age of four. One of the toddlers found an unsecured gun and shot the two-year old. He died at the hospital. Julian Chester, the child’s mother’s boyfriend, was arrested on unrelated charges. Source: “Tenn. Toddler Dies …
After investigating, police determined that a man found shot on the street in South Sioux City, Iowa had accidentally shot himself. The man had been taken by two good Samaritans to a local hospital. He is not facing charges. Nor will the unidentified man pay, apparently, for the various police and health care resources triggered …
Gabriel Alexis Henderson, a 25-year old mother of five young children in Cornelius, North Carolina, was shot and killed when one of her children found a loaded handgun in her purse. Four of her children were in the room with her at the time of the accident. One of those children was also struck, but …
At Desert Sky Mall in Phoenix, Arizona, a 17-year old boy was shot as an innocent bystander to an argument between others about a pair of sneakers. Alejandro Martinez, a high-school student, was shot and killed on the anniversary of the Parkland High School murders. According to the report, gunfire erupted at a kiosk inside …
An 8-year old boy was accidentally shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin today inside his home by a bullet fired outside. The report does not include information about the boy’s condition. A 16-year old was later arrested for firing indiscriminately into the home. “If children and women in our city are not safe, nobody is safe,” said …
In Fort Wayne, Indiana, an Indiana State trooper called in a report of a gun accident at his own home. According to the report, the trooper, who was on duty at the time, was notified of an accident involving a 6-year old child. He reported it to authorities and responded personally. The trooper took the …
Two 55-year old innocent bystanders were shot inside a New Orleans, Louisiana hospital when a woman outside fired a gun in an attempt to settle an argument. Both of the victims are expected to survive. A man and a woman were arguing on an on-ramp to the emergency room when the woman fired a gun …
Elijah Farral, a 20-year old Columbus, Georgia man and two friends were playing with a loaded handgun when he accidentally pulled the trigger according to police testimony. He accidentally shot and killed Sara Holtrop, age 18, who was sleeping nearby on a couch. Farral has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. “Sara was an extremely sweet …
Two children found guns and injured other children today, once again in Texas and Ohio. In Houston, Texas, a boy described as 6- or 7-years old, found a loaded gun and shot his five-year old sister in the leg. She was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Several family members were home at the time of …
In Idaho Falls, Idaho, a police officer mistook a man with a gun at a housing complex for a wanted suspect with a gun. The officer shot and killed the wrong man. Although details of the accident are unclear, the officer involved was placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation. “The truth that we …
In Auburn Hills, Michigan a 50-year old man who was playing with a gun accidentally shot and killed himself. When police responded to a call about an accidental shooting, they found the victim on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to his head. His semi-automatic pistol was next to him. The victim’s brother, …
At a baby shower in Gaines Township, Michigan, a 26-year old man was killed when a “small cannon-like device” exploded. The man, Evan Thomas Silva, was struck by shrapnel from the explosion. He was ten to fifteen feet away at the time of the accident. The authorities are still “piecing together how the celebratory event …
In East Chicago, Indiana, a two-year old found an unattended loaded gun in his home and shot himself in the side of the head. The child was conscious when officers found him, a police deputy reported. Family members told police that the boy had located his father’s gun in the residence and shot himself with …
In Indianapolis, Indiana, two people were hurt in a single shooting that police concluded was an accident. One of them was taken to the hospital. No other information is available. Source: “IMPD: 3 Hurt in Overnight Shootings, Including Attempted Robber,” Fox 59 (February 4, 2021).
In Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, a 10-year old boy named Connor died in a gun accident at his home. At the time of the accident, he was jumping on a couch. One of the adults in the home was clearing the chamber of a gun when it fired. According to a report, the gun was sent to …
In Concord, Georgia, a 17-year old boy was shot and killed in a gun accident caused by a gun defect. The Sheriff’s Office preliminary investigation indicated that a person in an adjacent room dropped a firearm which discharged. The round passed through a wall and struck the victim. He was taken for medical treatment, but …
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a three-year old boy found a loaded gun in his home and shot himself. Police were alerted to the incident by a call from the hospital. Although the child is expected to survive, there is an ongoing investigation. Source: “Toddler Expected to Survive after Accidental Shooting, Police Say,” Fox 8 Live …