SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021

Two young girls were accidentally shot and killed today, one in Arizona and the other in Michigan.

In Tempe, Arizona, a four-year old girl found an older sibling’s loaded gun hidden under a piece of furniture and shot and killed herself. The girl’s sibling apparently told police that the gun was placed out of sight in the belief that the child would not find it. Police are considering whether to bring charges.

15-year old Jessica Heroy of Edwardsburg, Michigan was shot and killed by a 12-year old friend who told police that he believed the gun was not loaded. It is unclear how the boy obtained the gun and whether or the gun had a loaded chamber indicator.

Sources:

“PD: 4-year-old Dead After Accidental Shooting in Tempe,” ABC15 (May 18, 2021).

“Update: Teenage Girl Fatally Shot by Child at Cass County Home, Victim ID’d,” WKZO (May 17, 2021).

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SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2023

Seven People Wounded in Unintentional Shootings

With a stolen handgun that he thought made him “look cool,” a 14-year-old in Struthers, Ohio, unintentionally shot a 16-year-old in the stomach. The victim was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. The 14-year-old was showing the gun to the victim, pretending to shoot it, when it discharged. He said he knew the gun was loaded but didn’t think there was a bullet in the chamber. Police are investigating.

In a downtown bar in Bakersfield, California, Eddieberto Nevel, 31, accidentally shot himself and another man during a verbal argument. Nevel was allegedly trying to take out the firearm from his waistband when he fired off one round striking himself, and when the other man tried to wrestle the gun away, he was shot as well. Both of them were taken to the hospital; the victim suffering from a “moderate” injury. Once Nevel was released from the hospital, he was placed under arrest and booked on several charges.

In Detroit, Michigan, a 5-year-old boy underwent surgery and is expected to recover after being accidentally shot in the hand. It’s not known who fired the gun. Police will get a search warrant to recover the weapon and investigate the scene, but believe they have someone in custody who is responsible for the gun.

In Louisville, Kentucky a 3-year-old was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. The injury is not life-threatening. No charges have been filed and the police continue to investigate.

In Harper Woods, Michigan, a 10-year-old boy is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after accidentally shooting himself with a gun he found at home. He was being supervised by an older sibling when he found the firearm, and it’s currently not known who owns the gun or where it was prior to the shooting.

In Preble, New York, a 26-year-old woman was wounded by an unintentional discharge from a shotgun owned by 39-year-old Steven Schoonmaker. The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Schoonmaker had two shotguns in a vehicle the victim was sitting in, when one went off striking her. Schoonmaker was arrested and charged with felony reckless endangerment. The investigation is ongoing.

Sources:

Hyperlinks above are to source material.

Shattered – The Gun Accident Journal

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