Columbus, Ohio police urged residents to take advantage of a free gun lock program after a 5-year old girl found a loaded gun in her home and shot herself in the head. She died at the hospital. Columbus appears to be a city where gun violence involving children is common. The City of Columbus recently …
Month: July 2021
FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2021
Children were unintentionally injured in Indiana and Wisconsin today. The Indiana shooting occurred in Evansville, where a parent who was unloading his firearm accidentally shot his own six-year old child in the leg. The round passed through a wall before striking the child. In Milwaukee, an eight-year old was shot. Police are investigating, but have …
THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2021
In Southport, Florida, a five-year old child shot a seven-year old sibling with a 20-gauge shotgun while their mother slept in another room. Sheriff’s deputies found the seven-year old bleeding on the bathroom floor in her mother’s arms with “severe and life-threatening injuries.” According to the report, the injured girl told investigators that her brother …
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2021
A San Antonio, Texas woman who heard gunshots and retrieved her gun to protect herself shot herself in the leg while putting the gun away. She was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Source: “Woman Hears Gunshots, Pulls Out Gun for Protection, Shoots Herself Putting Gun Away,” News4SA (July 29, 2021).
TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021
Once again, the focus today is on the rash of gun violence affecting American children. Three toddlers were shot in apparent gun accidents today. At least ten teenagers were also killed or injured in eight shootings across the country. Two four-year olds and a three-year old were involved in gun accidents that were barely covered …
MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021
At least eight teenagers were injured in eight separate shooting incidents in the United States today. In light of minimal reporting, the circumstances of most of the incidents remain murky. Teens were shot in Chicago and Decatur, Illinois. The other incidents occurred in Iowa, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Delaware. As reported, the incidents …
SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021
In High Point, North Carolina, a four-year old boy found a gun underneath a couch cushion and shot himself in the head. He later died at the hospital. His mother, Jasmine Eagan, has been charged with felony child abuse. Several adults were in the home at the time of the incident. According to the report, …
SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021
A 6-year old child was killed and two teenagers were injured in accidental shootings today. Again, minimal details were reported. The 6-year old, Charles Garza or Amroy, Mississippi, was killed in a gun accident in his home. No details were reported other than that his father, Justin Garza, is a fire fighter. A Go-Fund-Me page …
FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021
One child was killed and three were injured in accidental shootings today. In each case, reports of the incident contain minimal details. In Dallas, Texas, 17-year old Chadrick Good was shot and killed by a 16-year old who accidentally fired a gun while sitting behind Good in a vehicle. The 16-year old has been charged …
THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021
In Pensacola, Florida, a patron of O’Reilly’s Uptown Tavern pulled a gun to show it to other patrons. The incident was apparently caught on video. When he mimed an attempt to return the gun to a shoulder holster, it went off, striking him in the upper torso. “I don’t know if he was pretending to …
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2021
In Little Rock, Arkansas, a three-year old found a loaded gun and shot himself in the eye. The boy is in critical condition at the hospital. There was no discussion in the article about how the boy obtained an unsecured loaded gun or about why manufacturers are allowed to design guns that a three-year old …
TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2021
In Westport, Massachusetts, an off-duty police officer shot himself in the thigh with a .40 caliber round while training with his gun at a local firing range. According to the report, the incident occurred while he was “putting in or taking his gun out of the holster.” The officer’s injury was described as “minor” but …
MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021
For the second time this month, a Sumner County, Tennessee child was killed in a gun accident. In this case, which occurred in the small town of Westmoreland, the sheriff’s office announced only a fatal accident involving the death of a six-year old child. The office stressed that the incident was “purely accidental” and declined …
SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2021
In Hickory, Mississippi, a three-year old found a loaded gun in the glove compartment of his family car and shot and killed himself while his parents were inviting people to a revival meeting. The boy’s parents were not charged. The local sheriff called the incident a “horrible accident.” No other details were reported. Sources: “Newton …
SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2021
In West Jordan, Utah, a 13-year old boy was accidentally killed by his 15-year old friend. According to police, the two had snuck out in the middle of the night with a handgun and were “messing around with it” in a church parking lot. “At some point, the 15-year-old accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting and …
FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021
A 22-year old was killed and three children were seriously injured in gun accidents today. In Dunmore, Pennsylvania, 22-year old Tyler Sitar was accidentally shot in the stomach by his friend Luigi Lorusso, who was handling a gun. Sitar died of his wound and Lorusso was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Another Columbus, Ohio child, …
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021
Jason Smalley of Athens, Texas accidentally shot and killed his friend Stoney Conley in the mistaken belief that he was acting in self-defense. The two men were smoking meth together when they heard a suspicious noise. Smalley went to fetch his .22 caliber rifle and aimed at a person he could only see from the …
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2021
In Wichita, Kansas, a three-year old found a gun and shot herself and her father while he was sleeping. The girl was struck in the hand and her father was struck in the leg. Both were treated at the hospital. Police are investigating how the firearm was stored. During the investigation, three other children have …
TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021
According to Maple Heights, Ohio police, 5-year old Princeton Patterson found a loaded gun in his home and shot himself in the head. They found him dead at the scene. There is an open question about whether an adult will be charged for failing to properly secure the gun. A local law professor says state …
MONDAY, JULY 12, 2021
Two Tennessee children were unintentional victims of gun violence today; an 11-year old was killed and a 5-year old was injured in separate incidents. In Memphis, Tennessee, a single gunshot inside an apartment complex struck and killed an 11-year old, according to neighbors. Police are investigating. “It’s overwhelming, overwhelming, you know what I’m saying,” said …
SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2021
In Newton, Kansas, a 14-year old girl was shot and killed by a drunk 16-year old boy while hanging out with friends. The intoxicated boy apparently was waving a gun around and pointing it at members of the group when it went off and the girl was shot. The report does not provide information about …
SATURDAY, JULY 10, 2021
In a chaotic incident, a Chicago, Illinois man appears to have accidentally shot his girlfriend, the mother of his two children, while futilely trying to defend himself after a minor traffic accident. The accident occurred during Chicago’s Puerto Rico day parade on June 19, but the circumstance are just being reported today. The man, Gyovanni …
FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2021
Two more children died in gun accidents today, a seven-year old girl and a five-year old boy. In Heber City, Utah, a man who was described as “incredibly intoxicated” fired a gun through an apartment wall. The round struck a seven-year old girl in the next apartment and killed her. Christopher O’Connell, age 34, was …
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021
Two children were killed in gun accidents today, a baby boy and a 16 year old. In Jackson, Mississippi, one-year old Jordan Bradfield was struck in the head by a bullet fired by a 14-year old who was handling a gun. Jordan died at the hospital. No charges have been filed. The 16-year old was …
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2021
Two people died today in apparent gun accidents. In Goodlettsville, Tennessee, police found 8-year old Brayden Bowling in his home, suffering from an apparent accidental gunshot wound. No specifics of the incident have been reported, including whether the boy found a loaded gun and shot himself. Brayden later died at the hospital. The principal of …
TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2021
A four-year old and a three-year old apparently found guns and shot themselves to death today. In Colorado Springs, Colorado, a four-year old found a gun in the family car and shot himself in the head. He died at the scene. At the time of the incident, which occurred in a parking lot, the boy’s …
MONDAY, JULY 5, 2021
Adam L. Carroll of Lenexa, Kansas, died today after his friend negligently fired a gun inside an apartment building. The shooter, who was not identified, immediately called 911 and attempted life-saving measures. There is an ongoing investigation. “I just hope it was an accident and, at the end of the day, they just get down …
SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2021
Although there were many hundreds of incidents of gun violence on Independence Day, there were thankfully no deaths clearly associated with celebratory gunfire. However, several people were injured in such incidents across the country. Also today, a six-year old Knoxville, Tennessee boy found a gun and shot himself to death. In Raleigh North Carolina, Alexandria …
SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2021
At least three toddlers and two teenagers were injured in gun accidents today. The reported details of most of the incidents are limited or murky. In Birmingham, Alabama, a two-year old apparently shot himself inside a vehicle at a gas station. The news story implies that the child found a gun in the car, perhaps …
FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021
In Moore, Oklahoma, a 19-month old baby was taken to a local trauma center with an accidental gunshot wound that occurred, according to his family, when a gun “fell off a dresser and discharged.” The baby was shot in the abdomen. The family is cooperating and no charges are contemplated. “It’s sad and our prayers …
THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2021
For the second time in less than a week, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ten-year old has died in a gun accident. In the latest incident, a 10-year old girl was found to have suffered a wound to the head in West Philadelphia. She died at the hospital. “Less than one week after meeting with family in …