Tylin Parker, a Newton, Mississippi six-year old was airlifted to the hospital after being shot in the leg by a seven-year old first grader who had brought a gun to school in his backpack. According to police, the gun went off accidentally just as the children were getting out of school. Both how the child …
Month: September 2021
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
A Soso, Mississippi mother accidentally shot and killed her own teenage son when firing a warning shot to break up a confrontation between the boy and her boyfriend. Her son was running out the door chasing her boyfriend when the shot was fired, she told investigators. The boy, 16-year old Mikeal Smith, died at the …
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021
Garrick Baker,an intoxicated Westfield, Indiana man shot and killed his stepson, age 18, who was sleeping on a couch at the time of the incident. According to the report, the man was handling a gun in his living room while “presumed to be intoxicated.” It went off. Baker was arrested and charged with criminal recklessness. …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2021
A hunter looking for turkey accidentally shot a woman today in Leeds, Maine “at the end of Walton Way.” It is unclear if hunting was legal in that area. The hunter remained at the scene to provide first aid until emergency personnel arrived and the woman is in stable condition at the hospital. There is …
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2021
Two remarkably similar recent incidents in Port Arthur, Texas illustrate the fine line between shootings that police treat as accidental and those that are treated as intentional. When circumstances are murky, a shooter who is forthcoming about how an incident took place appears less likely to be treated as a deliberate actor. In the more …
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2021
In LaCrosse County, Wisconsin, the sheriff’s office is investigating an accidental shooting that occured after 1 A.M. at a French Island bar. A man was shot in the leg by another patron he did not know. The circumstances of the accident are unclear. Source: Jourdan Vian, “Police: Accidental Shooting Reported on French Island,” news8000.com (September …
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, a teenager was shot in the leg by an unknown person. She was apparently an innocent bystander to other people’s gun violence. She is at least the fourth child shot this week in an incident involving violence committed by others. None of the reports state that an arrest has been made …
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
A group of Salem, Oregon teenagers were playing with a pair of guns in a local park when one of them was shot. The boy was struck below the waist and was taken to a local hospital. It is unclear how the group of kids, who were between ages 13 and 16, had access to …
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
A two-year old in Waco, Texas shot himself in the head with a loaded gun he found in his uncle’s backpack. He later died at the hospital. After the incident, the boy’s uncle, Derrick Pipkins, left the scene with the gun. Pipkins was later arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. Source: Felicia Cardenas, “Waco …
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
There were at least four different innocent bystander shootings today. The unintended consequences of intentional shootings continue to grow in proportion to the expansion of gun violence in the United States. In Cincinnati, Ohio, an 11-year old boy was struck in his bedroom while playing video games. The rounds that passed into his room were …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021
An Urbana, Illinois woman was shot in the neck when a person sitting behind her in a vehicle negligently discharged a firearm. The shooter, Devontre Newbill, was arrested on preliminary charges of discharge of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm by a convicted felon. Newbill and the injured woman were on their way …
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2021
A Natchez,
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021
Minimal details were reported about two gun accidents that occurred today. The Winter Park, Colorado police department reported that Eric Van Geet, age 25, was arrested and charged with second degree assault and reckless endangerment after he picked up a .22 caliber revolver inside a local apartment, cocked it, and pulled the trigger. He shot …
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021
Every type of gun safety problem was on display in gun accidents that occurred today. All of today’s accidents are tragic, but none more so than the death of a Texas two-year old in Lawrence, Kansas who was shot in the chest while visiting at a local home. Details of the circumstances of the accident …
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
Austin Salyer, a Texas State University student, was shot and killed while sleeping when a gun was negligently discharged in a neighboring apartment. Police in San Marcos, Texas have identified and interviewed the shooter, but have not released the shooter’s name pending further investigation. They have offered their deepest condolences to Salyer’s family. Source: Maeve …
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
In Cleveland, Ohio, a 6-year old boy found his uncle’s gun under a bed and accidentally shot himself in the hand. The boy’s uncle was arrested and charged with child endangerment. The boy was taken for emergency treatment at the hospital. Source: Adam Ferrise, “6-year-old Boy Accidentally Shoots Self with Uncle’s Gun in Cleveland, Police …
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021
A $5.5 million settlement was reached in connection with a gun accident that occurred at a Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania shooting range two years ago today. The shooting occurred during a training exercise organized by a variety of organizations and individuals who were then named as defendants in the lawsuit. The shooter, who was supposed to be …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021
Johnnel Green of Marietta, Georgia was arrested today after leaving a loaded semi-automatic pistol on a patio chair at a home he was visiting. Two cousins, a four-year old and a two-year old, found the gun. The four-year old apparently fired a single round and both children were injured. After the incident, Green apparently left …
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2021
In Salisbury, North Carolina, teenage boys were passing a gun around as they played video games. A 13-year old was holding the gun when it went off and a 14 year-old boy was killed. According to police, the gun was stolen. The mother of the 13-year old shooter told a reporter, “[n]one of them should …
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2021
In Memphis, Tennessee, two teenagers have been charged with crimes after a third teenager was unintentionally shot to death. None of the children have been identified. The report suggests that a 16-year old boy and girl were hanging out with a 17-year old. The 16-year old boy apparently produced a gun and provided it to …
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021
A Macon, Georgia 4-year old shot and killed himself today with a gun he found in his home. The boy’s grandmother, Kawana Liggins, was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. Two boys, aged 14 and 16 were interviewed by police because they apparently had brought the gun into the home. According to the report, …
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2021
For the second time in just over two years, a Horn Lake, Mississippi child was shot and killed in a gun accident. In both cases, the child was shot by an older sibling. Horn Lake is a city of just 27,000 people. In today’s incident, few details have been released other than that police have …
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
A Louisville, Kentucky police officer who was cleaning his service weapon in the property room at the station accidentally shot himself in the stomach. He is recovering at the hospital according to the report. Query whether the officer’s gun was a Glock or a similar pistol that requires a trigger pull as part of the …
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021
A Houston, Texas 23-year old was accidentally shot and killed by her boyfriend today. Houston police concluded that the man had removed a pistol from his waistband and was unloading the gun when it went off. Their determination was apparently based on witness statements. There is no report about whether the trigger was pulled in …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2021
In Murray, New York, a 50-year old man with an unholstered Ruger semiautomatic pistol in the pocket of his shorts accidentally shot himself in the thigh while repositioning trailers. The accident occurred when the man was putting on his seatbelt. Police took the man to the hospital for treatment. Source: “Orleans County: Man Accidentally Shot …
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2021
A St. Louis, Missouri three-year old asleep in her bed was shot in the head and rushed to the hospital in critical condition today. The shots were fired outside. No other details were reported. Source: Jason Maxwell, “Three-year-old Shot While Sleeping; Shot Fired Outside Home,” Fox 2 Now (September 6, 2021).
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2021
According to a witness, a guest at the Omni Dallas hotel in Dallas, Texas accidentally shot himself in the torso while cleaning a gun in his room. He was found dead by police. There is no report of the type of gun involved in the accident, including whether the gun had a loaded chamber indicator …
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
In Casa Grande, Arizona,a five-year old boy who found a loaded handgun in his apartment, accidentally shot and killed his mother, Michele Cox, today. Ms. Cox’s three other children and her boyfriend were home at the time of the incident. After the fact, a police department statement reminded the public in a generic way about …
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
A Hopkinsville, Kentucky teenager accidentally shot himself in the hand today with a 9 millimeter pistol. It is unclear where he got the gun because few details were reported. Source: John Godsey, “Hopkinsville Juvenile Injured In Accidental Shooting,” wkdzradio.com (September 3, 2021).
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2021
In Chicago, Illinois, a 17-year old boy accidentally shot 13-year old Isaac Jordan in the back. The younger boy was pronounced dead at the hospital. The older boy was charged with “unauthorized use of a weapon,” although the shooting was found by prosecutors to be accidental. Neither boy has been identified. Source: “17-year-old Faces Gun …