In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jeffrey Carter, age 65, was struck in the head and killed by a stray bullet while driving near a local high school.  He crashed his SUV off the road at the time of the shooting.  A 16-year old boy was also struck in the head by gunfire and taken to the hospital in critical condition.

It is unclear why Carter is described as an innocent bystander and the boy is not.  Although the boy may have been the intended target of gun violence, the basis for a distinction between the two victims is fuzzy.

Two  suspects have been arrested. “An altercation now turns into a shooting, which now turns into a homicide because of something that could have been handled in a different way,” the Philadelphia Police Commissioner said. “It’s been nothing but fighting, every day,” said a local resident.

In Elsa, Texas, Salvador Dueñes, Jr., the father of a three-year old who shot and killed himself with an unsecured gun he found at home, has turned himself in to authorities.  Duenes is charged with possession of a gun by a felon.  Under the PLCAA, the arrest almost certainly precludes any product defect claim against the gun manufacturer for designing a gun that a toddler could fire.

Sources:

Bob Brooks, “Police Identify Innocent 65-year-old Man Fatally Shot Near Philadelphia’s Lincoln High School,” whyy.org, 6abc (October 19, 2021).

“Father of 3-year-old Who Fatally Shot Himself Surrenders to Authorities,” myrgv.com (October 21, 2021).