Six Reported Unintended Shootings Today, Including the Death of an Innocent Bystander
Hundreds of people fled a mall in Holyoke, Massachusetts after a fatal shooting inside a nail salon. Kenneth Santana-Rodriguez, who claimed to be firing in self-defense after being confronted by a former boyfriend of his girlfriend, fired two rounds, one of which struck and killed Trung Tran, a nail salon technician. Tran, who prosecutors said was an innocent bystander, “appeared completely lifeless, with a very weak pulse,” police said. Paramedics who arrived at the scene moments later pronounced him dead. Santana-Rodriguez had a license to carry the gun. Rodriguez-Santana was charged with murder. He told police “he thought the male was going to shoot him, stating ‘It was him or me.’”
A man in Orangeburg, South Carolina was cleaning his Glock 43X when it discharged a round. He was shot in his left hand and his cousin was struck in her left leg. Accidents while cleaning Glocks are quite common because a trigger pull is required as part of the process for disassembling the gun.
In Kansas City, Missouri, the sheriff’s office is asking for the public’s help after a man was shot in an apparent hunting accident. The man who fired the round that struck another hunter has not come forward.
A six-year old in Shreveport, Louisiana shot himself in the wrist with a gun he apparently found in his father’s car. His father has been arrested and charged with child cruelty.
In Towns County, Georgia, a deputy who was inspecting his weapon inside his patrol vehicle accidentally discharged it and struck himself. His injuries are not considered life-threatening. The Sheriff’s Office said “the incident is being reviewed for departmental policy violations, but none have been found at this time.”
In Clarke County, Georgia, a 27-year-old man was found in his driveway with a wound to his pelvic area after he and a friend unintentionally discharged a gun that they were handling. No further information has been reported.
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