SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024

Two Teens Dead, One Teen Injured in Unintentional Shootings

A group of friends were in the bedroom of a home in Jackson, Michigan, when 15-year-old Carter Miller was fatally shot in the chest. After speaking with some of the witnesses, police believe the shooting was an accident, but will continue to investigate.

In Aransas Pass, Texas, 18-year-old Philip Esslinger died after being accidentally shot by someone at the same location, who was working on a shotgun that unintentionally discharged. No other information was reported as police continue to investigate.

And in the break room of a restaurant in Surprise, Arizona, a 16-year-old employee was showing a gun to a 17-year-old co-worker, when the gun unintentionally fired hitting the co-worker in the chest. The 17-year-old was treated at the hospital and released. The 16-year-old was arrested on multiple charges including unlawful discharge of firearms and possession of a firearm as a minor.

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From the Archives

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019

Eric Rosenbrock, a seventh grade science teacher in Lake George, New York, was sentenced to five-years probation for accidentally shooting and killing his wife, Ashley. Mr. Rosenbrock was oiling a loaded 9-mm pistol to prepare for a hunting trip when it went off. He was convicted of criminally negligent homicide after a plea bargain.

Ashley Rosenbrock, who died after being struck in the torso, was the mother of three children, aged 2, 5, and 10. The Rosenbrocks were high school sweethearts who had a reputation in the community for practicing “random acts of kindness.”

In a statement made in Court at the time of his guilty plea, Rosenbrock said he was oiling his gun inside his home. When he reassembled it and put the magazine into his pistol, Rosenbrock says he did not check to see if there were bullets in the magazine. He told the Judge:

After the magazine was in the pistol, I turned and I racked the slide, and when doing so, the pistol went off and discharged and the bullet struck my wife sitting on the couch, resulting in her death.

It is unclear from news reports whether the gun had safety features such as a loaded chamber indicator (which might have made Mr. Rosenbrock aware of a round in the chamber) or a manual safety (which may have prevented the gun from firing). Many common pistols do not have such features. Notably, Mr. Rosenbrock also does not acknowledge knowingly pulling the trigger of the gun.

Sources:

Ta mar Lapin, “Upstate Man Who Shot Wife Dead While Cleaning Gun Avoids Jail Time” New York Post (November 19, 2019).

Camille Delongis, “Man Accused of Shooting Wife While Cleaning Gun Pleads Guilty,” Spectrum News (September 23, 2019).

Shattered – The Gun Accident Journal

Two Teens Dead, One Teen Injured in Unintentional Shootings

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