Three People Injured in Accidental Shootings, Including a One-year-old

A one-year-old, and a 17-year-old, were accidentally shot in a residence in Akron, Ohio. The toddler underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to his abdomen and is expected to survive. The 17-year-old sustained a lower leg injury. Another 17-year-old boy has been charged with reckless assault and two counts of negligent assault. Police are still investigating the circumstances of the shooting, including how the teenager got the gun. “To have two people injured, you have a firearm that’s not secure, you have people that appear to have not had the appropriate age or the knowledge to handle that safely; there are a lot of underlying points here, but our attention and thoughts and prayers are with the family as they await information and progress related to the child’s injury,” said the deputy police chief.

And a man driving down a road in Elberton, Georgia, was shot in the head by a stray bullet. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. At the scene, Jermaine Hamm admitted to deputies that he was shooting at a dog from his porch. Officers determined that he had fired a .22 rifle toward the road and found multiple bullet holes in trees, a children’s slide, a fence and a building across the street. Hamm was charged with reckless conduct, discharging a firearm within 50 yards of a public highway, and discharging a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Sources:

Maya Morita, Kaylee Olivas, “Akron Toddler Inured in What Police Suspect is an Accidental Shooting,”news5cleveland.com (April 3, 2025).

Brian Wellmeier, “Driver Struck by Bullet as Man Attempts to Shoot Dog,” nowhabersham.com (April 3, 2025).