FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2024

Three Children Unintentionally Shot, One is Dead 14-year-old Jett Ballard of Irvine, Kentucky was accidentally shot and killed by a 13-year-old child outside of a home there today. Life-saving measures were attempted on the scene, but Ballard was later pronounced dead.  The police investigation into what happened is ongoing. A five-year-old Oklahoma City, Oklahoma boy …

SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2024

Two Gun Accidents in Vehicles Involve 15-year-old Boys, One is Killed In Birmingham, Alabama, several teens were riding in a minivan when a gun that a 14-year-old was handling fired, killing 15-year-old Prentice Lovell Little. The boys all knew each other and brought the victim to the hospital where he died. Police located the gun …

THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2024

Two Toddlers Find Guns in Vehicles, and Two Accidental Shootings Involving Law Enforcement Officers Two toddlers in Alabama shot themselves with guns they found in vehicles today. A 2-year-old boy shot himself with a gun he found in a vehicle in a Birmingham, Alabama trailer park. He was with his mother and another man, and was taken to the …

SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2024

Three People Injured in Accidental Shootings A 12-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the stomach in Washington, D.C. He was taken to the hospital with injuries that aren’t life-threatening. No other details were reported. Police confirmed that a woman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is in critical condition after shooting herself in the chest four times. They originally considered her husband a suspect, …

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2024

Toddler is Killed and Man is Seriously Injured in Gun Accidents Two-year-old Jamal Robindson was accidentally shot in the face inside a home In Chicago, Illinois. He later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. A 32-year-old female relative found the child after hearing the gunshot. Police retrieved a gun at the scene, and no …

FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2024

Girl Grazed by Gunfire, and Woman Allegedly Shot by 2-year-old A 14-year-old girl in Birmingham, Alabama, was taken to the hospital after being grazed by gunfire. Little information has been reported, but police say another teen may have been playing with a gun that unintentionally discharged injuring the girl. So far no one has been …

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024

Celebratory Gunfire Injures At Least Eleven Many people were injured by celebratory gunfire on this New Year’s Day. During a small gathering of friends and their children, an 8-year-old boy in Missouri City, Texas, was grazed by a bullet from celebratory gunfire that came through one of the home’s living room windows. The boy was …

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2023

Three Children Accidentally Shot on the Day Before Christmas, One Fatally Jamycah Ramone Frazier-Turner, age 12, of Birmingham, Alabama was unintentionally shot and killed today while visiting friends and family. He was handling a gun when he accidentally fired it, according to police. No information was reported about how he came into possession of the …

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2023

3-year-old is Unintentionally Shot and Killed Kacey Jackson, a 3-year-old in Birmingham, Alabama, was unintentionally shot and killed inside his home and pronounced dead at the scene. According to the parent that called 911, Kacey accidentally shot himself, though police are still investigating. His mother and some other people were also inside the family residence …

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2023

Four People Injured in Unintentional Shootings A male driver accidentally shot himself in the knee as he fled police during a traffic stop in Birmingham, Alabama. When police tried to stop the man, he got out of the car and fled. While running he shot himself, and was quickly captured and taken to the hospital. …

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2023

Teens Shot While Playing with Guns, and Two Other Gun Accidents Today A group of teenagers were playing with guns when two of them were accidentally shot in Center Point, Alabama. A 16-year-old and a 19-year-old were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. As the mayor described the incident, “[a] group of teenagers …

TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023

Six Unintentional Shootings Today Malachi Hagan Moses, a 12-year-old from Corbin, Kentucky died after a weapon discharged in the bedroom of a residence, striking him in the stomach. An autopsy was conducted and there is an ongoing investigation into the middle schooler’s death. An 8-year-old girl in Fayetteville, North Carolina, is in critical condition after …

FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2023

Another Three-year-old Child Dies After Finding a Loaded Gun Three-year-old Kayden Goldman, of Birmingham, Alabama, found a loaded gun when a parent left him momentarily unsupervised and used it to shoot and kill himself. Kayden’s mother said, “Kayden was a bright boy. He was so full of energy. He loved to dance and watch different …

SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2023

Eight-year-old Dies in Accidental Shooting; Three Other Children are Also Involved in Gun Accidents An eight-year-old boy died of a gunshot wound today after being airlifted to a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.  The Franklin County boy and his four-year-old brother had found a loaded gun at home. The two boys had the gun in a …

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2022

A three-year-old and a five-year old were shot today in incidents for which limited details are being reported. Leon Walker, Jr., a Birmingham, Alabama 19-year-old, is charged with aggravated child abuse after police said his three-year-old sister was shot in the abdomen.  The circumstances of the incident have not been fully reported. It is unclear …

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2022

At least five children were shot and injured today in various circumstances, continuing to illustrate just how dangerous guns are around American children.  Also today, four teenagers were killed in apparently intended gun violence incidents.  Without taking away from the horrific nature of intended gun violence across the United States, the focus here remains on …

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2022

 Calvin Washington, a Bessemer, Alabama man, aged 30, told police that he had been shot in the leg by an unknown assailant. However, upon investigation, it turned out that he had accidentally shot himself with a stolen gun.  The man was arrested and charged with illegal gun possession and giving false information to police.  And …

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2022

In Chilton County, Alabama a 13-year old boy and another teenager were moving a gun in their home when the gun discharged and the boy was killed. “It’s a tragic thing,’’ the sheriff said, “a sad situation.” No charges are expected. Source: Howard Koplowitz, Carol Robinson, “13-year-old Killed in Accidental Shooting in Chilton County,” Al.com …

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

 A 15-year old Bessemer, Alabama girl was shot and killed in a Valentine’s Day gun accident involving her 18-year old friend.  According to authorities, the two children were playing with a gun at the home of a relative of the shooter at the time of the incident.  The 15-year old, Janiyah Simmons, was a high …

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

A pair of three-year old children found loaded guns in their homes and accidentally shot themselves today. In Birmingham, Alabama, a three-year old found a family member’s loaded gun in his home and shot himself in the leg.   He is expected to survive. The report notes that it was the second incident in Jefferson County …

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

Kyler Small, a Hueytown, Alabama two-year old, died today after finding a family member’s loaded gun and shooting himself.   Coroner’s officials called the shooting “accidental.”  An investigation is ongoing, but no further information about the shooting is being released. Source: Associated Press “Police: 2-year-old Killed After Discharging Relative’s Gun,” apnews.com (January 12, 2022).

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2021

Jeremiah Pruitt of Birmingham, Alabama, age 13, was shot and killed by one of his 11-year old twin brothers in a gun accident today.  The boys had found a gun in a drawer and were playing with it when the accident occurred. The boys’ mother, Starcrease Pruitt, was at one of her two jobs when …

SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2021

At least three toddlers and two teenagers were injured in gun accidents today.  The reported details of most of the incidents are limited or murky.  In Birmingham, Alabama, a two-year old apparently shot himself inside a vehicle at a gas station.  The news story implies that the child found a gun in the car, perhaps …

SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2021

Seven children under the age of six were killed or injured by gunfire today.  All of them were innocent bystanders to adult gun violence. In Memphis Tennessee, a one-year old child was shot and killed inside a vehicle. “Our kids are scared to death out there,” a local community group leader said.  The other incidents …

THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021

Two teenagers and a child were injured and hospitalized in separate gun accidents today.  A 35-year old man and a 32-year old woman were also hospitalized after a fourth accident. In yet another unintentional shooting in central Ohio, an 18-year old who was playing with a gun was rushed to the hospital with life threatening …

THE TAURUS PISTOL DEFECT

In 2017, the Brazilian company Forjas Taurus (“Taurus”)1 recalled nearly a million of its popular pistols2 in the United States as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit.3 The guns involved have a defect that sometimes causes them to fire even when the gun’s safety was in its “on” position and/or when the …

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020

In Clay, Alabama, a teenage girl returning home after 2 A.M. was mistaken for an intruder by her stepfather.  She was accidentally shot in the abdomen. Her parents say they “heard the garage door open and thought someone was breaking into the home. The stepfather retrieved his firearm and went to investigate.”  After the shooting, …

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

Two young children were innocent victims of gun violence on Halloween.  Both were bystanders when arguments broke out and shots were fired. In New York City, an 8-year old, her father and a third bystander were wounded by gunfire outside a supermarket.  All three victims are in stable condition.  According to a witness, three gunshots …

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

In Birmingham, Alabama, a 5-year old child was injured after shooting himself in a car with his father’s gun.   The boy’s father told police that he left the child in the vehicle while he went back inside, and when he returned “he found the child covered in blood and drove him to the hospital.”  He …

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2020

Three children under age 10 shot themselves today. In Chicago, Illinois, three boys left home alone while their father was picking up their mother from the hospital found a loaded gun.  One of the boys, a five-year old, accidentally shot his nine-year old brother in the head.  The boy, Ashton Lipscomb, died at the hospital.  …

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2020

Allen Merrick, a freshman linebacker at the University of Alabama at Birmingham was killed in a gun accident today in Gadsden, Alabama.  Little information is available other than a Gadsden police statement that the shooting was accidental.  Merrick was just 19. Merrick was a standout athlete at Gadsden High School. He played in the Alabama-Mississippi …