Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
Three Unintended Shootings on Halloween Dusty Clausen, of Payette, Idaho, who is the father of two young children, including one who is three months old, is in critical condition after accidentally shooting himself on Halloween. While removing a loaded rifle from a gun safe inside his home, the trigger snagged on other firearms in the …
Group of Friends Playing with Gun; 16-year-old is Killed In an Indianapolis, Indiana home, 16-year-old Nathaniel Labissiere was unintentionally shot and killed by his friend, 18-year-old Jakari Bibbs. The two teens and another friend were playing around with a .22 caliber Glock 44 while another person took photos. During the investigation, Bibbs told detectives he …
Roommates Playing with Guns Result in One Man’s Death In a St. Petersburg, Florida home, Kevin Bishop, age 50, was accidentally shot and killed. Bishop and his roommate, 57-year-old William Tompkins, were drinking alcohol and looking over the guns that Bishop owned and both believed to be unloaded. The men were pointing the guns at …
Teen Unintentionally Shot by Friend with Stolen Glock In Pinellas Park, Florida, a 13-year-old boy was taken to the hospital in stable condition after being accidentally shot by his friend while they played video games in the friend’s home. The suspect, also 13, had stolen a loaded Glock 44 .22 caliber handgun from a room …
11-year-old Girl Allegedly Shot and Killed by Younger Brother In Miami, Florida, 11-year-old Taliyah Clarke was with her nine-year-old brother in their bedroom, when she suffered a gunshot wound to her chest, and later died at the hospital. Detectives found a .40 caliber silver casing on the floor of the children’s room near a dog …
Unintentional Shootings Injure Two Teens In Hesperia, Michigan, an 18-year-old is in fair condition at the hospital after being unintentionally shot in the abdomen by a 17-year-old while they were target shooting. And in McAllen, Texas, a 15-year-old was hospitalized after being accidentally shot in the head while playing video games with three other teens. …
Three People Wounded in Accidental Shootings In a farm field in Stone Creek, Ohio, a 12-year-old boy was wounded when a rifle unintentionally discharged after falling off the ATV he was riding. The .22 caliber rimfire bolt-action single-shot rifle, fired a round into the boy’s chest after hitting the ground. He was airlifted to the hospital for …
Toddler Kills Self After Finding Loaded Glock In a home in Flint, Michigan, 2-year-old Cortez Legend Guy found a loaded Glock .40-caliber handgun at home and fatally shot himself in the head. Responding police found the mortally wounded toddler and a bloody trail that led them to the gun used. The toddler was pronounced dead …
4-year-old Kills Self with Father’s Glock; 13-year-old Accidentally Shot and Killed While Playing with Both Nerf and Real Gun In a home in Memphis, Tennessee, a 4-year-old found his father’s loaded Glock 10mm handgun and fatally shot himself in the head. The boy’s father, Vincent Gilliams, told police the gun was in his pants pocket …
Police Chief Faces Discipline for Leaving Gun In Restroom For The Second Time Todd Raybuck, the Kaua’i, Hawaii police chief, is being investigated after a complaint was filed today saying that he left his duty weapon inside a police department restroom. The gun was a loaded Glock with a round in the chamber. The disciplinary …
Man Killed While Filming Friend Playing with Gun In West Jordan, Utah, Dylan Douglas Miller-Mettome, 27, was accidentally shot and killed by his best friend, 29-year-old Anthony Sanchez. Miller-Mettome had started to record Sanchez on his phone, when Sanchez “pulled his gun out to be funny, not knowing it was loaded,” pointed it at Miller-Mettome, …
Woman Killed, and Three Injured in Unintentional Shootings In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman was shot in a vehicle and died. Police say a man and a child were also in the car, and that the child accidentally shot the woman. The woman was a local schoolteacher. The school issued a statement saying they are “deeply …
Woman Killed by Stray Bullet, and Two Teens Injured in Gun Accidents Cynthia Brown, 40, suffered severe head trauma after being shot by a bullet that came from a neighboring apartment in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police questioned the person they suspect fired the gun, and the district attorney’s office …
5-year-old Kills Self With Father’s Loaded Glock Found Under Pillow Travell Daniels, 29, was watching his 5-year-old son for the weekend in a home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Daniels laid the child down for a nap in his bedroom and went downstairs to watch television. Shortly after, he heard a loud bang and returned to …
Girl Injured When Loaded Glock Found in Car’s Center Console Accidentally Fires In a car parked at a gas station in West Palm Beach, Florida, a 10-year-old boy found a loaded gun and unintentionally shot an 8-year-old girl in the face. Four children (ages 1–10) had been left in the car when the mother went …
8-year-old Killed; Two Teens Injured in Unintentional Shootings In St. David, Arizona, 8-year-old Bradley John Shockley was accidentally shot in the chest with an air rifle while riding on the back of a friends’s four-wheeler. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. The vehicle went through an area where people were …
3-year-old and Two Deputies are Wounded in Unintentional Shootings A 3-year-old in Richmond, Virginia, was hospitalized with a gunshot wound that is not life-threatening. Few details reported, but police believe this was an accidental shooting and are currently not looking for suspects, though they will continue to investigate. At an outdoor gun range in Lemoore, …
Three Injured in Accidental Shootings, Including Two Children A 4-year-old in Raleigh, Tennessee, found his uncle’s loaded gun and shot himself. Police were told that the gun was a .45 caliber Glock 36 handgun owned by the boy’s uncle 22-year-old Bryant Vann. In Vann’s bedroom where the shooting took place, officers didn’t find .45 caliber …
Grandfather Shoots and Kills 16-year-old Grandson After Magazine is Removed Royce Osborn, 16, was accidentally shot and killed by his grandfather in Clinton, Missouri. Neighbors said that Royce lived with his mother and grandfather, 70-year-old Thomas Ribby, and wanted to have a future in law enforcement. A witness at the scene could be heard on …
Eight-year-old Child is Shot and Killed with Unsecured Gun, and Four Other People are Hurt in Separate Unintentional Shootings A group of children found a loaded, unsecured gun in a home in Detroit, Michigan. It’s unclear what exactly happened once it was found, but the gun went off killing an eight-year-old. An adult has been …
Stray Bullets Injure Three and Man Accidentally Shoots Himself with Friend’s Glock While sitting at home in Rochester, New York, a 16-year-old girl was struck by a stray bullet. Police responded to a call about a person shot, and found a 42-year-old man inside a vehicle with at least one gunshot wound. During their investigation, …
Four-year-old Girl Finds Loaded Glock and Accidentally Shoots Herself in the Head On Memorial Day, a four-year-old Grovetown, Georgia girl is hospitalized in critical condition after she accidentally shot herself in the head. Her father, 24-year-old Davion Daniels, left a loaded 9mm Glock on the floor when he went downstairs to take a phone call. …
Toddler Finds Loaded Glock, Shoots and Kills Himself Kiaire Marquis McCoy, a two-year-old from Kentwood, Michigan, found a loaded gun and shot and killed himself. His mother’s boyfriend, Markus Nevills Jr., 22, was sitting on a couch in the apartment and had tucked his Glock 22, a .40 caliber handgun, between a couch seat cushion …
Three Children Dead in Unintended Shootings In Salinas, California, Natalie Romero Puente, an 11-year-old fifth-grade student, accidentally shot and killed herself with her 18-year-old brother’s Glock pistol. The gun had been illegally modified to function fully automatically. A classmate’s parent said, “”My daughter’s taking it pretty hard. They were all classmates, teammates on volleyball and …
Three People Injured When Guns Accidentally Go Off in Public Places An 18-year-old Anniston, Alabama High School student was injured by shrapnel when another student accidentally fired a gun inside the high school. The student was reportedly manipulating the gun in a backpack when it went off. The round struck the floor and the 18-year-old …
Man Shoots off Pinkie Finger with Glock In Crawford County, Pennsylvania, a man in the parking lot of a state recreational area removed his Glock pistol from the holster and separated the loaded magazine from the gun but failed to clear the chamber, according to state police. He was then handling the gun and looking …
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 …
In a Brevard County, Florida incident that is being reported as an accidental shooting, one sheriff’s deputy shot and killed another while the two were playing the video game Call of Duty. According to the report, Deputy Andrew Lawson, 22, pulled the trigger twice on a Glock pistol while aiming it at his roommate, Austin …
According to court documents, 19-year-old Joseph Jackson of Muncie, Indiana told police he “left a 9mm Glock 19 sitting on a dollhouse in a room that he shared with [his girlfriend], her 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter.” The four-year old found the gun, which was apparently loaded, and accidentally shot himself. The boy was taken …
Derrick Curtis, an alderman in Southwest Chicago, Illinois, shot himself in the wrist today while cleaning a gun. He is in good condition at the hospital. And in Salem Township, Minnesota, an unidentified 70-year-old man shot himself in the leg, also while cleaning a gun. According to the report, a police deputy applied a tourniquet, …
In Madison, Tennessee, a man accidentally shot his brother in the face while cleaning his gun. The injured man is in critical condition at the hospital. No charges are expected. There is no report on whether the gun involved in the incident had a loaded chamber indicator, a magazine safety disconnect, or was a Glock, …
Back in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where gun accidents involving children appear common, two children found a loaded gun in their home. A four-year old was shot and injured, but is in stable condition at the hospital. The children’s uncle, Kiante Hawkins, was arrested and charged with negligence. Police determined that he had left the gun …
Five more children were killed or injured in gun accidents today. In Katy, Texas, a four-year old boy died after being shot in the head by his nine-year old brother today with his uncle’s Glock. The uncle, Franciso Lupian, had brought the gun into the home and showed the boys how to use it. He …
Bryson Jackson, a Memphis, Tennessee three-year old, shot himself to death today with an unsecured and loaded AR-15 that he found in his home. The guns belonged to his mother’s friend, Tedrick Butler. Bryson’s mom, Tinesha Jackson, had left Bryson and another child at home in the care of an uncle while she and Butler …
A 12-year old Chicago, Illinois girl was in a car with her family returning home from her birthday dinner when she was struck in the head by a bullet fired on the street. According to police, the shooters were firing at a different car. The girl was taken to the hospital in critical condition. And …
In St. Louis, Missouri, a two-year old accidentally shot his father in the back with a rifle. The unidentified man, who was in his 20s, died at the scene. No further information is available. A Corry, Pennsylvania man, 64-year old Gary Hunt, was shot and killed while hunting bear with a friend. According to an …
A $5.5 million settlement was reached in connection with a gun accident that occurred at a Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania shooting range two years ago today. The shooting occurred during a training exercise organized by a variety of organizations and individuals who were then named as defendants in the lawsuit. The shooter, who was supposed to be …
A Louisville, Kentucky police officer who was cleaning his service weapon in the property room at the station accidentally shot himself in the stomach. He is recovering at the hospital according to the report. Query whether the officer’s gun was a Glock or a similar pistol that requires a trigger pull as part of the …
According to a witness, a guest at the Omni Dallas hotel in Dallas, Texas accidentally shot himself in the torso while cleaning a gun in his room. He was found dead by police. There is no report of the type of gun involved in the accident, including whether the gun had a loaded chamber indicator …
Gastonia, North Carolina police are investigating the death of Markovia Durham, a 29-year old man who was shot and killed by his two-year old son. “It’s a horrible tragedy. It’s a horrible situation for everyone involved,” said the Gaston County District Attorney. The child thought the Glock pistol was a toy according to family members. …
In Temple, Maine, a two-year old found a loaded gun in his home and used it to accidentally shoot and kill himself. Other family members were home at the time of the accident. The incident comes just over a month after another Maine two-year old found a loaded Glock piston on a nightstand in his …
A Houston, Texas man may lose his leg after accidentally shooting himself. Police say the man was cleaning his gun when it went off. Source: “Man May Lose Leg after Accidental Shooting,” News 4 SA (April 16, 2021).
One man accidentally shot himself and another shot a teenager while cleaning their guns today. Typically, such accidents can be prevented with load indicators, magazine safety disconnects, manual safeties or cleaning protocols that do not require a trigger pull. Remarkably many guns, including Glocks, require that the trigger be pulled for disassembly and cleaning, leading …
At a Richmond, Utah manufacturing facility, a 23-year old employee accidentally shot himself in the leg while cleaning his Glock during a break. He did not realize that the gun was loaded when he attempted to break it down. Police and paramedics responded at the scene. “This individual had fired his firearm about two weeks …
In Hardeman County, Tennessee, Jonterrious Hampton was arrested and charged with reckless homicide after a gun accident in which a 7-year old boy was killed. After the incident, Hampton took the boy to a local hospital where the boy was pronounced dead. According to Hampton, he was visiting the boy’s siblings at their home. During …
Two young children were killed in preventable accidental shootings, one in Philadelphia, the other in Detroit. The incidents are strikingly similar. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, balloons were released at a vigil for nine-year old gun accident victim Nyssa Davis. Davis was shot and killed by a 5-year old relative in her home. The boy had found …
In Gloucester, Massachusetts, a man with many guns in his apartment accidentally fired one of them through a wall and into his neighbor’s apartment unit. No one was injured. According to a report, investigating officers found a Remington 1100 12G Supermatic, a Remington 1100 20G, a Browning .22 long rifle, a Glock 19 9mm, a …
At the St. Lucie Shooting Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida, a bullet pierced a barrier and struck a shooting range employee. An off-duty police officer was present at the time. She and another officer applied a pair of tourniquets. The injured man was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released. A …
Three individuals shot themselves in the lower body today in various handgun accidents. A toddler is severely injured, a man is dead, and another appears to have lost his ability to reproduce. A three-year old in Jupiter Inlet, Florida gained access to his uncle’s handgun and shot himself in the thigh and hand. He is …
Michelle Ansley, a 40-year old Thomson, Georgia woman was accidentally shot by a family member who was cleaning his gun. Ansley was shot in the leg and was taken to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Police are investigating, but gun cleaning accidents are common, especially with certain guns that lack basic safety …
A three-year old Arlington, Texas boy died today in yet another tragic gun cleaning accident. According to police, an “adult relative” was cleaning a gun when it fired and shot both the boy and the person who had been cleaning the gun. That person suffered non-life threatening injuries. The toddler died at the hospital. No …
Criminalizing the Negligence of Caregivers May Let Manufacturers Off the Hook It is quite clear from any rational child safety perspective that manufacturers should be discouraged or prevented from designing guns that children can easily fire. Better designs can be achieved with effective external manual safeties, magazine safety disconnects, heavier trigger pulls or trigger designs …
Additional Information About Unintentional Shootings Gun Violence Archive — Accidental Death Reports. Gun Violence Archive – Accidental Injury Reports. Violence Policy Center — Misfire: The Gun Industry’s Lack of Accountability for Defective Firearms (by the author of this journal). Giffords Law Center – Gun Violence Statistics. Harvard Injury Control Research Center – Research on Gun …
Four young children accidentally shot themselves today with found guns in separate incidents. Two are dead. Two are hospitalized. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania a four-year old found a Glock pistol in a closet and shot himself in the head in his bedroom. His three-year old brother was in the room at the time. Police say the …
A benefit was held today in Alexandria, Louisiana for a 20-year old man who has had nearly a dozen surgeries after accidentally shooting himself in the face. Christian Collister was replacing a part on his Glock in his car when it accidentally fired. He tells the story like this: “So to take apart Glocks, you …