Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
Gun Accidents Injure Two Men A 46-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the leg at a shooting range on the private property of a home in Bellingham, Massachusetts. His injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening. Police are investigating. And a 24-year-old man was shot in the neck while watching television in his Atlanta, Georgia apartment. …
Two Men Injured in Gun Accidents Zachery James Hampton, age 26, unintentionally shot himself in the leg at a Walmart self checkout in Richfield, Utah. According to police, Hampton “was apparently adjusting the handgun that was being held in the waistband of his pants when it went off.” Several customers near Hampton, and potentially in …
Because there are 390 million guns already present in the United States, it is clear that the only practical way forward is a relentless focus on preventing gun violence before it happens. Evidence-based suicide prevention programs and well-funded community-based gun violence intervention projects are two prongs of the necessary three-pronged approach. The third is reevaluation …
A two-year old Joliet, Illinois child found a loaded gun in a bedroom at his home and shot himself in the head. He is in critical condition at the hospital. The boy’s mother was home at the time of the incident and is cooperating with police. In Grape Creek, Texas, police arrested Mathew South, 32, …
An Athens, Georgia woman was seriously injured when she was unintentionally shot while lying on a couch in her apartment. According to police, multiple rounds were fired in a domestic violence incident in a neighboring unit. One of the rounds apparently passed through an apartment wall and struck the woman in the back. A Vermont …
Torqavious Johnson, age 18, of Greer, South Carolina, was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter when he picked up a handgun that had fallen on the floor and attempted to return it to 17-year old Dalorian Tyler. According to witnesses, the gun was pointed at Tyler and discharged as Johnson handed it to him. Tyler …
Two people, including a one-year old baby, were injured in gun accidents after rounds passed through apartment walls. A one-year old Columbus, Ohio girl was struck by a bullet while she was sleeping between her parents. She was struck in the backside and is in stable condition at the hospital. The round, which was fired …
On Lazy Acres Circle in Dallas, Texas, Wendy Godoy, age 26, was accidentally struck and killed when a neighbor fired a gun in a nearby apartment. The gunshot passed through at least one apartment wall before striking her. Ms. Godoy was found lying face down just outside of her apartment. Police have issued a probable …
Bystanders were injured in three shootings today. In Chicago, Illinois, a one-year old was shot in the arm while sitting in a car outside a Walgreens store. Two men sitting in another car were also shot. “This is so sad. This s— has to stop, but nobody is doing anything,” said a woman who was …
Two more children died in gun accidents today, a seven-year old girl and a five-year old boy. In Heber City, Utah, a man who was described as “incredibly intoxicated” fired a gun through an apartment wall. The round struck a seven-year old girl in the next apartment and killed her. Christopher O’Connell, age 34, was …
In Grande Prairie, Texas, 29-year old Marque Wilford accidentally discharged his firearm inside his apartment. The bullet passed through an apartment wall and struck and killed his 32-year old neighbor. Wilford was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Source: “North Texas Man Arrested For Allegedly Shooting Through Apartment, Killing Neighbor,” 11/21 CBS DFQ (June 14, 2021).
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a man was accidentally shot through an apartment wall when the people next door tussled with a gun. The victim later died at the hospital. The deadly incident originated in domestic violence. Corry Lykes told authorities that he had threatened his girlfriend with a taser. When she then tried to take Lykes’ …
In Niles, Ohio, Nicklas Trkula, age 21, was attempting to shoot a man he believed to be his girlfriend’s lover. The bullet he fired passed through an apartment wall and struck another man in the leg while he was watching TV. Trkula fled the scene with his girlfriend, but was later tracked down by police …
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 …
Across the country, people young and old were injured or killed by celebratory gunfire on New Year’s morning. The incidents are too numerous to fully describe. Returning to Texas, the site of one of last year’s worst celebratory gunfire tragedies, at least four people, including a sleeping eight-year old Houston boy, were struck by celebratory …
In Stokes County, North Carolina, a 6-year old found a gun at home this afternoon and shot themselves to death. The child’s name and gender were withheld as were the circumstances in which they got their hands on a gun. A parent was home at the time of the accident. “I couldn’t believe what had …
A ten month-old Indianapolis, Indiana boy was hit in the knee by a gunshot that passed through two apartment walls. The shot was fired from outside the building. He is recovering at the hospital. Police do not know who fired the shot. Nor do they know why the shot was fired. Source: “10-month-old Boy Shot …
There were two more gun cleaning accidents today. In Barberton, Ohio, a woman was shot through both legs when her boyfriend’s gun accidentally discharged while he was cleaning it. The woman had been watching T.V. Her boyfriend was charged with negligent assault. In Rockford, Illinois, a man shot his roommate through an apartment wall when …
20-year old Keaton Sexton died today in Frankfort, Kentucky when a bullet passed through his apartment wall. Another 20-year-old, Trevor Fridenmaker, of Frankfort, was handling a pistol in the next apartment when it accidentally discharged. “There’s no belief there was any ill intent,” a Police Captain said. “Through investigation, it was determined the round that …
Once again, a young person was seriously injured by a stray bullet fired in a fight that she had no part in. In Boston, Massachusetts a 10-year old girl is in critical condition after being struck by a bullet that passed through her apartment wall. The shot was fired during a fight that occurred in …
In a variety of jurisdictions across the country today, accidental gunshot wounds sent people to the hospital, where staff are already struggling to find sufficient resources to manage the coronavirus epidemic. Among the accidents was one in Ormond Beach, Florida, where a 22-year old man was shot in the leg when a .22 caliber rifle …
A Waycross, Georgia police officer was suspended for 84 hours after he accidentally discharged his gun inside his apartment. The fired round passed through an apartment wall into the living room of his next door neighbor and then through two additional walls in that apartment. Two children were playing in the living room at the …
In Tulsa Oklahoma, a woman was shot in the leg and hospitalized after a gun was accidentally fired by her neighbor in the apartment next door. The bullet passed through the wall between the apartments, through the woman’s leg, and continued on into the woman’s living room. The police determined that the incident was a …
Two People Killed by Stray Bullets, Including Nine-year-old Boy At an apartment complex in Florida City, Florida, nine-year-old Antavious Scott, was shot and killed while outside with friends. Police responding to reports of gunfire, arrived to find the wounded Antavoius, known to his family as “TayTay.” He was airlifted to the hospital where he died. …
Two-year-old Boy is One of Three Victims Who Were Injured in Gun Accidents Today In Owensboro, Kentucky, a man was shot in the leg when a gun unintentionally discharged in the apartment next door. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries when the bullet came through the wall. The neighbor, Michael Chavez, 24, returned home from a bar with friends, and …
Five-year-old Kills Self with Father’s Gun; Two Other Children Injured in Gun Accidents In Santaquin, Utah, five-year-old Brooks Wilson was in his parent’s bedroom when he fatally shot himself after finding his father’s unsecured, loaded 9mm handgun. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His parents were in the home at the time of shooting. The family …
Female University Student Wounded by Stray Bullet In New Brunswick, New Jersey, two university students were injured when a fight on a sidewalk escalated into gunfire that struck at least two apartments and a restaurant. One of the victims was a woman, who was inside her home when she was hit by a stray bullet. …
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 and Boy are Injured in Unintentional Shootings A woman was shot in the chest when a bullet from the adjacent apartment came through her wall in Tolleson, Arizona. When police arrived, they found a man with a self-inflicted gun shot wound in the apartment next door. The woman’s injuries were not life-threatening; the man’s …
Boy Unintentionally Shot with a Ghost Gun and Three Other Children Wounded by Stray Bullets In Gurnee, Illinois, a 15-year-old boy is in the hospital in critical condition after being accidentally shot in the abdomen. He was in the basement with two 16-year-old friends, when one produced and discharged a semi-automatic ghost gun, unintentionally striking …
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 …
One Dead, 7 Wounded in Gun Accidents Parsa Danesh, 19, was accidentally shot and killed in Austin, Texas. Police, after consulting with the District Attorney’s Office, say no charges will be filed at this time, but the case remains under investigation. An 11-year-old girl in Houston, Texas is in stable condition after being hit by …
Nine-Year-Old Struck and Killed by Stray Bullet SirArmani Clark of Las Vegas, Nevada, age 9, was struck and killed when a bullet fired outside entered his bedroom through a wall. The same bullet shattered and struck his brother, Honor Clark, age 6, in the leg. The boys had moved to Las Vegas with their parents …
Two eleven-year-old girls were struck and injured by random gunfire today in separate incidents. In Pittston, Pennsylvania, an unidentified girl is in critical condition after being struck in the shoulder by a bullet that passed into the clubhouse of her apartment complex. The round was fired in a bathroom at the complex and passed through …
A 12-year old Memphis Tennessee child was sitting on a couch in his apartment today when shots were fired during a domestic dispute in a next door apartment. The boy was shot in the back when a bullet passed through a common wall as well as the back of the couch. He is expected to …
Maria Nealy, age 34, of San Antonio, Texas, was sitting on a bed in her apartment playing with a gun according to witnesses, when the weapon discharged. The round passed through a wall and struck and killed April Longoria, age 33, in the next room. Longoria reportedly said “that hurt” before “bleeding out from her …
In Muskegon, Michigan, an unidentified 63-year old man was shot dead when a 35-year old accidentally fired a round in a neighboring apartment. The round passed through at least one wall. The 35-year old is in custody and there is an ongoing investigation. Source: Karie Herringa, “Muskegon Man Hit, Killed by Bullet Fired From Adjacent Apartment,” foxonline.com …
Harold James of Washington, DC was lying in watching TV when a bullet came through the ceiling and struck him in the leg. It ended his life. According to authorities, the man living the apartment upstairs from James was cleaning his gun when it discharged. “I don’t think any of us can ever imagine a …
Lynette Billeter, age 58, a cherished teacher at a school in Sandy, Utah for adult special education students was shot and killed in a hunting accident today. She was returning to a utility terrain vehicle after hunting with family members when “a gun fired” and she was struck in the mid-section. First responders arrived at …
On the day of Christmas Eve, a two-year and a five-years old were victims of gun accidents. The two-year old killed himself and the five-year old was injured. In Independence, Missouri, the two-year old was handling a gun when it fired. The child was pronounced dead several hours later. Police were initially told that there …
In North Hollywood, California, Valentina Orellana-Peralta, a 14-year old girl who was shopping for a quinceañera dress, was accidentally shot and killed in a department store dressing room when a bullet passed through a wall during a police action at the store. She died at the scene. Los Angeles police were shooting at an assault …
Three common types of gun accidents were illustrated on Friday. In Meeker County, Minnesota, Mike Hendrickson, a hunter, unintentionally fired a gun into his thigh while climbing a tree stand. He was airlifted to the hospital after a tourniquet was applied at the scene of the accident. “His first surgery revealed significant loss of tissue, …
A Nashville, Tennessee woman heard an argument in the apartment below, then a loud pop, followed by pain in her foot. She had been struck by a round that passed through the floor of her apartment. According to the report, “[o]fficers found the apartment below the victim’s empty with the door slightly open, and a bullet …
In San Antonio, Texas, a woman was shot in the head when a bullet passed through a wall from the next apartment. Her neighbor claimed to be sleeping with a gun nearby that fired when he moved in his sleep. The woman’s wound is not considered life-threatening. There is no word yet about whether the …
Children were unintentionally injured in Indiana and Wisconsin today. The Indiana shooting occurred in Evansville, where a parent who was unloading his firearm accidentally shot his own six-year old child in the leg. The round passed through a wall before striking the child. In Milwaukee, an eight-year old was shot. Police are investigating, but have …
In Houston, Texas, a gunshot struck and injured a six-year old boy inside his home, according to the Houston sheriff. He is in stable condition at the hospital. “They’re just shooting for fun,” said a neighbor. “That’s amazing to me, because they’re shooting to these houses. As a mother, it broke my heart … because …
In Federal Way, Washington, a man was handling a gun inside his home when it fired. The bullet passed through three walls and struck his 8-year old daughter in the stomach. The girl is not expected to survive. Her father was arrested at the hospital on unspecified charges. In December of 2020, a Federal Way …
In Concord, Georgia, a 17-year old boy was shot and killed in a gun accident caused by a gun defect. The Sheriff’s Office preliminary investigation indicated that a person in an adjacent room dropped a firearm which discharged. The round passed through a wall and struck the victim. He was taken for medical treatment, but …
In Houston, Texas, Gerald Peavy was relaxing in his bed when he was killed by a shot accidentally fired by a friend staying in his living room. Peavy’s wife was with him at the time of the accident. The friend, Norez Hargrove, was examining a gun he had found in Peavy’s home. He told authorities …
In the tiny town of Somersworth, New Hampshire, two men, Raymond Picard and Joshua Conley, were charged with felonies for accidental discharge of their firearms in unrelated incidents. Somersworth has a total population of just 11,754. In the first incident, a 53-year old man was shot in the chest and taken to the hospital. He …
In a Providence, Rhode Island apartment, a woman was struck in the leg by a stray bullet while nursing her baby. The round was fired outside the apartment by an unknown shooter for an unknown reason. It passed through the apartment door and an inside wall before hitting the woman, Asende Mosi. Her baby was …
There were two gun accidents involving AR-15 style rifles today, each illustrating a combat-designed purpose of the weapon. In the first incident, a Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania man was sleeping in a chair in a wooded area by a pond when he was accidentally shot with a small caliber round fired by one of two men …
A man sitting in his apartment in Plano, Texas today was shot in the leg by a neighbor who was moving a shotgun inside his home. The man whose shotgun accidentally fired is expected to be charged with the misdemeanor crime of discharging a firearm. Source: “Police: Man Accidentally Fired Shotgun Inside Plano Apartment, Injuring …
A bullet accidentally fired in Chesterton, Indiana, near Gary, passed through two adjoining apartments and narrowly missed a three-year old child. According to a police report, Samuel Duley, a 22-year old, was cleaning his rifle inside the apartment building when it went off. He had removed the gun’s ammunition clip, but “he must have spaced …