Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
The Harris County, Texas sheriff announced that a Humble, Texas man was cleaning his shotgun when it discharged inside his apartment. Another man was struck and killed. It is unclear whether charges will be filed. In Andrews, South Carolina, a man fired a pistol when he heard someone entering his home through a window. A …
Toddler and Teen Killed in Unintentional Shootings In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 3-year-old Kayden Barnes died after shooting herself in the eye with a gun that her father had left out after cleaning it. Both of her parents were at home when the shooting occurred. Police recovered the gun and a male was questioned and released. No …
One Person Dead, Two Critically Injured in Gun Accidents In Mooresville, North Carolina, Jody Allen Leazer, 55, was fatally shot in the arm when he and another man were moving a gun into a car. They were cleaning out a home, and as they were putting the gun into the car, it unintentionally discharged. Leazer …
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 …
Three People Killed in Gun Accidents, Including a Two-year-old In Erie, Pennsylvania, an 18-year-old was unintentionally shot and killed while making a video with two other teens. Each of the three had a gun which they pointed at the camera during filming. One of the guns fired, hitting the 18-year-old in the neck, killing him. …
6-year-old and Two Men Killed In Unintentional Shootings Avery Davis, a 6-year-old, was killed in a hunting accident in Cameron, South Carolina. Avery was in an elevated stand at the time, when it appears he was struck by a stray shotgun pellet fired by someone on the ground. Investigators are waiting for the coroner’s report, …
One Killed, Two Injured in Gun Accidents David Shane Nance, 46, was killed in what appears to be an accidental shooting at a makeshift gun range in Mooresville, North Carolina. The suspected shooter and the victim knew each other. The suspect called 911 and is cooperating with deputies in their investigation. Few details are reported, …
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, …
Gun Cleaning Accident Injures 5-year-old A 5-year-old boy in Memphis, Tennessee, is recovering after being accidentally shot in the shoulder by his father. The shooting happened while the father was cleaning his gun. Few details about the incident have been reported, and the sheriff’s office hasn’t said if any charges will be filed. Source: Judy …
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 …
Unintentional Shootings Leave One Man Dead, Three Others Injured At a campground in Bristol, Tennessee, one man was killed, and another injured in what police called a “negligent discharge of a firearm.” Few details have been reported, and neither man has been identified, as detectives continue to investigate. In Bonney Lake, Washington, according to his …
Man Killed in Gun Cleaning Accident In Prospect, Kentucky, 23-year-old Charl Hertzog was shot and killed by his roommate James Small, 20, who claimed he was drinking and smoking weed while cleaning a gun, when it accidentally discharged. Police say he left the scene after the shooting and got rid of the gun, then turned …
Baby Shot with Gun that Had Reportedly Jammed Ja’Liyah Allen of Palm Coast, Florida, age 18 months, was shot in the head and killed just before midnight tonight with a round fired from a gun that several witnesses reported was “jammed” at the time of the incident. C.J. Nelson, Jr., the probable shooter, was not …
Man Dies in Gun Cleaning Accident; Three People Injured in Unintentional Shootings Two men were cleaning a gun in New Orleans, Louisiana, when it unintentionally discharged, fatally striking one of them, a 22-year-old, in the chest. He died from his injuries later at the hospital. No other information is available at this time. A boy …
Four People Hurt in Gun Accidents, Including One Child A 7-year-old girl was outside in Camden, New Jersey, when she was hit by a stray bullet. She was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. No other information has been released, but police say the girl was not the intended victim. In Houston, …
Girl Mistakes Real Gun for BB Gun, and Husband Shoots Wife in Gun Cleaning Accident Daejion Grant, 16, was unintentionally shot and killed by a 14-year-old girl in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The girl thought she was holding a BB gun, but it was instead a real handgun. She has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and is …
Woman Helping Clean a Rifle is Accidentally Shot and Boy is Injured While Target Shooting Robert Sipe, 45, of Findlay, Ohio, unintentionally shot a woman who was helping him clean a rifle. The rifle had not been cleared, and when the trigger was pulled during the cleaning process, a single round was discharged striking the …
Deadly Accident After Cleaning Gun; Officer Injured When Backup Weapon Accidentally Fires In Columbus, Ohio, 16-year-old Elisha Judd was killed by 20-year-old Tejuan Stanley when he accidentally fired his gun striking her in the forehead. Stanley had taken apart his gun to clean it, and didn’t realize when it was reassembled that there was a …
Six-year-old Killed in Gun Cleaning Accident; Teen Injured While Playing Around with Gun In Wichita Falls, Texas, a 6-year-old boy died after being accidentally shot in the chest by his father. The child’s father was apparently dismantling the gun to clean it when it discharged, hitting the boy. Police interviewed several people in the home …
Two People Killed in Gun Accidents, Including a Three-year-old Jaquan Askew, 20, a Portsmouth, Virginia man, was arrested after his 3-year-old child gained access to a loaded firearm at home. The boy shot and killed himself. Askew said that while he was using the bathroom, he heard a gunshot coming from his son’s bedroom. Court …
Man Accidentally Kills Wife in Next Room While Reloading Joseph Cuva, Sr., 74, of Greenfield, New York accidentally fired his gun while reloading it after he had cleaned it. The round passed through a wall and killed his wife, Charlene Cuva, also 74. Cuva presumably kept the gun for safety in his home. No charges …
Three Gun Accident Injuries in Three Cities In Wolf Creek, Montana, a 74-year-old man was struck and injured when a round fired while his friend was cleaning a gun. The friend, a 54-year-old woman, said she was cleaning the gun and set it on the table and it fired, striking the man. No charges were …
Virginia Gun Cleaning Accident Leaves a Woman Dead In Virginia Beach, Virginia, 19-year-old Jaiden Litton was charged with manslaughter after 21-year-old Heavonlei Grant was shot in the chest and killed. Court documents said Litton told investigators that he was attempting to unload Grant’s gun that day, and while unloading, he pointed the gun at her. …
Two People Killed When Others Try to Clear their Guns A 29-year-old Cleveland, Ohio woman killed her husband today while trying to “clear” a weapon, presumably to remove a round in the chamber. The victim, Benjamin Irizarry, age 33, was pronounced dead at the scene. There is an ongoing investigation. And in Nashville, Tennessee, Linda …
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 …
Three reports of gun accidents today, two of them reported only via Tweets: A Wichita, Kansas two-year-old found a loaded gun in his home and shot his mother in the foot while she was in bed. Both the boy’s mom and her boyfriend were arrested on child endangerment charges. A 49-year-old Riva, Maryland man shot …
January 1, 2023 does not bode well for gun safety in the New Year because there were too many gun accidents to meaningfully consider, including many that appear to have resulted from celebratory gunfire. Among the reported incidents: In Van Buren County, Michigan, 62-year-old Christopher Toppenberg was charged with murder Wednesday in connection with the …
A child in Springfield, Missouri died today in an unintentional shooting, but few details have been reported, including the circumstances of the accident. Not even the child’s age is available. A neighbor said, ”[m]y kids play with their kids, and I’m just glad my kids weren’t over there because an accident could happen to anybody.” …
In Chicago, Illinois, a ten-year-old girl found a gun in her home and accidentally shot herself in the hand. She is in good condition at the hospital and no arrests have been made. In West Valley City, Utah, a man shot himself in the leg while cleaning his gun. He is in stable condition at …
In Terre Haute, Indiana, a 16-year-old was purportedly unloading a semi-automatic handgun for cleaning and “unintentionally discharged one round” that struck 21-year-old Bryar Laws. Laws was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries. There is an ongoing investigation. Source: Sky Christian, “Unintentional Shooting Leads to Death in Greene Co.” mywabashvalley.com (December 19, …
In Indianapolis, Indiana, a man was cleaning a gun when it accidentally discharged striking a woman in the foot. A 9 mm round was found beneath a window next to a bed, according to the report. In Oak Hill, West Virginia, a man was playing with a gun when it discharged. He struck himself in …
In Kansas City, Kansas, police are investigating an incident in which a four-year-old boy shot himself after finding a loaded gun. He later died at the hospital. No other details are available. In Memphis, Tennessee, a three-year-old boy is in critical condition after finding and pulling the trigger on a loaded gun. Police say the …
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 Roanoke, Virginia, a “juvenile” was killed in a gun accident along a local street. Although circumstances of the accident have not been released, those involved are cooperating with the ongoing investigation. An Arkansas City, Kansas man shot himself in the leg while attempting to clean his 9 millimeter pistol. Such accidents often occur because …
No charges were filed today after a West Palm Beach man claiming to have “dry-fired” a gun believing it was unloaded, shot and killed his good friend. The 25-year old victim managed to get outside before dying on the stairs. Witnesses told police that a group of six friends were gathered in an apartment when …
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, …
A six-year old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania apparently found a gun is his home and accidentally shot himself in the head. He is hospitalized in critical condition. And in separate incidents, two Pullman, Washington men accidentally shot themselves and had to be airlifted to the hospital in Spokane. One of the men shot himself in the leg …
In Piqua, Ohio, three police officers returning from the range after qualifying with their service weapons were struck by shrapnel when a gun discharged while it was being cleaned. All three officers were taken to the hospital. The officer who was cleaning their gun apparently did not know the gun was loaded. According to the …
Two gun accidents were reported exclusively on Twitter today, making one wonder, once again, how many gun accident injuries are never made public at all. A tweeter apparently monitoring a police scanner reported that a Chicago, Illinois “security officer” apparently accidentally discharged his gun and shot himself in the leg. And, in Laurel, Maryland, a …
A Bridgeport, Connecticut man accidentally fired his gun while cleaning it and shot himself in the hand. He was treated at a local emergency room. The report does not explain why he apparently did not know there was a round in the chamber when the incident occurred. Source: “Police: Bridgeport Man Accidently Shoots Hand While …
A Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin man shot himself in the hand while cleaning his gun. His wife drove him to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Authorities point out that “[i]t is always advised to ensure a firearm is not loaded when cleaning it.” It might also make sense to buy a gun with a prominent …
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 …
A Detroit, Michigan mother accidentally shot her 4-year old daughter while cleaning her gun. The child is at the hospital with critical injuries. Her mother has been taken into custody. The woman involved in the gun accident initially told police that she and the girl had been attacked by an intruder who was attempting to …
An 18-year old Peoria, Arizona man was shot and killed by a friend who was cleaning his gun inside a local apartment. The Peoria police said that the man who fired the fatal shot was reassembling his gun after cleaning it and that it still had a round in the chamber. No other information about …
Every type of gun safety problem was on display in gun accidents that occurred today. All of today’s accidents are tragic, but none more so than the death of a Texas two-year old in Lawrence, Kansas who was shot in the chest while visiting at a local home. Details of the circumstances of the accident …
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 …
In Phoenix, Arizona, 15-year old Valerie Arreola-Loya was accidentally shot and killed by a 21-year old relative who was cleaning his gun. He had removed the magazine from the gun, and then apparently believed that the gun was unloaded. The 21-year old who fired the fatal shot, Alexis Vidrio, was arrested and charged with manslaughter. …
In Little Rock, Arkansas, a three-year old found a loaded gun and shot himself in the eye. The boy is in critical condition at the hospital. There was no discussion in the article about how the boy obtained an unsecured loaded gun or about why manufacturers are allowed to design guns that a three-year old …
In Des Moines Iowa, a man who was cleaning his gun accidentally shot and injured a neighbor. The man’s injuries do not appear to be life threatening. Sources: “Police: Man Accidentally Shoots Neighbor While Cleaning His Gun,” weareiowa.com (April 24, 2021).
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).
At least two gun-owners accidentally shot themselves today in separate incidents. The first accident, in Columbus, Ohio, occurred when a man was cleaning his gun. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition. The other accident occurred at the Hawg Pen bar in Raleigh, North Carolina, where a man shot himself in the …
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 …
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 …
A 77-year old Fond du Lac, Wisconsin man accidentally shot himself in the hand while cleaning a gun. Police were alerted by a call from the hospital emergency room where the man was treated and released. Source: “FDL Man Injured In Gun-Cleaning Accident,” KFIZ AM 1450 (March 17, 2021).
13-year old children in Illinois and Tennessee were innocent victims of gun violence today. Both were innocent bystanders when gunfights broke out between others on the street. These incidents are part of an epidemic of innocent bystander shootings associated with a national increase in gun violence. The Chicago, Illinois victim and a man he was …
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 …
A Bixby, Oklahoma teenager is charged with first degree manslaughter after accidentally shooting a man while cleaning his gun. The boy, Jackson Bruce, told witnesses that he was on the floor of his bedroom cleaning a gun when it went off and struck the victim in the chest. The victim later died at the hospital. …
Two gun accidents were announced on social media today. @MoCoPGNews tweeted that a Silver Spring, Maryland man shot himself in the shoulder while cleaning his gun. The extent of the man’s injuries were unknown. In Arlington, Texas, “Arlington Texas Crime” posted on its Facebook page that a man shot himself in the leg while unloading …
Children in Michigan, Indiana and Idaho died in gun accidents today. The Michigan accident occurred in Canton Township. Eight-year old Jack Bennett, an only child, died when a bullet discharged as his father was cleaning a gun. According to his mother, Tammy Snyder, “[i]t was a freak accident. It was supposed to be an unloaded …
In Detroit, Michigan, a nine-year old boy was accidentally shot and seriously injured as his father was checking the chamber on his gun to make sure it was unloaded. Police arrested the father even as the boy remained hospitalized. “What we know about this story so far is no doubt it’s tragic and it’s unfortunate …
Lessons Learned: [note: hyperlinked material shows in dark blue] November 15, 2020 marked the one-year anniversary of Shattered: The Gun Accident Journal. There are now more than 366 daily reports in the archive, categorized by state and tagged for common safety issues. There are also five chronological narratives that illustrate the steady accumulation of family …
Another Ohio child died in a gun accident today. 12-year old Lidia Ghide of Reynoldsburg, Ohio was inside her apartment when she was shot in the back. Her neighbor, 42-year old Eric Carpenter, was cleaning a gun when it fired. The bullet passed through Carpenter’s front door and into Ghide’s apartment. Carpenter was arrested and …
In Houston, Texas, a man who was watching T.V. in his living room was accidentally shot in the face by a neighbor who was cleaning his gun. The bullet went through a wall and a window before it struck. The victim was flown to the hospital where he remains in critical condition. “There’s two pistols …
Two men and a 10-year old boy were hospitalized with wounds suffered in accidental shootings today. Very little information is available about what happened in any of the gun accidents. In Bourne, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, a man was accidentally shot while cleaning his gun. He was hospitalized in Rhode Island with non-life threatening injuries. …
Cojuan Singleton, a 12-year old San Antonio, Texas boy, accidentally killed himself with his brother’s gun today. Singleton’s older brother, who owned the pistol, told police he was cleaning the gun and had put it down. Seconds later, Singleton picked it up and accidentally fired it. He was struck in the head. It is unclear …
There were two reported gun accidents in Tennessee today. In Crossville, a man cleaning his gun at a firepit accidentally shot himself in the thigh. He was flown by “Lifestar” helicopter to a nearby hospital. In Memphis, two young brothers found a gun and one of them was shot in the hand. The boy went …
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 …
Two people were shot and wounded today in separate accidents caused by friends who were in possession of guns illegally. In Joplin Missouri, a 48-year old man was cleaning a stolen handgun and accidentally shot his girlfriend in the abdomen. She is currently hospitalized in stable condition. Police are investigating the theft. In Murray, Utah, …
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 …
Three young children were accidentally shot and killed today, one at his own hand and the other two by relatives. In Springboro, Ohio, a five-year old boy shot and killed himself with his grandmother’s gun. The boy’s father told police that he woke to the sound of a gunshot. In Jackson County, West Virginia, a …
In Ogden Utah, a woman was shot in both legs in yet another shooting range accident. The bullet nicked an artery and her injuries will require surgery. A police sergeant said, “[a]n adult male set his gun down and forgot it was loaded. He went to open it up to take it apart, and the …
Memorial Day was marked by accidental gun violence and the death of two children. In North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, 16-year old Nathaniel Brooks was accidentally shot in his home by his father, Mathew Brooks. The local chief of police determined that the shooting was an accident involving a semi-automatic handgun. Mathew was cleaning the gun. …
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 …
A two-year old Florida child was shot by a man who was cleaning his gun, according to Escambia County sheriff’s deputies. The child was hospitalized. No further information was reported. Source: “Deputies: 2-year-old Accidentally Shot while Gun Owner was Cleaning Firearm,” WEAR TV (May 8, 2020).
In Edinburgh, Indiana, a police officer who was cleaning a personal weapon accidentally shot his wife in the leg. According to investigators, he did not know that there was a round in the chamber. The woman is in stable condition at a hospital in Indianapolis. Officers are trained to be careful when cleaning their weapons …
In Chandler, Arizona, Jordan Taylor was arrested after accidentally shooting his wife. According to Taylor, he and his wife were new gun owners. One of their guns fired while he was cleaning it and struck his wife in the chest. She later died at the hospital. Taylor claimed that the same weapon had also accidentally …
A Liberty County, Texas man was cleaning a 9-mm semi-automatic pistol when it accidentally fired and struck his 15-year old son in the lower back. The boy was flown to a hospital in Houston and is expected to survive. The gunshot was reported to have caused a “through and through wound.” Source: “Father Cleaning Gun …
14-year old Jesus Jimenez Solis was cleaning a gun in his bedroom when it accidentally fired, killing his 15-year old friend, Sylas Lieb. Jimenez Solis, an Omaha Nebraska boy, was holding the gun in his lap and wiping it with a towel when it went off. Lieb died at the scene. According to investigators, Jimenez …
According to authorities, a 17-year old Charlestown, West Virginia teen shot himself in the arm today while cleaning his gun. No charges will be filed. Source: Bailey Pace, “Teen Accidentally Shoots Himself According to Sheriff Dept.,” WVVA (January 21, 2020).
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 …
Bronson Reed, a 45-year old father in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee was cleaning a 9-mm pistol in his home when it went off unexpectedly. The bullet struck Reed in the leg and then hit his seven-year old son. At the time the story was reported, the child remained hospitalized. An investigation is ongoing. Source: Ken Nicholson …
An accidental shooting on Long Island, New York today was blamed for one injury and a multi-vehicle crash that injured four others. A 25-year old Plainview man was cleaning a firearm in his home when it discharged, hitting a 17 year-old who was with him in the neck. As the 25-year old rushed the teen …
Shawn Patrick Burse, 18, was arraigned today on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in Greenwood, South Carolina after his pregnant girlfriend, Teresa Michelle Parkman, died from a gunshot wound received while they were cleaning a rifle together. Witnesses said there was no ill will and that there appeared to be no fight or conflict before …
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 …