Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
Two Children Killed in Unintentional Shootings A two-year-old boy in Decatur, Georgia, shot and killed himself with his father’s unsecured gun. The toddler was pronounced dead at the hospital; his father, 39-year-old Michael Labiron, was charged with murder and cruelty to children. And in Columbus, Ohio, Carlie Frizzell, age 16, died in an unintentional shooting. …
A “Person” is Taken to Children’s Hospital After Accidental Shooting In Columbus, Ohio, a “person” was taken to children’s hospital in stable condition after reportedly being shot in the thigh. The shooting was deemed accidental, but no further information was provided other than that the incident was initially falsely reported as a drive-by shooting. Source: …
Two People Die in Accidental Shootings Few details have been reported about the accidental shooting death of a 15-year-old in Gray Court, South Carolina. The teen was at home with friends, and according to early findings, may have unintentionally shot themself. And in an apartment in Columbus, Ohio, police found a person dead of a …
Three People Injured in Unintentional Shootings, Including a 6-year-old Shot by His Cousin A 6-year-old in Columbus, Mississippi, picked up a loaded 9 mm handgun left on a counter, and shot his 6-year-old cousin in the head. The bullet grazed the side of the victim’s head, and he was treated and released from the hospital. …
Two Ohio Teenagers Killed in Separate Unintentional Shootings Two small towns in Ohio are each mourning the unintentional shooting death of a 15-year-old boy in their community. In Wapakoneta, Ohio, Ayden Moorman was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but died from his injuries. Police are still investigating but it appears to be an …
Four People Hurt After Young Children Find Unsecured Guns In Las Vegas, Nevada, a toddler shot themself with a gun found on the playground of a daycare center. Tshaun Rucker, 16, got into an argument with an adult on a public bus and allegedly pulled out and gun and shot the adult. Rucker then left …
Eight-year-old is Killed, and Four Other Children are Wounded in Gun Accidents An 8-year-old is shot and killed in a home in Deer Park, Washington. A group of children ranging in age from 5 to 14 years old found a handgun that one of them unintentionally discharged, fatally striking the child. Deputies say no other …
Five Injured in Unintentional Shootings Including Three Children A 4-year-old child in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, was injured in what is reported as an accidental shooting. The child was taken to the hospital but the extent of their injuries is not known. The sheriff’s office is investigating. ShaiAnn Coley, 3, was staying with a relative …
Two Dead and One Wounded in Shooting Accidents Maden Thapa, a 30-year-old Columbus, Ohio man, was unintentionally killed in his truck by another man who was handling a gun. According to the report, 25-year-old Lok Nath Acharya, had been alerted to the presence of the gun in a bathroom at a local newsstand. He removed …
Accidental Shootings Leave One Dead, Five Wounded In Columbia, South Carolina, a 7-year-old girl died from what is reported as an accidental shooting. She died at the hospital from a gunshot wound to her upper body. The incident is under investigation. One child accidentally shot another in Austin, Texas. The victim was transported to a …
Two Teens and a Woman are Injured when Guns are Mishandled Two 13-year-old boys in Columbus, Ohio, were accidentally shot by a 12-year-old boy. The two injured teens are expected to survive. The 12-year-old boy was arrested and charged with assault and obstruction. Police continue to investigate. In Homestead, Florida, Jaydin Babb, 22, was playing …
One Dead, Two Injured, in Accidental Shootings A 3-year-old Columbus, Mississippi boy accidentally shot himself in the leg today. According to the report, a 14-year-old, who was visiting relatives, found the loaded gun in a bedroom and left it around where the younger child could find it. There is an ongoing investigation. A Salem, Illinois …
Three Boys Have Access to Guns and Shoot Themselves An 11-year-old Brunswick, Georgia boy is hospitalized today after shooting himself in the chest. Police do not know if the shooting was accidental. Although the gun owner’s name is redacted from the police report, the report says that the boy’s father told police that they visited …
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 …
Tykeese Dondasse, age 5, of Columbus, Ohio and his mother were visiting his aunt today, when the boy found a loaded gun at his aunt’s house and shot himself in the head. The gun belonged to his aunt’s boyfriend, who had left the gun on a bed while playing video games. According to the report, …
A Columbus, Georgia, five-year old was accidentally shot at a gas station today. The child is in stable condition at the hospital. No other information has been reported. Source: Jatavia O’Neal, “5-year-old in Stable Condition After Accidental Shooting in Columbus,” wtvm.com (September 7, 2022).
In Columbus, Ohio, a man who was attempting to shoot at his former girlfriend’s car while she was driving had the bullet ricochet and strike him in the leg. Although the man told police that the woman had shot at him from her car, police investigation revealed that the round he fired is the one …
Trent Byerly, a Des Allemands, Louisiana 19-year old, was handling a gun inside a car when it accidentally fired. The round struck him in the chest and killed him. Two of his co-passengers were arrested for obstruction of justice. An eight-year old Chicago, Illinois girl was accidentally shot by a 12-year old neighbor in her …
A man claiming that he fired his gun in the air to stop a knife fight in Columbus, Ohio, accidentally shot an eight-year old girl. The girl was later found by police lying in the park in critical condition with a gunshot wound that required surgery. However, she is expected to survive. 28-year old Torrance …
A six-year old a 12-year old are dead today after finding loaded guns in their homes. The six-year old died in Fort Collins, Colorado after arriving at the hospital. “Tragic events like this have a lasting impact on everyone involved, including family, friends, and first responders. Words cannot begin to express the depth of our …
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 …
In Columbus, Georgia, a three-year old was shot and killed under circumstances that have not been described, but which authorities say are likely to be ruled accidental. No follow-up news stories appeared in the first five days following the incident. In Chicago, Illinois, a security guard who had been shot in the leg in a …
A Columbus, Ohio man mistook his 16-year old daughter, Janae Hairston, for an intruder at 4:30 A.M. today. He accidentally shot and killed her. She was in the family’s garage when the accident occurred. Authorities say the girl’s mother called 911 at 4:30 A.M. In a recording of the 911 call, the father asks “his daughter …
In Columbus, Nebraska, two people were injured when a dog in a pick-up truck discharged a shotgun that had been left unattended in the back seat. The shotgun had previously jammed, according to authorities. Two people were struck as they exited a nearby business. Another vehicle was also damaged. In Oakwood, Georgia, a teenager accidentally …
A six-year old and a nine-year old were killed as innocent bystanders in Columbus, Ohio when unidentified men opened fire on a car in which they were sitting. The 22-year old driver was also killed. “There is a mother now who will have to go on in her life with two young babies that she …
Michael McDougal of Columbus, Georgia, age 26, was killed in a gun accident that reportedly occurred when his 9-year old daughter placed a gun on a table. There is an ongoing investigation. The report is unclear about whether the trigger was pulled. There are several well-known defects that cause certain makes and models of guns …
In Jackson, Mississippi, police are investigating the accidental shooting death of Jeffrey Sutton II, the 15-year old son of Jackson’s fire chief. He was shot in the lower extremities. No other details are available at this time. According to the report, Sutton was the second child of a Jackson firefighter to die of a gunshot …
Columbus, Ohio police urged residents to take advantage of a free gun lock program after a 5-year old girl found a loaded gun in her home and shot herself in the head. She died at the hospital. Columbus appears to be a city where gun violence involving children is common. The City of Columbus recently …
A 22-year old was killed and three children were seriously injured in gun accidents today. In Dunmore, Pennsylvania, 22-year old Tyler Sitar was accidentally shot in the stomach by his friend Luigi Lorusso, who was handling a gun. Sitar died of his wound and Lorusso was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Another Columbus, Ohio child, …
In Manhattan, New York, a newly commissioned off-duty New Jersey trooper accidentally fired a round on a Penn Station train platform while adjusting his holster. He shot himself once in the leg and was treated at the hospital. No word about whether the gun had a manual safety and whether it was deployed. There …
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 …
Returning once again to central Ohio, a 7-year old Columbus girl found a gun in her home and accidentally shot herself. She was rushed to the hospital for surgery and is expected to survive. After officers spoke with those who took the child to the hospital, detectives said they will continue to treat the shooting …
A Columbus, Ohio 12-year old and a Fairlawn, New Jersey 40-year old were injured in gun accidents today. The 40-year old was shot when his uncle handed him a Ruger pistol. The 12-year old was handling a gun in his home when it fired. Details are limited. Both individuals were taken to the hospital by …
A four-year old in Columbus, Ohio was in stable condition at the hospital after rolling over onto a loaded gun on a bed in his home. A “911 caller told police that the child rolled over onto a gun that way lying on the bed, causing the gun to go off, shooting the child in …
Elijah Farral, a 20-year old Columbus, Georgia man and two friends were playing with a loaded handgun when he accidentally pulled the trigger according to police testimony. He accidentally shot and killed Sara Holtrop, age 18, who was sleeping nearby on a couch. Farral has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. “Sara was an extremely sweet …
Once again, a Columbus, Ohio child was hurt in a gun accident. This time a three-year-old girl was hurt when her four-year old brother found a loaded unsecured gun in their home and pulled the trigger. The girl was struck and was hospitalized in stable condition. Source: “Police: 3-year-old Girl Accidentally Shot by 4-year-old Brother …
Two three-year old children and a five-year old were injured in gun accidents today. Reported facts about each incident are minimal. A five-year old Columbus, Ohio boy was playing with his mother’s loaded handgun when it fired. He is expected to survive. A Wichita, Kansas teenager was handling a handgun when it fired accidentally and …
At least three children were victims of gun accidents today; two were killed and one was wounded. The accidents occurred in Georgia, California and Ohio. Five-year old Jada Willingham was killed in Lithonia, Georgia after being shot by another child who found a gun in her home. Police arrested 35-year old Chad Brooks, Sr. whose …
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 Columbus, Ohio, a 23-month old toddler found a loaded gun in his home and shot himself in the stomach. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. Several adults and other children were reportedly in the home when the accident occurred. No arrests have been reported. Source: “Toddler Taken To …
A 14-year-old Columbus, Ohio boy shot himself in the hand in a gun accident today. He later told police he was handling “his handgun” when he accidentally shot himself. The boy’s mother was inside the house sleeping when the incident took place. In Ohio, a person must be over 21 to purchase a handgun, but …
For the second day in a row, a resident of Ohio was killed by a stray bullet. 64-year old Ellen Lakey of Columbus was inside her apartment when she was struck by a round fired in a gun fight outside. A neighbor said, “It happens over here all the time. No one cares until someone’s …
19-year old Teshawn Bragg of Columbus Ohio suffered life-threatening injuries when he was accidentally shot by a 15-year old who was handling a gun. Police are investigating and have charged the 15-year old in juvenile court. Bragg is hospitalized in critical condition. Source: Jim Woods, “Young Man Will Survive after Being Seriously Injured in Shooting,” …
A Columbus, Ohio man was transported by MedFlight helicopter today after being accidentally shot while standing in the parking lot of a Logan County shooting range. According to the report, “the incident occurred when, ‘an out-of-town member was placing a gun back into the gun case, and it discharged, hitting another out-of-town member in the upper right leg.’” …
In another fatal gun accident involving a child in Pataskala, Ohio, a town of less than 16,000 people near Columbus (see December 14, 2019), 15-year old Noah Bigham shot and killed his best friend, Hunter Cooper, a high school freshman, while attempting to distract him from playing a video game. Noah was using the laser …
A Pataskala, Ohio girl was shot and killed by her 6-year old brother on the day after her second birthday. The boy had found a loaded gun in the home. A newspaper obtained the transcript of the call to 911: “There’s been an accident with a weapon. … My daughter’s been shot with a gun,” …