Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
Innocent Bystander Wounded When Dropped Gun Fires In a convenience store in San Antonio, Texas, a 31-year-old man was injured when another customer dropped his backpack with a gun inside. The victim was struck in the upper arm when the gun fired, and was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Police are still looking …
Man Critically Injured Helping Break Up Fight at Strip Club In a Morrisville, Pennsylvania strip club, Mekhi Norman was helping break up a fight when he was unintentionally shot multiple times by one of the combatants, 27-year-old Pedro E. Rodriguez. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition with injuries to the back of …
Innocent Bystander Killed Trying to Break Up Fight In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, police believe that a 41-year-old woman was trying to break up an argument between two people, when one of them tried to shoot the other and unintentionally shot and killed the woman. She was shot in the arm at close range and pronounced dead …
Innocent Bystander Injured After 21 Shots Fired In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a 44-year-old innocent bystander was struck in the back by a stray bullet when a conflict between two groups of juveniles escalated into gunfire. One of the juveniles pulled out a gun and fired off 21 shots that struck a 15-year-old, a 17-year-old, and the …
Innocent Bystander Grazed by Bullet A 37-year-old woman was closing up a smoke shop in the Bronx, New York, when her right thigh was grazed by a stray bullet from a nearby shooting. She took herself to the hospital where her wound was stitched up. Footage of the dispute where the shots were fired was …
Innocent Bystander Killed in Car In Chesterfield County, South Carolina, a passenger inside a car, Martin Karl Rieff Jr., was killed after Damion Crowley fired his gun at the car. Crowley was in dispute with two other people who were his intended targets and has been charged with murder. Source: “Innocent Passenger Killed After Man …
Girl Killed as Bystander to Mall Shooting Thirteen-year-old Jayda Woods-Johnson was shot and killed by a stray bullet near the food court in a Lynnwood, Washington mall. A 16-year-old has been charged with her murder after he allegedly fired a gun during a fight between two groups of teens. Jayda, an innocent bystander, was struck …
Four People Injured in Accidental Shootings, Three as Innocent Bystanders A man was injured after shooting himself in the stomach with a gun he was handling in an apartment in San Antonio, Texas. Police were unable to locate the gun as they continue to investigate the incident. A man in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fired shots at …
Two People Struck by Stray Bullets, and Two Other People Injured During Attempted Robberies In Bronx, New York, a 13-year-old boy was walking to the playground with two younger cousins, when he was grazed in the forehead by a stray bullet. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Police are continuing to investigate. An altercation during …
Two Children Injured as Innocent Bystanders Children were injured today in South Carolina and Pennsylvania as victims of intended shootings. In Lee County, South Carolina, a 9-month-old baby was wounded when more than 50 shots were fired into the mobile home where he lived with his family. The baby was airlifted to the hospital in …
Innocent Bystander Shot in Back A 24-year-old man was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between two teenagers outside his home in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He was struck in the back by a stray bullet, but is expected to survive. Police discovered one suspect, 18-year-old Jamiere Williams on the porch of a nearby home with …
Boy Shoots Self with Gun Found in Drawer, and Two Other Children are Shot as Innocent Bystanders In Atlanta, Georgia, a 9-year-old shot himself in the hand playing with an unsecured gun he found in a drawer. Police interviewed the child’s grandmother, who was at home when the shooting occurred, and during their search of …
17-year-old Boy Shot as Innocent Bystander During Birthday Party A 17-year-old boy was unintentionally shot in the foot during a gunfight that broke out in the parking lot of a church and event center in Fort Worth, Texas. The teen was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The event center was hosting a 16th …
Woman is Innocent Bystander Injured During Shooting at Mall A mall in Arlington, Texas was evacuated after two people were injured by gunshots during an altercation between four teenagers. The teens were riding an escalator in the mall and arguing, when 17-year-old Careco Harris pulled out a gun. He didn’t fire the gun, but dropped …
Innocent Bystanders Injured in Separate Shootings A 10-year-old girl inside a Goldsboro, North Carolina home, was struck by a stray bullet from gunfire outside. She was taken to the hospital in serious condition but is recovering. There were 10 bullet holes on the exterior of the home, but police don’t believe this was a targeted …
16-year-old Girl is Innocent Bystander Caught in Gang-Related Gunfight A 16-year-old girl was struck in the leg by a stray bullet while walking home from school in Brooklyn, New York. According to authorities, the teenager was an innocent bystander who got caught in a gunfight between two groups of children. She is reportedly in stable …
Two Innocent Bystanders are Injured, and a Man Shoots Himself in the Leg While Clearing a Gun A husband and wife in Fort McDowell, Arizona heard gunshots, and then the woman was struck in the arm. She was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. It’s unknown who fired the shots or where they came …
Three People Dead, Three Wounded in Unintentional Shootings A gun unintentionally discharged in a vehicle in Aurora, Colorado, killing one man and injuring another. Investigators think that the 47-year-old passenger was handling a gun inside the car, when it went off, fatally striking the 21-year-old driver and injuring himself. Charges are pending further investigation. In …
Three Teenage Girls Injured in Shootings In two separate incidents in which there was limited reporting about the shooter’s intended victims, three teenage girls, who appear to have been innocent bystanders, were shot and injured. In Goldsboro, North Carolina, a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old were both shot and injured in an incident in which their …
Two People Unintentionally Injured in Shootings Three people driving around in a vehicle in Mesa, Arizona were attempting to rob people at gunpoint. When police gave chase, the robbers crashed the car, then ran in different directions. However, they were all ultimately taken into custody. Two were males under the age of 18, the third …
Girl is Wounded by Stray Gunfire During Shootout An 11-year-old girl in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is recovering in stable condition after being struck in the hip by stray gunfire while out shopping with her family. Police say nearly 30 shots were fired and are searching for at least two people involved in a shootout that spanned …
Two Innocent Bystanders Struck by Stray Bullets and Three Others Hurt in Self-Inflicted, Unintentional Shootings An altercation in a church parking lot in Puyallup, Washington, led to a woman being shot in a yard across the street. People had left their cars in the lot as they attended an event at the state fairgrounds a …
Man Unintentionally Killed Outside Son’s Store in New York City and 13-year-old Wounded in Accidental Shooting Reda Girgis, 66, was fatally shot in the head during a drive-by shooting in Manhattan, New York. He was not the intended victim and was taking a phone call outside his son’s store when he was gunned down. Police …
Church Member Wounded after Sunday Service and Teen Hurt Mishandling a Gun After Sunday services in South Holland, Illinois, an innocent bystander was struck by gunfire that erupted in the church’s parking lot. The victim, a long-time church member, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. According to the pastor of the church, multiple …
Father Shoots Son in Gun Handling Accident; Three Other Children Injured are Innocent Bystanders In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while handling a gun in the living room, 29-year-old Nicholas Pagan unintentionally shot his five-year-old son in the pelvis. The boy is in the hospital in stable condition. The gun used has not been recovered and Pagan, who …
Three People Injured in Gun Accidents, Two as Innocent Bystanders In Garden City, Georgia, a man accidentally shot himself in a Food Lion grocery store. Police are investigating the incident and he is expected to recover. A 58-year-old, Triangle, Virginia woman was seriously injured when a shooter, in a black sedan with Maryland license plates, …
Two Florida Women Shot, One While Sitting on a Second-Story Balcony Anne Pierre Louis, a 77-year-old grandmother from Delray Beach, Florida, was shot while sitting on the second-story balcony of her apartment. Paramedics took her to a local hospital in critical condition. Police say the woman was an innocent bystander but the circumstances of the …
Three Children Injured as Innocent Bystanders Seven-year-old twins and a ten-year-old were shot and injured today as innocent bystanders to other people’s gun violence. In Atlanta, Georgia, ten-year-old Chase Martice was struck in the thigh by a stray bullet while playing basketball with other children outside his home. No arrests have been made. “We don’t …
Five Unintentional Shootings Result in Five Injuries At least five people were injured in gun accidents in the United States today. A 13-year-old Cincinnati, Ohio boy was critically injured when a friend shot him in the back. The police incident report indicates that the shooting was accidental, but police continue to investigate and are still …
Child Injured When Assailants Open Fire on Vehicle A seven-year-old child in Mobile, Alabama was hospitalized with life threatening injuries when shots were fired at the car in which they were riding. An adult was also injured. Presumably, the seven-year-old was an innocent bystander to the violence, rather than the target. Source: Howard Koplowitz, “7-year-old …
Three Teens Unintentionally Injured in Shootings After a 13-year-old St Petersburg, Florida boy reported that he had been shot while riding his bike, investigating police concluded that he had accidentally shot himself instead. The boy’s injuries are not considered life threatening and police are investigating where the boy got the gun. In Alexandria, Louisiana, an …
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 …
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 …
Two Children Shot as Innocent Bystanders An eight-year-old and a three-year-old were victims of other people’s gun violence today. The eight-year-old, Aacuria Hinton of Greensboro, North Carolina, was shot while sleeping in her bunk bed. The bullet was fired from outside for reasons that police are investigating. Her injuries are considered life-threatening, and she is …
A two-year-old and a 15-year-old were innocent bystanders to other people’s gun violence in Jackson, Mississippi today. The two children were in a car and were shot by bullets that passed through the trunk. The 15-year-old is expected to survive, but 2-year-old Kingston McClain will be paralyzed for the rest of his life after being …
40-year-old Mathew Roach of Elgin, South Carolina was killed in a hunting accident today. The circumstances of the accident have not been released. His obituary says, “Matt loved his family with all his heart. He enjoyed spending time at the ocean, saltwater fishing, golf, Gamecock football, coaching baseball, grilling, ‘playing’ guitar, dancing in the living …
Two New Orleans, Louisiana boys were caught in the crossfire today when the passengers of an SUV opened fire on occupants of a blue Hyundai. Both innocent bystanders went to the hospital for treatment. No other information is available, including whether any of the participant in the shooting have been identified and arrested. Source: Missy …
In Chicago, Illinois, a 50-year-old man sitting in his car in a local park was struck by a stray bullet and killed. He was an innocent bystander to a nearby disturbance according to the report. No one is in custody in connection with the shooting. In LaGrange, Georgia, a 15-year-old girl was struck in the …
Indianapolis, Indiana is currently undergoing a wave of gun violence. Ten people have been shot and killed in just the first six days of October. The crisis is exacerbated, as usual, by unintended gun violence. A recent Indianapolis news report about four gun violence incidents in less than 8 hours suggests that at least three …
In Newburgh, New York, a five-year old child was airlifted to the hospital after being shot in the leg as an innocent bystander while riding his bicycle. A man was killed in the same incident. “It is disheartening to see this child’s innocent face lying in a hospital bed, crying in pain,” said the Newburgh …
A nine-year old boy was shot in the hip in an Oakland, California freeway shooting. He was driving with a woman in a vehicle that was being chased on I-580 and shot at. Seeking to evade the shooting, the car exited the freeway but then crashed into a truck. Witnesses say that the crashed vehicle …
We recently posted on the likely impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in New York Rifle and Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen on gun safety. In Bruen, the Supreme Court ruled that all “law-abiding” Americans have a Second Amendment right to carry a gun outside the home for self-defense. Several states quickly responded by considering or …
There were at least five gun accidents involving children across the United States today, four of them fatal. In Forestdale, Alabama, a 12-year old accidentally shot and killed his mother. The child initially made up an implausible story but then admitted his role in the shooting. “This offense is a tragedy for the … family …
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 …
Four people were injured today, including three children, by shots fired indiscriminately into their homes from the street. All were presumably innocent bystanders. In Meridian, Mississippi, an elderly woman and a five-year old child were victims of a drive-by shooting in which rounds passed into their home. Police are investigating. Both are expected to survive. …
At least five children were killed or injured today as unintended consequences of other people’s gun violence. The grim toll: Mariyah Lacy, age 5, of Jackson, Mississippi, was killed when her mother’s ex-boyfriend shot into her mother’s car in an argument over money. Mariyah’s two siblings were uninjured, but her mother was grazed by a …
Among ten shootings reported in 24 hours in Portland, Oregon, there were at least two that involved innocent bystanders. In one, the victim was in bed asleep when she was struck by a round fired in an altercation outside. The extent of the woman’s injuries was not reported. In the other, a woman getting out of a …
Savannah Holmes, an Ankeny, Iowa four-year old shot herself in the face with her father’s gun. She later died at the hospital. According to the police, Savannah’s father responded to people pounding on the door by getting a gun and leaving it on the couch while going to get his son. Savannah got out of …
Ashley Cronan of Waterloo, Iowa was accidentally shot in the leg in an incident that, according to police, involved a convicted fellow behaving irresponsibly with a gun. Roy Stewart was arrested after the incident and charged with illegal possession. Cronan was an innocent bystander. “Detectives investigating the shooting interviewed several witnesses confirming that Stewart sustained …
Two children were killed and two were injured by unintended gun violence today. In Shreveport, Louisiana, 13-year old Landry Anglin was shot and killed as an innocent bystander when a round was fired from a vehicle in a rolling gun battle. Landry was a middle school student and was inside a home when she was …
Two women were shot today as innocent bystanders in gun violence incidents initiated by men or boys. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a pair of teenage boys, one 17 and the other 13, got into a spat over insults on social media. When they later engaged in public gunplay, a woman was struck and injured. She has …
The unintended consequences of gun violence were felt across the country on Sunday, including incidents on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, three incidents in Chicago and single incidents in Georgia and Maryland. In New Orleans, Louisiana, Charles Hudson, a bar employee, was shot and killed in the Cat’s Meow, a crowded Bourbon Street karaoke bar, …
An eight-year old girl was shot in the head and killed on the street in Chicago, Illinois today. Police are clear that neither she nor her caregiver were the intended targets of gun violence, but rather that they were innocent bystanders. A pool of blood could was visible at the scene of the crime and …
An 11-year old girl was struck in the arm by a bullet as an innocent bystander when a dispute erupted at a family gathering at her grandmother’s home in St. Louis, Missouri. She is recovering at the hospital. Also today, an eleven-year old and three teenagers were killed in gun violence incidents in various American …
Children were shot as innocent bystanders in three separate incidents today. In Kenner, Louisiana, a 10-year old was shot while he was sleeping. He is in stable condition at the hospital. Police are investigating the connection between today’s incident and an incident in July, in which a 15-year old was killed in the same home. …
Dillan Burton, age 7, of New Orleans, Louisiana was struck and killed by gunfire while in the back seat of her mother’s car. The family was driving through an intersection at the time of the incident when gunfire broke out on the street. Dillan, an innocent bystander was struck by a bullet passing into the …
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 …
A ten-year old innocent bystander was one of three people injured when gang-related gun violence broke out on the day after Thanksgiving at a crowded Durham, North Carolina mall. His injuries are not considered life threatening. The shooting led to a mass evacuation, but no suspects were arrested. The shooting was one of two triple …
An innocent bystander in Houston, Texas was accidentally shot and killed today in a 2:00 AM firefight between security guards and a reckless driver. It is unclear if the driver was armed. He was reportedly driving dangerously in a parking lot and had injured two people. The women was killed when security guards confronted …
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jeffrey Carter, age 65, was struck in the head and killed by a stray bullet while driving near a local high school. He crashed his SUV off the road at the time of the shooting. A 16-year old boy was also struck in the head by gunfire and taken to the hospital …
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Autumn Merrick, age 18, was killed when a shoot-out between people in two moving vehicles resulted in a fiery crash on a local sidewalk. Merrick, an innocent bystander, was riding a scooter on the sidewalk where the crash occurred. Her death was ruled a homicide, but no arrests have been made. “It …
In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, a teenager was shot in the leg by an unknown person. She was apparently an innocent bystander to other people’s gun violence. She is at least the fourth child shot this week in an incident involving violence committed by others. None of the reports state that an arrest has been made …
There were at least four different innocent bystander shootings today. The unintended consequences of intentional shootings continue to grow in proportion to the expansion of gun violence in the United States. In Cincinnati, Ohio, an 11-year old boy was struck in his bedroom while playing video games. The rounds that passed into his room were …
A mother of four was killed today in Brooklyn, New York when gunfire erupted. Limose Dort, a recent immigrant from Haiti, was returning from work as a home health aide when she was shot several times in the chest. “Think about your mom, think about your family, how much they mean to you, it’s the …
When shooting broke out at a mall in Danbury, Connecticut, the injured girl, age 15, was an innocent bystander. She was shot in the chest and is in stable condition at the hospital. No other people were injured. Police report that at least eight people were involved in an altercation at the mall, but that …
Four children were injured today in three incidents in which bullets fired outdoors entered their homes. It appears that the children were all innocent bystanders to gun violence. In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, a 13-year old from Wisconsin was struck and killed while standing inside the home where he was visiting. It is unclear why shots …
Michelle Cummings, a Houston mom visiting Annapolis, Maryland to drop off her son at the Naval Academy was killed as an innocent bystander when someone opened fire near the hotel where she was staying. She was on the patio of the hotel at the time of the shooting. Apparently the round that killed Ms. Cumming …
Four kids were killed or injured as innocent bystanders to other people’s violence in three incidents today. In Statesville, North Carolina, an eight-year old girl was killed and a nine-year old boy was injured when a gunman pulled up at their home in a car and started shooting. The children happened to be caught outside. …
In Dallas, Texas, a woman who was 8-months pregnant was struck by gunfire while leaving church today. She was an innocent bystander as two groups of men began firing at each other across the parking lot outside the church. The woman was rushed to the hospital where she was treated for a gunshot wound and …
Once again, multiple children were unintentional victims of gun violence today. One 7-year old was shot by a 9-year old relative. The other three victims were innocent bystanders to intentional gun violence. In Houston, Texas, a 7-year old child was shot by a 9-year old relative who found a loaded gun on the bed in …
A 15-year old girl died and two children, age 6 and 8, were injured as unintended victims of gun violence today. Destiny Greene, an Albany, New York high school student was an innocent bystander when gunfire erupted at a social event organized via social media. She died at the hospital. “Destiny is the tenth person …
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 …
In Akron, Ohio, a 13-year old boy accidentally shot a 15-year old girl. The boy was handling a gun in the back seat of a car when it fired. The round passed through a seat and struck the girl who suffered non-life threatening injuries. Also today, more than 10 innocent bystanders were shot in gun …
In Saint Joseph County, Indiana, a two year-old found a gun and shot himself. Police say the child suffered multiple non-life-threatening injuries to his right foot, left leg and left hand and is being treated at the hospital. Police did not say how the child found the gun, but they are seeking at least one …
Six-year old Saryah Perez of San Antonio, Texas was shot and killed in her car seat when “a disturbance happened and shots were fired.” The car that Saryah was sitting in was struck and Saryah, an innocent bystander, was killed. Andrew Elizondo, age 23, was arrested and charged with murder. “It’s a random act by …
Two six-year old children and a five-year old were injured in unintentional shooting incidents today. Both six-year olds were innocent bystanders to the disputes of others and the five-year old was accidentally shot by her own father. In Yonkers, New York, a six-year old boy who was answering the door of his home was shot …
A 12-year old innocent bystander was shot and killed in Leavenworth, Kansas today. One adult and two juveniles have been arrested in connection with the incident. The adult, Darvon Thomas, age 25, is charged with felony murder. Police reported that gunshots also struck a vehicle occupied by a 30-year-old woman and a 6-month-old child. Source: …
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Trevion Cole, a 5-year old, was shot and killed by another child. The two children had found a loaded gun. An adult who was home at the time was not in the room when the accident occurred. On the same day, Sara Collins, a 14-year old Oklahoma City girl, was also …
In Tallahassee, Florida, an innocent bystander was killed when two groups of people opened fire at each other in a local gas station parking lot. Police later arrested two suspects and charged them with felony murder. Source: “Update: Two Men Arrested in Connection to Fatal Circle K Shooting,” WCTV.tv (March 24, 2021).
In Louisiana today, there were two different innocent bystander shootings. Three people were injured, and a five-year old child has died. In Shreveport, Louisiana, one of two men arguing in a hotel parking lot fired a gun. The bullet penetrated the wall of the hotel and struck a five-year old in the head and grazed …
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 …
One woman was killed and another injured in innocent bystander incidents today. There have been three such incidents in the last two days. In Waco, Texas, a woman was inside her apartment when she was struck and killed by a bullet fired in an incident outside her home. She was found later by her roommate. …
Gudelia Vallinas of Queens, New York, age 37, was an innocent bystander caught between two rival gangs when she was shot and killed on Friday. Ms. Vallinas was an unintended target when two groups of 6 to 7 teenagers each starting firing at each other at a Queens housing complex. “I heard the gunshots, like …
At Desert Sky Mall in Phoenix, Arizona, a 17-year old boy was shot as an innocent bystander to an argument between others about a pair of sneakers. Alejandro Martinez, a high-school student, was shot and killed on the anniversary of the Parkland High School murders. According to the report, gunfire erupted at a kiosk inside …
Two 55-year old innocent bystanders were shot inside a New Orleans, Louisiana hospital when a woman outside fired a gun in an attempt to settle an argument. Both of the victims are expected to survive. A man and a woman were arguing on an on-ramp to the emergency room when the woman fired a gun …
Two innocent bystanders were accidentally shot at 2:06 A.M. on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. According to the report, two people opened fire on each other. Neither of the shooters was hit. The two victims were an 18-year old woman and a 57-year old man. Police are looking for the shooters. Source: “NOPD Investigating Double …
In Denver, Colorado, a four-year old girl sitting in a parked car was critically injured when a nearby dispute about a car improperly parked in a handicapped space resulted in gunfire. According to police, the girl “was caught in the crossfire when the suspect left a business and started shooting at another man taking pictures …
In New York City, New York a 41-year old innocent bystander was shot in the back by a round that was fired near West 64th Street. He is expected to survive. The shooting took place just a few blocks away from Lincoln Center, a cultural community that has more than five million visitors annually. The …
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 …
Kristen Whitted, a St. Louis, Missouri woman, died alone in her car when she has struck by a stray bullet fired in a shootout between two cars on Interstate I-170. An innocent bystander, she “had no connection to the other vehicles and was caught in the crossfire.” Kristen’s family released the following statement: “Kristen always …