Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
Four-year-old is Shot and Killed During Alleged Gun Safety Demonstration with Magazine Removed Four-year-old Evangeline Gunter was shot and killed by Breanna Runions, 25, on Sunday August 27 in Rockwood, Tennessee. Runions claimed she was trying to demonstrate gun safety to the toddler. Runions’ girlfriend and another child, a 7-year-old, were in the same room …
Gun Accidents Involving Law Enforcement Officers; One Woman Killed, Four Other People Injured In Ocala, Florida, a county deputy, Leslie Boileau, killed his girlfriend when he accidentally shot her in the head while they were cleaning guns. According to Boileau, he and his girlfriend both drank three margaritas at dinner. When they came home, they decided that …
15-year-old Girl is Killed, and Two Other Teens are Injured in Gun Accidents Today In Minneapolis, Minnesota, 15-year-old Tyra Terry was pronounced dead at the hospital after she was accidentally shot in the chest. The suspected shooter has not been arrested, but two teenage cousins of Tyra, who initially denied having knowledge of the shooting, have been …
Toddler and Teenager Killed in Gun Accidents A two-year-old boy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Devonte Chambers, fatally shot himself in the chest with his father’s unsecured gun. His 29-year-old father, also named Devonte Chambers, told police that he took his son to the bedroom for a nap, and the toddler found the gun that was …
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 …
Man Shot in Foot at Gun Show A customer at a gun show in Jacksonville, Florida, was unintentionally shot when another customer, a 42-year-old man at one of the booths, attempted to “dry fire” a gun that he thought was unloaded. The bullet struck the concrete floor and ricocheted, hitting the victim in the foot. …
Three People Injured in Accidental Shootings A 12-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the stomach in Washington, D.C. He was taken to the hospital with injuries that aren’t life-threatening. No other details were reported. Police confirmed that a woman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is in critical condition after shooting herself in the chest four times. They originally considered her husband a suspect, …
Three People Injured in Unintentional Shootings, Including a 2-year-old Girl A 2-year-old girl was shot and taken to the hospital in critical condition after a firearm unintentionally discharged in an apartment in Knoxville, Tennessee. All individuals involved were questioned by police, and two juvenile boys, ages 12 and 14, have been charged with felony reckless endangerment …
Christmas Day Gun Accidents In Nashville, Tennessee, 81-year-old Johnnie Thompson was showing a friend how his Derringer pistol worked. He was fatally struck when he dropped the gun on the floor causing it to unintentionally discharge. Police don’t anticipate any charges being filed. Diego Diaz-Martinez, 31, was a guest at a Christmas family gathering in …
Woman Struck in Cheek By Bullet Fired in Adjacent Room Shauna Lovett, a 19-year-old from Laurel, Mississippi, was sitting on a living room couch with her boyfriend, when she was struck in the cheek by a bullet that came from an adjacent room. She was transported to the hospital with a bullet lodged in the …
Three Accidental Gun Deaths A San Angelo, Texas man playacting with his friend’s loaded Radical Arms AR-15 rifle, which he believed was unloaded because the magazine was removed, accidentally shot and killed a relative. According to the report, Benjamin Ibarra was “conducting a fake ‘sweep’ … of the house after the thought-to-be unloaded rifle was …
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 …
Six Unintended Shootings of Children: Two Dead, Four Wounded Children playing with a gun resulted in an unintentional shooting that killed a 10-year-old girl in Roswell, New Mexico. Few details are reported other than that the incident is still under investigation. In Indianapolis, Indiana, 11-year-old Jordan Robertson was accidentally shot and killed in a home …
19-year-old Daughter Accidentally Shoots Mother, and Three Others Also Hurt in Unintentional Shootings In Laredo, Texas, 19-year-old Crystal Mar is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after she unintentionally shot her mother in the head. Mar was trying to unload a gun she had in her purse by removing the magazine, when the …
Two-year-old is Killed in Drive-By Shooting; 3 Others are Injured in Separate Gun Accidents Two-year-old Mackenzie Hernandez Garcia was standing outside the front door of a home when she was unintentionally shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in San Antonio, Texas. She was one of 6 children in the home and not believed to …
Five People Injured in Gun Accidents In Lebanon, Ohio, Daniel C. Wright, 22, accidentally shot himself and his 19-year-old female passenger while sitting in a vehicle in a Walmart parking lot. Wright apparently shot himself in the arm; the bullet went through him and into his passenger’s neck. Both were treated at the scene before …
Deadly Accident While Demonstrating How to Take Apart a Semi-Automatic Handgun and Two Other Deadly Unintentional Shootings Kelsey McDuffie, a 17-year-old from Bulloch County, Georgia died after sustaining an accidental gunshot wound to the back of her head. McDuffie’s 18-year-old friend, Adnan Keelin, was showing her how to disassemble and reassemble a 9mm semi-automatic handgun …
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 …
Brooklyn Boy Shot by Another Child Who Had Removed the Gun’s Magazine According to police, a 12-year-old boy was shot today in Brooklyn, New York by another child inside a Brownsville apartment building. He was shot in the shoulder but is expected to survive. After watching surveillance video and speaking with witnesses, police concluded that …
A Deadly Accident with a Ghost Gun Andre Skinner of New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged with negligent homicide after he told police that he was trying to take apart a ghost gun “to become more familiar with it.” He first removed the magazine but wasn’t aware that there was a round still in the chamber. …
Alden Guillory, age 21, of Austin, Texas, was showing his friends his new gun when he unintentionally fired it and struck Eric House, age 20, in the neck. House died after being taken to the hospital. According to a witness, Guillory was a “competent” gun user, who was showing his friends how to properly unload …
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 six-year-old and a twelve-year-old were shot and killed today with guns that they found in their homes. The six-year-old, Zi Zi Olmstead, was killed at his home in Calhoun, North Carolina, when he found a Taurus 9mm pistol in his mother’s bedroom while she was outside with the dog. Zi Zi’s mother heard a …
In Chantilly, Virginia, a man accidentally shot himself in the foot with his own gun Friday at a gun show. According to witnesses, the magazine had been removed from the firearm, but there was still a round in its chamber. The man apparently was unaware that the gun was still loaded. Source: “Man Accidentally Shoots …
Police in St. Clairsville, Ohio have released few details about the shooting death of a two-year old in that community other than to make clear that the incident was accidental. “The only info we are releasing so far is there was an accidental discharge of a firearm that has resulted in the death of a …
Three people accidentally shot and killed others in gun accidents today. Each accident was caused by the shooter’s own negligence but was likely facilitated by faulty gun design. Two of the incidents occurred in vehicles. In Raleigh North Carolina, Barri Rogers, 21, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his friend, Ahmad …
Aston Simmons, a 28-year old Apollo Beach man, was arrested after a 5-year old found a loaded gun in a bedroom and shot himself. A substantial amount of marijuana was also found at the scene. The child is in critical condition at the hospital. Simmons has been charged with unlawful storage of a firearm among …
22-year old Christopher Jordan of Fresno, California was arrested after he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend, Deisha Guzman, age 20, at a local Hampton Inn hotel. Jordan initially claimed that he placed his gun on the bed and that Guzman had shot herself. After questioning, Jordan admitted that he accidentally fired the gun, striking …
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 …
A St. Petersburg, Florida 15-year old accidentally shot and killed himself today while handling a pistol. Officials said this is at least the third accidental shooting involving a Tampa Bay area child since the middle of July. Last month, a 16-year-old was killed when investigators said he was accidentally shot by a 15-year-old friend while they …
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 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 …
A 23-year old in Port Lavaca, Texas shot and killed himself today in an incident that police believe was accidental. He and a group of other young men were playing with a gun that had had its magazine removed. Presumably, he aimed the gun at his head without knowing that there was a round in …
The Problem of Relying on a Gun Seller as an “Expert” on Gun Safety According to the original report, police concluded that an Independence, Missouri eight-year old found a gun in his family’s home and shot himself. He was transported to the hospital where he later died. “We are just trying to put all the …
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 …
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 Tulsa, Oklahoma, a 22-year old man was arrested after pointing and firing a gun that he believed to be unloaded. The man, Zachary Shipley, was playing video games with his friend, Christian Price, also 22, and wanted to frighten him. Price was struck in the head and killed. Shipley had taken the magazine out …
A Myrtle Beach, South Carolina man showing off a new gun holster to his friend shot himself in the hand while dropping the magazine out of his gun. The man was treated at the hospital. Police found the gun in a filing cabinet and a shell casing on the floor. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a 21-year …
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 Holt, Michigan, a woman accidentally shot both herself and her boyfriend with a single round fired from her recently purchased handgun. She had removed the magazine from the weapon and did not realize that there was still a round in the chamber. Apparently, the gun had no magazine safety disconnect. Both the woman and …
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 …
In 2017, the Brazilian company Forjas Taurus (“Taurus”)1 recalled nearly a million of its popular pistols2 in the United States as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit.3 The guns involved have a defect that sometimes causes them to fire even when the gun’s safety was in its “on” position and/or when the …
Elijah Morin, a 16-year old Lubbock, Texas boy was shot and killed today in a gun accident. Kimberly Hozepma, a 64-year old has been charged with negligent homicide. Police say Hozepma called 911 himself, and voluntarily gave a statement. In the statement, Hozepma acknowledged that “he had removed the magazine to check his gun, with …
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 …
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 …
Two people were hurt today in another accident that could have been prevented by a magazine safety disconnect. Two cousins, ages 16 and 21, in Holly Hill, South Carolina were parked in a car when the older boy removed a pistol from his backpack and removed the magazine. Shortly afterward, the mother of the 16-year-old …
In Mesa, Arizona, 20-year old Tyler Rascon died in an accident caused by the absence of a magazine safety disconnect. His 21-year old friend, Michael Whipple, is under arrest. According to a report, the accident is explained in court documents: “it all started when Whipple, his girlfriend, Rascon, and a witness had returned to Whipple’s …
Four teenagers were accidentally shot today in separate incidents. Three of the teens shot themselves. Two of the incidents, though unrelated, occurred at the same apartment complex in Atlanta, Georgia, just blocks away from where another teen had been accidentally shot last week. In Augusta, Georgia, a 14-year old boy shot himself in the hip …
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 …
In Kearns, Utah, 16-year old Roman Karpunin was accidentally shot and killed by his 18-year old friend Kaden Christiansen. Christiansen was arrested and charged with a single count of manslaughter. According to the arrest report, “Christiansen told police he was ‘mimicking being a police officer and arresting’ the 16-year-old when he pulled the trigger, thinking …
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 …
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 …
An 11-month old child in Plymouth Massachusetts was injured when a gun was accidentally fired near his home. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The boy’s neighbor, a licensed gun owner, accidentally discharged his gun, according to the local police chief. “He says he was putting a trigger guard on it, …
For the second day in a row, a child was accidentally shot by an older relative in Houston, Texas. According to sheriff’s deputies, 19-year old Caitlyn Smith accidentally shot her 10-year old nephew while she was taking selfies with a gun. The Sheriff announced that Ms. Smith was arrested and charged with “Injury to a …
The clearest lesson that emerges from the tragedies reported in this journal is that we all can do more to make guns safe. Some recommendations: Better and More Frequent Safety Training. Many gun advocates and gun organizations like to say that all gun accidents are caused by the shooter. According to these activists, the …
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 …
A 13-year old boy was killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma while passing around a gun with his friends. The wound was self-inflicted. The gun belonged to the parents of the boy who was shot. Police say the magazine was removed, but that there was a bullet in the chamber. “Parents do not educate their children enough …
15-year old Bradley Hulett was shot and killed in Lithia, Florida at the home of his friend, the son of a Tampa police officer. A group of four teenage boys was present at the time of the shooting. According to a subsequent news report about the investigation, some of the boys found the gun in …
A 13-year old boy was charged with murder after shooting and killing his 14-year old friend, Zavier Mendoza, in Olathe, Kansas. Because of the defendant’s age, his name was not released when the murder charge was announced. The boy who was charged claimed that he didn’t know the gun was loaded when it went off. …
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 …
Kylee Dawn Woods of Pickens County South Carolina, age 11, was shot and killed when her father attempted to eject a round from his .40 caliber handgun. According to a news report, Woods’ father “told police he had ejected the magazine and did not pull the trigger. He told deputies he does not know what …