Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
A two-year old Joliet, Illinois child found a loaded gun in a bedroom at his home and shot himself in the head. He is in critical condition at the hospital. The boy’s mother was home at the time of the incident and is cooperating with police. In Grape Creek, Texas, police arrested Mathew South, 32, …
In South Lake Tahoe, California, 37-year old Julio Rojas Cruz died of a bullet wound to the head. According to police, Rojas’s death resulted from negligent firing of a 9 mm handgun. No further information is available. In Wisconsin, two men accidentally shot themselves, one in Fond du Lac, the other in Milwaukee. Both are …
In Spartanburg, South Carolina, Cora Lyn Bush, 33, was shot and killed by her three-year old son who had found a loaded gun in their home. Police are investigating how the child gained access to the gun. Source: Bill Bates, Bethany Fowler, “3-year-old Accidentally Shoots, Kills Mother in Spartanburg Co.” Queen City News (September 23, …
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 …
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania police are investigating the accidental shooting death of Julius Snead on the stairs outside a vacant home. Police are not looking for any suspects, but have not released information about the circumstances of the accident. Sources: Becky Metrick, “Man Found Shot to Death Outside Vacant Harrisburg Home,” PennLive (September 15, 2022). Jenna Wise, …
In Anchor Point, Alaska, Kenneth Defrancesco, 80, appeared to have been killed while getting out of his vehicle. “[A] firearm he was carrying came out of the holster and fired a round, fatally wounding him,” Alaska State Troopers reported in a press release on Sunday. A friend found Defrancesco in his driveway after he had …
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 …
Terry Moody, Jr. of Charleston, West Virginia died today when a gun fired while in his pants pocket. Police called the shooting accidental. Additional circumstances of the accident have not been reported and it is unclear if the gun was defective. Source: Amanda Barren, “Victim in Sissonville Fatal Shooting Identified,” wowktv.com (August 28, 2022).
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 …
In Sumter County, Florida, a father mistakenly shot and killed his 19-year old son, Jaiden McGeorge, whom he mistook for a burglar, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The report about the incident indicates that burglars had been to the house earlier in the evening. A 14-year old Los Angeles, California boy is in stable condition after …
In Atlanta, Georgia, a 19-year old was accidentally shot and killed at a house party. “All of a sudden we heard the loud noise and came out front because we heard screaming,” a neighbor said. He added, “[t]hat was the impression I got: they were playing around with the gun, and someone somehow fired the …
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 …
Jesse Porter, 58, a retired Washington, D.C. police lieutenant, shot and killed Maurica Manyan, age 25, a woman who worked as a special police officer in the DC Public Library’s public safety division. Porter shot Manyan just after a police training that Porter had been conducting at the Anacostia Public Library. According to the report, …
Dominique Poindexter, age 22, of Charleston, West Virginia was unintentionally shot and killed tonight by his friend Marcus Lee Linville. Linville, 23, is charged with wanton endangerment in connection with the shooting. Police Investigators said Linville “thought the gun was unloaded when he fired at Poindexter, shooting him in the head.” They added that Linville …
Maria Nealy, age 34, of San Antonio, Texas, was sitting on a bed in her apartment playing with a gun according to witnesses, when the weapon discharged. The round passed through a wall and struck and killed April Longoria, age 33, in the next room. Longoria reportedly said “that hurt” before “bleeding out from her …
In Niles, Michigan, Brittany Young, age 35, died today when a gun she was bringing into a local home accidentally fired. No other details have been reported. And in Ovett, Mississippi, Adam Doggett, age 41, is in intensive care after a friend accidentally discharged a 9 mm gun in his backyard. According to the report, …
In Detroit, Michigan, a 13-year old playing with a gun accidentally shot and killed his 12-year old cousin, Kenyon Davis. The older boy was charged with manslaughter after the incident. “It is a sad, sad situation that could’ve been avoided if parents put away their guns,” said a neighbor. And in Rogersville, Mississippi, 20-year old …
Three more young people were unintentionally shot and killed today. In Detroit, Michigan, 14-year old Kaniyah Bryant was unintentionally shot and killed by her 13-year old boyfriend. According to police, the two children were among a group who were passing around and playing with a stolen gun when the 13-year old shot Kaniyah. She was …
For the second time in a week, police in Graham, North Carolina report that a young man was involved in an accidental shooting. In the latest incident, little has been reported other than that a 22-year old man was found dead by police. Their investigation, which is ongoing, suggests that the man suffered an accidental …
In yet another incident that appears to have been caused by celebratory gunfire, an Akron, Ohio mother, Chelsey Jones, died today after being struck by a round that was fired from across a lake. The bullet apparently traveled more than a thousand feet and through a window before it struck Jones, where she was sitting …
19-year old Toni Knight was struck and killed by a stray bullet when a group of individuals began firing at each other in Petersburg, Virginia tonight. An 11-year old was also struck and injured. Knight was carrying groceries to her apartment when she was killed. Delvin Mitchell, age 19, was arrested and charged with homicide. …
In Muskegon, Michigan, an unidentified 63-year old man was shot dead when a 35-year old accidentally fired a round in a neighboring apartment. The round passed through at least one wall. The 35-year old is in custody and there is an ongoing investigation. Source: Karie Herringa, “Muskegon Man Hit, Killed by Bullet Fired From Adjacent Apartment,” foxonline.com …
Eric Joseph Adams of D’Iberville Mississippi called police after his rifle discharged “unexpectedly” while he was putting it away. The round tore through the door of a neighboring apartment and struck and killed Stayvia Leone Hood, age 23. Adams was arrested and charged with manslaughter. “It’s just horrible, just horrible,” the local police chief said. …
In Denver, Colorado, a 38-year old man unintentionally discharged a gun which fired and injured his 8-year old son in the next room. The boy is at the hospital, but is expected to survive. There is no report of an arrest at this time. In Houston, Texas, a woman accidentally shot and killed her partner …
Brandon Vanatter and Anthony Harris of Cincinnati, Ohio were drunk and playing with Harris’s gun in Harris’s apartment when it went off today, killing Harris. Vannatter has been arrested and charged with reckless homicide. “Anytime you have a firearm and you’re using alcohol, it’s reckless behavior, not accidental behavior,” the prosecutor said. Source: “Prosecutor: Mt. …
In a complicated scenario, a Houston, Texas teenager, Julio Arnoldo Orsorio Saca, age 18, is charged with murder and aggravated robbery after he accidentally shot his co-conspirator at the outset of a planned robbery. The report of the accident is as follows: Investigators were advised that the deceased male and Osorio Saca were in the …
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 …
Calvin Washington, a Bessemer, Alabama man, aged 30, told police that he had been shot in the leg by an unknown assailant. However, upon investigation, it turned out that he had accidentally shot himself with a stolen gun. The man was arrested and charged with illegal gun possession and giving false information to police. And …
As gun violence continues to plague Cleveland, Ohio, 87-year old Frances Black was shot in the head and killed by her 54-year old daughter in a shooting that appears to have been accidental. Few details have been reported, but police interviewed Ms. Black’s daughter without arresting her. They appear to be treating the shooting as …
Back in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where gun accidents involving children appear common, two children found a loaded gun in their home. A four-year old was shot and injured, but is in stable condition at the hospital. The children’s uncle, Kiante Hawkins, was arrested and charged with negligence. Police determined that he had left the gun …
In Huntington, West Virginia, Sheila Eanes, age 63, was shot and killed inside her home by a neighbor who fired several rounds at a vehicle passing by in the street. One of the rounds passed into Eanes’ home and struck her in the head. The shooter, Calvin Young, age 34, was arrested and charged with …
This page is intentionally left blank in memory of the dead and injured in the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 23-year old Kendrick Wilson was shot to death by 26-year old Deangelo Coleman while Coleman was allegedly playing with a gun. Coleman was arrested and charged with negligent homicide. The shooting was reportedly just one of three in Baton Rouge today. A Lexington, Kentucky firefighter who was chasing a “squatter who …
In Statesville, North Carolina, a man in his late seventies accidentally shot and killed an elderly friend who had brought a gun to his home. “It looks like it could possibly be an accidental shooting,” a police Captain said. “The suspect and the victim knew each other very well and possibly were looking at guns, …
On Mother’s Day, Christopher Edwards of Rocky Mount, North Carolina accidentally shot his mother, Sarah Hankerson. She had come to his house to help Edwards manage his pit bull. When the dog attacked Edwards, he fired one shot. The round accidentally struck and killed his mom. Edwards told a news station, “I lost my mom. …
Deandre Hunter, a 25-year old student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington died of an accidental gunshot wound. According to an investigation, he shot himself in the abdomen while handling a handgun. In a statement, Pullman Police said, “[t]he Pullman Police Department extends its sincere condolences to Mr. Hunter’s family, friends, and fellow Cougs.” …
Kyler Jackson, a South Bend, Indiana 5-year old was accidentally shot and killed by a 9-year old relative today. “We ask that you please respect the family,” the Police Department wrote, adding that the 9-year-old is “trying to recover from the trauma.” Additional details are not available. Colton Jon Shoemaker of Burlington, West Virginia was …
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Fong Vang, age 40, was charged with manslaughter after he accidentally shot and killed his younger brother Dan. Fong was staying with his siblings and his mother temporarily and was sleeping on the floor. When he heard a loud noise in the middle of the night, he fired multiple rounds through the …
Yovany Rodriguez, a 39-year old Los Angeles, California man, was shot while driving. He died at the scene after crashing into another vehicle. Police are investigating, but have not identified the shooter. Source: “Fatal Head-on Crash Turns Into Shooting Investigation in South LA,” Fox 11 LA (April 27, 2022).
In Houston, Texas, a Texas Southern University senior was shot and killed in a gun accident today when a gun that his roommate was showing to the victim and a friend went off and struck the victim in the side. The three students believed that the gun was unloaded. No word about whether the gun …
Gun accidents occurred all over the country today. In Henrico, Virginia, a 7-year old found his father’s loaded gun and shot himself. His injuries are not considered life-threatening. The boy’s father, Landin Lewis, Sr., was arrested and charged with allowing his son to access the gun. In Somerville, Massachusetts, a police officer shot himself while …
Surveillance footage confirmed that a man accidentally shot himself in the leg in a white Porsche outside a Houston, Texas hookah lounge today. The man was alone in the vehicle in the parking lot of the Hush Hookah Lounge when the incident occurred. According to police, the injured man’s cousin unsuccessfully attempted to drive him …
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, …
A Fremont, Ohio 22-year old was found dead from an accidental gunshot wound after police received an emergency call. They believe that alcohol played a role in the accident and are investigating. Source: “22-year-old Fremont Man Killed in Apparent Accidental Shooting,” 13 ABC Action News (March 18, 2022).
A Ripley, Tennessee three-year old found a loaded gun in his home and shot himself in the head. He was found dead at the scene. No arrests have been made, but there is an ongoing investigation. Also today, the father of a Dolton, Illinois three-year old who accidentally shot and killed his mother was arrested …
There were at least four more serious gun accidents today, for a total of nine in two days. Several of the accidents occurred because the shooter wasn’t aware that the gun was loaded, making it unlikely that the weapons involved had a proper loaded chamber indicator, a common sense safety device. In North Pole, Alaska, …
Several types of common American gun accidents were on display today in cities across the country. In Memphis, Tennessee, a man died in an apparent shooting range accident. Two children found loaded guns at home and shot themselves. Again, in Memphis, Tennessee, a toddler is in critical condition after a self-inflicted shooting. Memphis officials say …
28-year old Matthew Stafford was socializing in a Las, Vegas, Nevada apartment when the handgun he was playing with fired. Another man, also in his 20’s was shot and killed. Stafford has been arrested on unspecified charges. In Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, Michael Jarrell was shot and killed by his brother Larry, who was playing with …
A Robstown, Texas man was charged with manslaughter after he accidentally shot and killed 47-year old Patricia Blanco. The man, Arturo Gonzalez, age 50, admitted to officers that he was very drunk when his revolver “went off.” In Cumming, Georgia, a teenager was arrested on multiple charges after he shot another boy in the chest …
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating a gun accident in which off-duty border agent Stevan Djordjevic shot and killed a relative who was visiting his home. The victim, Jacob Sellors, age 26, was visiting Sierra Vista, Arizona from out of town and was found on a bedroom floor in …
In Johnston, Rhode Island, the local police chief announced that the gun death of a 15-year old boy was not a suicide and is being treated as an accident. No other details have been released. And in Siler City, North Carolina, Patricia Stanley, age 38, died in an apparent gun accident in an RV. A …
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 …
In Sunny Valley, Oregon, a man took his own life after accidentally shooting and killing his brother. According to the source, the man called 911 to report that he had accidentally shot his brother while loading a gun after discovering a bear on their property. When police arrived, they found both brothers deceased and concluded …
In Brackettville, Texas, a 19-year old Texas National Guard soldier died in a gun accident today. The soldier, Dajuan Lester Townes, was in a parked car with fellow guardsman when he handed his gun to a soldier sitting behind him. The gun went off, pierced the seat, and struck Townes in the back. Townes was …
In San Antonio, Texas, police are searching for three suspects who opened fire on a woman that they had been chasing by car. The woman was not injured. Rounds instead struck and killed Paul Wilson, age 47, who was going to his car to go to the grocery store. “He was at the wrong place …
In Jackson, Mississippi, 19-year old Shakira Gatlin was shot in the head and killed on the street when a teenager she was with mishandled a gun. Police are investigating. Gatlin is a former member of the Dancing Dolls, a Jackson dance group made famous on the reality TV series, Bring It. Her father, Derrick Robinson …
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 …
Lynette Billeter, age 58, a cherished teacher at a school in Sandy, Utah for adult special education students was shot and killed in a hunting accident today. She was returning to a utility terrain vehicle after hunting with family members when “a gun fired” and she was struck in the mid-section. First responders arrived at …
Three people were unintended victims of gun violence today, including an off-duty police officer who was mistakenly shot at his home by another officer who mistook him for an armed robbery suspect. In Athens, Texas, an 8-year old was shot in the head with a bullet that came out of a wooded area behind his …
Trampas Penny, age 44, of Benson, North Carolina was shot and killed in a gun accident at the pawn shop where he worked. Penny was a gunsmith there. Although police have concluded that the incident was accidental, no information about the circumstances of the accident has been released. Shatiyah Johnson has been charged with manslaughter …
Tanner Graap of Merrill, Wisconsin, age 27, was arrested and charged with “homicide by negligent handling of a firearm by a felon” after he accidentally shot and killed 28-year old Kayla Frank today. Frank was sitting in Graap’s kitchen when the accident occurred. Details in the criminal complaint include that Graap had used heroin before …
For at least the third year in a row, police have linked at least one random death on New Year’s Eve to celebratory gunfire. Among this year’s incidents is one that occurred in Durham, North Carolina. A witness says that he saw two women pull up in a car when one of them fell to …
In North Hollywood, California, Valentina Orellana-Peralta, a 14-year old girl who was shopping for a quinceañera dress, was accidentally shot and killed in a department store dressing room when a bullet passed through a wall during a police action at the store. She died at the scene. Los Angeles police were shooting at an assault …
Terrence Smith of Fredericksburg, Virginia fired several shots through the door of his mobile home and struck and killed his roommate, Dequan Thomas, whom he thought was a burglar. Thomas suffered a single gunshot wound to the upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene. The gun used in the incident was identified as …
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 …
Florida A&M University baseball player Dalton Harrell, age 21, was accidentally shot in the chest and killed today in Bainbridge, Georgia. He was with friends in the parking lot of the local country club when a rifle discharged in what authorities called a “freak accident.” After investigation, no arrests were made. The circumstances of the …
On Lazy Acres Circle in Dallas, Texas, Wendy Godoy, age 26, was accidentally struck and killed when a neighbor fired a gun in a nearby apartment. The gunshot passed through at least one apartment wall before striking her. Ms. Godoy was found lying face down just outside of her apartment. Police have issued a probable …
Nathan Sharpnack, age 37, was accidentally killed while hunting in Marion County, Iowa. He and a large group of hunters were engaged in a deer drive when he was shot in the torso. There is an ongoing investigation and no other details are yet available. Also today, Jordan Griffey of Clark County, Missouri, accidentally shot …
At least two fatal gun accidents occurred today. In Pineville, Kentucky, Kyle Garrett, a 23-year old 911 dispatcher was accidentally shot and killed while trading guns with another dispatcher. The two men were best friends and cousins who frequently traded guns. According to local authorities, there were protocols in place to prevent non-sworn employees, including …
In Twilight, West Virginia, David Green, age 30, was digging for roots in the woods when he was accidentally shot by a local hunter. Search crews responding to a missing person’s report later found Green’s body in a remote area. The hunter, Jimmy Castle, age 70, subsequently turned himself in and was charged with …
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 …
Dameon Bates, age 29, of Toledo, Ohio was shot and killed today when he and a friend were “horsing around” with a gun at a party. Bates died at the scene. His friend Mychal Smith, age 30, was arrested and charged with reckless homicide. In a similar incident today in Dallas, Texas, 18-year old Alexandre …
A 65-year old Minnesota man was shot in a hunting accident in Northwestern Wisconsin today. Rescue workers arrived too late to revive him. No other circumstances of the accident were reported. Source: Associated Press, “Minnesota Man Dies in Apparent Hunting Accident in Wisconsin,” Fox News 11 (November 24, 2021).
In St. Louis, Missouri, a two-year old accidentally shot his father in the back with a rifle. The unidentified man, who was in his 20s, died at the scene. No further information is available. A Corry, Pennsylvania man, 64-year old Gary Hunt, was shot and killed while hunting bear with a friend. According to an …
Quadarrien Simmons, age 19, of Perry, Georgia, was accidentally shot and killed in a car when two teenagers in the backseat accidentally discharged a gun. The fired round passed through the back of his seat before it struck him. A local police Captain said that a 19-year-old named Tyrese Brown of Fort Valley and 17-year-old …
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 …
There were accidental shooting deaths today in Beaumont, Texas, where an 18-year old boy died at home and in Kansas City, Missouri, where a woman died on the street. Few details were reported. And in Clark County, Illinois, a child accidentally shot their father while the two were walking in the woods. Sheriff’s deputies called …
Elizabeth Newton Smith, a 59-year old woman in McColl, South Carolina was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter after a rifle purportedly fell and discharged on the porch of her home. David Williams, age 58, was found dead at the scene. If the rifle fell and discharged, any claim that the rifle was defective by …
Jon Whitley, a Charleston, South Carolina gun store owner accidentally shot and killed an employee after mistaking his personal handgun for a bb gun. The accident victim, Stefan Mrgan, age 36, died shortly after officers arrived at the gun store, Coastal Firearms. “A witness told Deputies he saw the two men having a normal conversation, …
Dawson McGrath, an Addison, Vermont man died today of a “non-suspicious gunshot.” Police are continuing to investigate, but they have preliminarily concluded that McGrath’s gunshot wound was accidental and self-inflicted. He was transferred by helicopter to Vermont Medical Center and was originally listed in critical condition, but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital. …
Authorities in Clinton Township, Michigan are expected to charge a man whose gun went off during a physical altercation with his younger brother. The two men were wrestling on the floor when the gun fired and the younger man was killed. The precise circumstances causing the gun to go off are unclear. Although the police …
The Rust Movie Set and The Death of Halyna Hutchins Horrific gun accidents happen in this country every day, 365 days a year. Halyna Hutchins’ accidental death today on a New Mexico movie set should prompt a larger discussion about regulating guns for safety and about the level of gun safety training necessary to prevent …
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 …
Two remarkably similar recent incidents in Port Arthur, Texas illustrate the fine line between shootings that police treat as accidental and those that are treated as intentional. When circumstances are murky, a shooter who is forthcoming about how an incident took place appears less likely to be treated as a deliberate actor. In the more …
Austin Salyer, a Texas State University student, was shot and killed while sleeping when a gun was negligently discharged in a neighboring apartment. Police in San Marcos, Texas have identified and interviewed the shooter, but have not released the shooter’s name pending further investigation. They have offered their deepest condolences to Salyer’s family. Source: Maeve …
A Houston, Texas 23-year old was accidentally shot and killed by her boyfriend today. Houston police concluded that the man had removed a pistol from his waistband and was unloading the gun when it went off. Their determination was apparently based on witness statements. There is no report about whether the trigger was pulled in …
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 …
Whitney Cloud, a Tallahassee, Florida corrections trainee was shot and killed in a gun accident during firearms training. She had been with the Department of Corrections since June. “We are absolutely devastated by the loss of Officer Whitney Cloud,” said a corrections official . “As a newly hired officer trainee, Officer Cloud vowed to make …
In Guadalupe, California, police are investigating an officer involved shooting that caused an unintended death. According to the report, an officer fired his gun while attempting to make a street arrest in connection with a felony warrant. The round did not strike the suspect, but rather struck and killed a bystander, Juan Luis Olvera-Preciado, age …
In Hays, Kansas, a man was accidentally shot and killed by his roommate. Police found that the roommate was preparing to make repairs to his gun when it fired and struck the victim in the head. There is no word yet on whether there will be an arrest made for negligence or about whether a …