19-year old Hunter Pontus was killed in a gun accident today in York County, South Carolina. An older man was taking apart a gun when it fired. The round passed through the man’s hand and then struck and killed Hunter, who was sitting nearby. There is an ongoing investigation. Source: “Deputies: 19-year-old Killed in Accidental …
Category: Adult Death
Adult Arrested Adult Death Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Ohio Ongoing Investigation Tennessee
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020
Two children under the age of five were involved in fatal gun accidents today. Details are scarce. In Adams Township, Ohio, a four year-old died at the hospital after being shot in the chest. The local Sheriff’s office confirmed that the shooting was an accident. It is not clear who fired the gun and no …
Adult Arrested Adult Death California Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Ongoing Investigation Oregon
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020
James Kenneth Lindquester, a Beaverton, Oregon three-year old, found a gun in his home and shot himself in the head. According to authorities, the loaded gun was in a bedside table. James was pronounced dead at the hospital. In Hemet California, a 75-year old woman was accidentally shot and killed by her caregiver as he …
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
The impact of random gunfire on innocent bystanders was felt again today, when Bertha Arriaga, a mother of three boys, was shot and killed in her bedroom in Queens, New York. The bullet passed through a window and struck her in the neck. One of Arriaga’s sons found her bleeding on the floor. “He found …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
In Okaloosa County, Florida, a 19-year old boy is under arrest for manslaughter after accidentally shooting his 21-year old friend shortly before midnight. The two men were tossing an AK-47 back and forth, believing it to be unloaded, when the 19-year old, Mathew Gunn, pulled the trigger. Hugo Sanchez, 21, died of a gunshot wound …
Adult Death Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Florida Michigan Ongoing Investigation Oregon
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2020
Three individuals shot themselves in the lower body today in various handgun accidents. A toddler is severely injured, a man is dead, and another appears to have lost his ability to reproduce. A three-year old in Jupiter Inlet, Florida gained access to his uncle’s handgun and shot himself in the thigh and hand. He is …
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, two friends had returned home from a visit to the shooting range when 19-year old Brandon Spratley accidentally shot 20-year old Jermaine Sampson. Spratley was attempting to unload his handgun when the accident occurred. Sampson died at the hospital. Spratley was arrested and charged with negligent homicide. Source: “20-year-old Killed in …
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020
In Miami, Florida, Pastor Gregory Boyd was an innocent bystander killed when caught between two arguing groups of men firing guns. Pastor Boyd “was known for the high-energy messages he would deliver at New Birth Harvest Outreach Ministries Churches of Deliverance.” Boyd was walking in front of a shoe store at a local mall when …
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020
In Nyack, New York, two young men were fooling around with a gun in a car when it went off. Darien Brydie, a 21-year old Illinois man died after surgery at a local hospital. Collyer Goodman, an 18-year old from Valley Cottage, New York was arrested and charged with second degree manslaughter. “This appears to …
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020
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 …
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2020
Allen Merrick, a freshman linebacker at the University of Alabama at Birmingham was killed in a gun accident today in Gadsden, Alabama. Little information is available other than a Gadsden police statement that the shooting was accidental. Merrick was just 19. Merrick was a standout athlete at Gadsden High School. He played in the Alabama-Mississippi …
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2020
In Orlando, Florida, 20-year old Deontay Haynes was arrested and charged with manslaughter after he accidentally shot and killed his best friend. The charge is a first degree felony with the potential for up to 30-years in prison. He is being held without bail. According to police, Haynes pointed a gun that he believed was …
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
In Ottumwa, Iowa, Brian Rainey, an off-duty deputy sheriff for the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed in a gun accident. Authorities say he was shot in the torso. According to the Ottumwa police, the shooting was accidental. They have not said who fired the gun that killed Rainey. Other details of the …
Adult Death Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Juvenile Arrested Mississippi Ongoing Investigation South Carolina
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2020
Two children unintentionally shot and killed others while playing with guns today. Each gun accident involves two shattered lives. In Biloxi, Mississippi, a “deceased male … under the age of 18” was “hanging out at an apartment” with friends when a 13-year old, Jayden Kyshun Frazier, started showing off a gun and pointing it at …
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2020
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 …
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2020
In Lorain, Ohio, Edward Suggs was struck and killed by a stray bullet while on the front porch of a local home. Several members of the Sophisticated Gents Motorcycle Club were gathered on the porch when they heard gunshots down the street. Mr. Suggs was attempting to get off the porch by entering the home …
MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020
In an incident that should trigger an investigation of police conduct, a Culver City, California police officer was accidentally shot by another officer while they were chasing a homeless man who allegedly was wielding a knife. In the incident, the homeless man was shot and killed. According to a report, the shooting occurred in mid-afternoon …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia Hawaii Ongoing Investigation Tennessee
TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2020
Two more children died this week in gun accidents that might have been prevented by safe storage laws. Also today, a popular former North Carolina law enforcement officer died while working in Hawaii when a rifle accidentally fired inside a police station. In Memphis, Tennessee, a 14-year old girl died when a boy was handing her …
MONDAY, JULY 27, 2020
In Arizona, state law prohibits anyone other than a law enforcement officer from carrying a gun on school grounds. In Tucson today, 40-year old Noel Watts, a roofing contractor, accidentally shot himself in the leg with a handgun while working on the roof of Canyon Del Oro High School. Police administered a tourniquet and transported …
SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2020
In LaGrange, Georgia, 22-year old Haley Newsom was shot in the head and killed in an apparent gun accident on Sunday. According to a statement issued by the Troup County Sheriff’s Office: “After speaking with witnesses in the home, investigators have determined that the following occurred. A 17-year-old white male identified as Cameryn Phillips was …
MONDAY, JULY 13, 2020
In a gun accident that occurred in Aurora, Colorado, one of two men playing with a gun was shot in the chest and killed. Although police acknowledge that they do not know who pulled the trigger, they arrested the survivor, 38-year old Abdiel Vigil, at the scene and charged him with manslaughter. Source: Sam Tabachnik, …
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2020
On American Independence day, Paulette Thorpe, a 74-year old Durham, North Carolina resident was struck and killed by celebratory gunfire. According to police, Thorpe was “hit by a stray bullet that someone fired into the air.” “We were just talking, I was talking to her, we were all conversating, when all of sudden out of …
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020
In an accident reminiscent of the journal entry just two days ago on June 29, two men were showing each other their guns today when one of the guns went off. A 30-year old Macon, Georgia man, Westley Faulks, was killed. The shooter, 28-year old Tevin Pleas, “thought he’d cleared his weapon to show Faulks …
MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020
In Chesterfield, Virginia, two men were handling a firearm when it accidentally went off. The man who was inadvertently shot later died at the hospital. The second man, a 23-year old, was arrested and charged with “felony reckless handling of a firearm.” There is an ongoing investigation. Source: “Man Charged in Connection to Deadly Shooting …
SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2020
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,” …
TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
At the Mass Firearms School in Holliston, Massachusetts, a 70-year old man was shot in the abdomen today. He was taken by medical rescue helicopter to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Though the County prosecutor released few details, available information suggested an accidental self-inflicted shooting. No foul play is suspected and no …
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2020
In Missouri City, Texas, a sheriff’s deputy who was responding to a call from a resident “saying she saw someone running down the street who looked suspicious,” accidentally shot and killed Caleb Rule, a local deputy constable, who was also responding to the call. According to a local authority, “the two agencies share a radio …
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020
In Las Vegas, Nevada, a woman was shot and killed at an apartment complex when she and a man dropped a gun that they were looking at. According to police, the man said “that he and the woman both grabbed for the gun when it fell, and it accidentally went off, striking the woman.” A …
FRIDAY MAY 15, 2020
In Jacksonville, Florida today, police say that a man died from a gun accident that occurred when he mishandled a firearm. They do not believe foul play was involved, although there is an ongoing investigation. No other details were reported. Source: “Jacksonville Man Dies after Reportedly Mishandling Firearm,” First Coast ABC News (May 15, 2020).
SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2020
Two men were shot and killed at gatherings today where someone present was handling a gun. One of the gun accidents occurred in Cleveland Ohio. The other was in Houston, Texas, continuing a depressing pattern of unintentional shootings in and around that city. In Cleveland, a 25-year old man was shot in the chest and …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia Mississippi No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation Tennessee
THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020
Three children and an adult were killed in gun accidents today. The adult was shot to death by his two-year old child. Each of the news stories marking these deaths was brief: In Ooltewah, Tennessee, Jermaine Vincent, a three-year old, found a gun that a family friend had brought to his home and fatally shot …
SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020
20-year old Keaton Sexton died today in Frankfort, Kentucky when a bullet passed through his apartment wall. Another 20-year-old, Trevor Fridenmaker, of Frankfort, was handling a pistol in the next apartment when it accidentally discharged. “There’s no belief there was any ill intent,” a Police Captain said. “Through investigation, it was determined the round that …
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020
A man was killed today in an accidental shooting on a Houston, Texas street. According to authorities, a group of friends had congregated despite coronavirus related social distancing concerns and were playing with a gun when it when off. The deceased man was in his 20’s. Source: “Man May Have Been Playing with Gun When …
SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2020
In Colonie, New York, Denzel Grimes, a 29-year old man, accidentally shot and killed himself in a hotel with a 9-mm pistol. The gun apparently discharged and struck Mr. Grimes in the groin. He later died of the wound. Police identified Grimes’s gun as a “Jennings/Bryco Arms, Model 59,” a type of cheap handgun that …
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2020
There was a fatal gun accident today in Katy, Texas. An unidentified woman was accidentally shot and killed when two friends were handling a gun. According to a report, the women asked to see the gun and it went off while it was being handed to her. The men remained on the scene and attempted …
TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2020
In another fatal gun accident, an unidentified 19-year old Goose Creek, South Carolina man is dead after he was shot inside a local home. According to investigators, the “shooter was trying to show the victim how to clean the weapon but failed to ensure the gun was empty, leading to the fatal shot.” The shooter …
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020
In Chandler, Arizona, Jordan Taylor was arrested after accidentally shooting his wife. According to Taylor, he and his wife were new gun owners. One of their guns fired while he was cleaning it and struck his wife in the chest. She later died at the hospital. Taylor claimed that the same weapon had also accidentally …
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020
On Thursday night, 20-year old Zion Lofton shot and killed his twin brother Zain in their home in Indianapolis, Indiana. Zion accidentally fired a shot into the floor in his upstairs bedroom and the bullet struck his brother who was downstairs at the time. The police concluded that the shooting was an accident. Zion accepted …
SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020
In Rome, Alabama, James Triston Williams, a 19-year old man, was accidentally shot and killed by his 20-year old friend while they were playing with a gun. The shooter, Cameron Andrew Thornton, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Witnesses told police, “Thornton had the gun pointed at Williams’ chest. When Williams reached for the weapon, Thornton …
SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020
Daryl Gunnison, a 28-year old Atlanta, Georgia man was shot by his girlfriend, who was playing with a gun. This is the second report of a serious gun accident in Atlanta in two days. Gunnison was shot in the chest. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries, where he later died. …
SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2020
After accidentally shooting a woman in Paris, Tennessee, the shooter apparently took his own life. After the accident, the shooter accompanied the woman to the hospital. She was admitted and is in stable condition. The man went missing and then shot himself in the hospital’s emergency medical services building. “We have no indication that it …
MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2020
Ashley James, a 19-year old who recently starred on the Green Run High School basketball team in Chesapeake, Virginia, was shot and killed today in an accidental shooting. He and another teen were handling a gun when it went off. James received emergency care, but died from his wound. No further information about the nature …
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020
Malinda Broyles of Fairmount West Virginia died after being accidentally shot in the neck. Gene McIntosh was reportedly manipulating the action on his rifle when the gun fired. Although Mr. McIntosh was charged with wanton endangerment and the circumstances of the accident are still being investigated, a rifle should not fire unless the trigger is …
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020
In Brooksville, Florida, an unidentified man accidentally shot and killed himself while playing with a gun. He was waiting for a haircut at the time. The sheriff’s office called the incident a “horrible accident.” The make and model of the gun that accidentally fired was not released. Source: Associated Press, “Florida Man Waiting for Haircut …
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020
20-year old Betty Spado of Pendleton, South Carolina died after being shot when a gun discharged inside her apartment. Her boyfriend and two other men were handling guns while visiting when one of the guns went off. The coroner ruled her death an accident. Source: Live 5 Web Staff, “S.C. Woman Killed After Gun Misfires …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020
An unidentified man died today after accidentally shooting himself while in line at the Supreme Bean coffee shop in Spokane, Washington. No further information about the accident has been reported. An investigation is ongoing. On the other side of the country, in Cedartown, Georgia, at Zorba’s restaurant, a man accidentally shot himself in the parking …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020
19-year old Cesar Cortes was accidentally shot and killed today at Bellaire High School, just outside of Houston, Texas. The shooter was his 16-year old friend, a boy who has not been identified because of his age. According to authorities, both the shooter and Cortes were members of the High School’s JROTC program. The younger …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
20-year old Gregory Lee Miller, Jr. of Lexington Kentucky died today of a gunshot wound. 25-year old Jaquan St. Louis has been arrested and charged with reckless homicide. According to police, St. Louis believed the gun was unloaded when he pointed it at Miller. Source: “Arrest Made in Lexington’s First Homicide of 2020, Victim Identified,” …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020
Gringo Tacos + Burgers Restaurant In St. Louis, Missouri closed early on Sunday after an employee of the restaurant accidentally shot and killed himself while changing clothes in the bathroom. Police said the shooting is not suspicious. It is unclear whether the restaurant prohibited guns on the premises. Employees declined to comment, stating that the …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2020
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources reported today that there were 11 hunting accidents across the state in 2019, including two that resulted in deaths. The year 2020, however, started badly when hunter Kim Drawdy and his 9-year old daughter were mistaken for deer on New Years day and accidentally shot by other hunters. …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020
As the clock struck midnight on New Years eve, 61-year old Philippa Ashford was struck and killed by a stray bullet in Harris County, Texas. Police believe that the round was fired in celebration of the new year by an unidentified person in the neighborhood. The shooter was not a member of Ms. Ashford’s family. …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2019
In Savannah Tennessee, 86-year old Lawrence Smith accidentally shot himself in the leg while sitting in his car outside a gun store. Police administered aid, but Mr. Smith later died of his wound at the hospital. Source: Eyewitness New Staff, “Police: Man Dies Following Accidental Shooting,” WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News (December 31, 2019).
MONDAY DECEMBER 9, 2019
The Associated Press reported that it had gathered reports of 1,422 unintentional gun discharges by police since 2012 at 258 different law enforcement agencies. It called its information gathering a “snapshot” of the problem because there are no reporting requirements for such incidents. The reports document all incidents in which a gun went off when …
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019
Shawn Patrick Burse, 18, was arraigned today on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in Greenwood, South Carolina after his pregnant girlfriend, Teresa Michelle Parkman, died from a gunshot wound received while they were cleaning a rifle together. Witnesses said there was no ill will and that there appeared to be no fight or conflict before …
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019
The Meadville Tribune in Meadville, Pennsylvania reported today that 19-year old Jacob S. Smith accidentally shot himself to death in a hunting accident. According to the local coroner, “Smith was removing items from a hunting sled when his shotgun accidentally went off with shotgun pellets striking Smith in the abdomen.” Smith was a sophomore majoring …
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019
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 …