There were two more gun cleaning accidents today. In Barberton, Ohio, a woman was shot through both legs when her boyfriend’s gun accidentally discharged while he was cleaning it. The woman had been watching T.V. Her boyfriend was charged with negligent assault. In Rockford, Illinois, a man shot his roommate through an apartment wall when …
Category: Adult Injury
THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020
Few details were reported about three incidents in which people were shot and injured in gun accidents today. In Auburn, Alabama a young person was flown to the hospital and is in stable condition after being accidentally shot at an apartment complex. The child’s age and the circumstances of the accident were not reported. In …
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020
In Putnam County, Florida, a Sheriff’s deputy accidentally shot himself in the leg while attempting to fend off an attacking dog. He was hospitalized, but is expected to recover. According to a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s office, “the dog ran after the deputy, and before he could back out of the yard, the dog charged …
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2020
In Campbell County, Virginia, the driver of a car accidentally fired a handgun. The round passed through the door of his car and through the passenger door of a nearby vehicle hitting a woman in the back. She is hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Officials say they determined that the shooting was accidental, but charged …
TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2020
For the second time in less than a week, a child was injured in a hunting accident. A child and an adult were turkey hunting in Camp Creek State Park in West Virginia when they were injured by a shot fired by another hunter. He had “mistaken them for a turkey.” The boy suffered more …
MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020
In Maquoketa, Iowa, a 20-year old man falsely claimed that he was shot in the abdomen by an unknown assailant outside his home. Upon investigation, police learned that he accidentally shot himself. The wounded man, Thomas A. Detro, “admitted in an interview that he walked outside with a revolver and fired multiple ‘warning’ shots into …
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020
Four accidental shooting victims are taking up hospital beds amidst the coronavirus medical crisis, after gun accidents in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and California today. In Jeanerette, Louisiana, a boy was accidentally shot in the neck during “horseplay.” The adult shooter was arrested and charged with illegal discharge of a weapon. A man in Lake Jackson, …
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2020
In Edinburgh, Indiana, a police officer who was cleaning a personal weapon accidentally shot his wife in the leg. According to investigators, he did not know that there was a round in the chamber. The woman is in stable condition at a hospital in Indianapolis. Officers are trained to be careful when cleaning their weapons …
SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2020
In Lincoln, Nebraska, a thirty-year old man was treated at the hospital after suffering a wound while target shooting with a 9-mm handgun. According to authorities, a bullet ricocheted after hitting a steel target and a fragment of the round hit the man in the leg. No charges will be filed. Source: Lori Pilger, “Lincoln …
FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2020
In Springfield, Tennessee, a woman was hit by a stray bullet while walking down the street. She was hospitalized with a non-life threatening wound to her arm. Police are investigating, and believe that the shot was fired on an adjacent street. Source: Jason Hall, “Report: Springfield Woman Accidentally Shot While Walking Down Street,” Fox 17 …
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020
In a variety of jurisdictions across the country today, accidental gunshot wounds sent people to the hospital, where staff are already struggling to find sufficient resources to manage the coronavirus epidemic. Among the accidents was one in Ormond Beach, Florida, where a 22-year old man was shot in the leg when a .22 caliber rifle …
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020
In Torrington, Connecticut, two people were injured by a single round fired accidentally from a 9-mm handgun. Their wounds are not considered life-threatening. According to a statement made by a police investigator, “[u]pon arrival of the officers, it was found that a male party, and a female party had both suffered non-life threatening injuries as …
MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2020
The Augusta, Georgia sheriff’s office mobilized units to look for a suspect when an individual was shot in the leg on a city street on Monday afternoon. Investigators later concluded that the shooting was accidental. No charges are pending. The report does not discuss whether the resources used to investigate the incident can be recovered …
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
A three-year old girl and her father were both injured in Atlanta, Georgia, when the father’s gun accidentally went off while he was handling it inside their apartment. The father, Sahir Duvall, was shot in the hand and his daughter was shot in the neck. Duvall drove them both to the hospital where they were …
MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2020
A Gadsden, Alabama man shot himself outside the hospital after bringing his wife in for treatment of an accidental gunshot wound. The women’s injuries were not life threatening, but the man was taken to a second hospital where he is reported to be in critical condition. A school two blocks from the hospital was placed …
SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020
In Saint Charles, Missouri, a man accidentally shot himself in the leg outside a gun and knife show at the Convention Center. On a day when Americans were asked to remain at home by medical professionals to prevent the spread of the CoronaVirus, medical crews responded to the accident and transported the man to a …
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2020
In Laurinburg, North Carolina, a 27-year old man accidentally shot himself outside a Golden Corral restaurant. According to police, the man, who has a concealed-carry permit, “had been trying to take the gun out of [his] holster to put away before going into the restaurant when the gun went off.” The report did not disclose …
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020
A gun unintentionally discharged in a Grand Forks, North Dakota residence while its owner was attempting to disassemble it. A man in the residence was hospitalized “with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.” There is an open and ongoing investigation. Source: “Man Injured after Gun ‘Unintentionally’ Discharged in Grand Forks Home,” The Grand Forks Herald (March 11, …
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 …
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2020
In another accident involving a police officer, this time in Detroit Michigan, an officer shot herself at police headquarters. She was taken to the hospital where she was listed in serious condition. Compared to most American gun owners, police officers undergo significant firearm safety training. Even with training, accidents frequently occur. Police, for their own …
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020
A school maintenance worker at the Sagemont School in Weston Florida was accidentally shot in the eye by an armed school security officer. The security officer, who worked for a private company, dropped the shooting victim at a local hospital and went home. According to authorities, the security officer, Julian Suarez, was not authorized to …
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2020
In Brownstown, Indiana, a police investigation has determined that a shot was accidentally fired by a man who was handling a handgun in the living room of his home. A bullet from the gun went through the man’s leg and then entered the leg of his 5-year old son. The man was treated and released. …
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2020
A 13-year old Muskegon Heights, Michigan boy fired a flare gun that accidentally passed through a window and started a fire in the home of an 88-year old neighbor. Police officers responding to the incident heard a faint cry for help from inside the dwelling and rescued the 88-year old and her unconscious cat. The …
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020
In Bryan, Texas, two police officers were injured when a gun “accidentally went off” at the police station. Both officers were taken to the hospital, treated and released. A release issued by the Bryan police department says that an administrative review of policies, procedures, and training will take place to determine what can be done …
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020
A man sitting in his apartment in Plano, Texas today was shot in the leg by a neighbor who was moving a shotgun inside his home. The man whose shotgun accidentally fired is expected to be charged with the misdemeanor crime of discharging a firearm. Source: “Police: Man Accidentally Fired Shotgun Inside Plano Apartment, Injuring …
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020
In Killingly, Connecticut, Mountain Robicheau shot through his leg when showing off his gun to his sister. The man told police that “he was showing his sister the de-cocking mechanism of his Beretta 96A .40-caliber pistol when his finger slipped while he was trying to lower the weapon’s hammer.” Robicheau opted not to immediately go …
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2020
The Police Chief in Magnolia, Arkansas, Todd Dew, was accidentally shot by a fellow officer while attempting to serve a warrant on a man who had violated the terms of his probation. According to a statement, the officers were entering a home when the gun went off and struck the Chief in the back. Chief …
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020
In Dayton, Ohio, a 9-mm pistol accidentally fired when a man and his his grandfather were inspecting it. The man was shot in the foot and taken to the hospital. His name and condition were not released. Source: Nevin Smith, “Man Shoots His Foot, Medics Respond,” Dayton Now (February 8, 2020).
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020
Police announced today that they are still considering filing charges against an unidentified 21-year old in White Township, Pennsylvania, who accidentally shot his four-month old son with a 9-mm handgun. The boy suffered significant injuries after being hit in the upper body, but is expected to survive. At the time of the shooting, the boy’s …
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 …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020
Of eight reports of accidental shootings today, involving a total of 11 shooting incidents, three occurred in Ohio, one each in Mississippi, Wyoming, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. None of the 11 shootings was fatal. Two of the incidents involved accidental self-inflicted shootings, three involved young children shot accidentally by others, three involved women apparently …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020
In Prestonburg, Kentucky, a messenger for an armored car service was shot when his gun accidentally discharged while he was making a drop at a Big Lots store in a strip mall. “His weapon became lodged between himself and items he was carrying,” according to Prestonburg police detective Ross Shurtleff. “While it was lodged between …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2020
A 57-year old Hackensack, New Jersey man was placing his Smith & Wesson .45-caliber handgun on his nightstand as part of his preparation for bedtime when it accidentally fired. The victim was struck in the abdomen. He remains in critical condition with severe internal injuries. “We are doing our due diligence, as always, in investigating,” …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 2020
In Bloomington, Indiana, both four-year old Tripp Shaw and his father, Tyler, were shot in the head after the father’s gun accidentally discharged. After several days in the hospital, Tripp died of his wounds. His father was expected to recover. According to authorities, the father and son were play-wrestling on a bed when a gun …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 2020
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, an accidentally discharged round passed through the shooter’s bedroom door, across a hallway and through another door where it struck 52-year old Virgen Milagros Rivera, who was critically injured. The shooter, who was found to have negligently handled the firearm, was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. He was …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020
At Three Fires Elementary School in Howell, Michigan, a father accidentally discharged his gun in his vehicle while waiting to pick up his child. The initial investigation showed no criminal intent, though the school was placed on lockdown at the time of the shooting. The man shot himself in the hand and leg. He was …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020
Providence, Rhode Island police found 22-year old Edward Rodriquez in a hallway in his apartment building at 16 What Cheer Avenue, without pants, with a gunshot wound to his scrotum. Martinez said that he had been handling a gun on his bed when it fired. According to police, no charges will be filed. Mr. Martinez …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020
In separate incidents in different parts of the country, two women were struck by stray gunfire while walking on the street. In Detroit Michigan, a woman walked to the hospital, where she was found to be in serious condition, after being hit by a bullet along Crusade Street near Liberal. Police said she was struck …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2020
41-year old Brian McManemy of Blairstown, Iowa was shot in the leg when one of the guns in the vehicle in which he was riding discharged. He was transported to a Cedar Rapids hospital. Mr. McManemy was coyote hunting at the time of the accident. He was a passenger in a vehicle driving through a …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2020
Bronson Reed, a 45-year old father in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee was cleaning a 9-mm pistol in his home when it went off unexpectedly. The bullet struck Reed in the leg and then hit his seven-year old son. At the time the story was reported, the child remained hospitalized. An investigation is ongoing. Source: Ken Nicholson …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020
A 19-year old Clifton Park, New York woman, Kylee L. Stark, was charged with first degree reckless endangerment after accidentally discharging a shotgun inside her apartment while taking pictures of herself on her cell phone. There were no injuries. Ms. Stark was arraigned in Halfmoon Town Court and was released on her own recognizance. Source: …
MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020
A 20 year-old Rio Communities, New Mexico man was airlifted to the hospital after suffering injuries from a close range shotgun blast in his own home. The round was fired by the man’s 12-year old brother. The shooting was found to be “negligent/accidental in nature.” The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department was notified. …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2020
An Anderson County, South Carolina man accidentally shot himself in the lower leg while unloading his handgun in the parking lot outside a gun show. The show does not allow loaded guns on the premises. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment. Source: Grant Garland, “Man Accidentally Shoots Himself at Gun Show in …
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2019
At the Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw Township, Michigan, a 29-year old man accidentally shot himself in the leg. According to police, the man was shopping at Victoria’s Secret. When he went to put his wallet in his back pocket, his pistol discharged. Source: Michael Percha, “Accidental Shooting at Fashion Square Mall Injures One” NewsRadio …
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2019
A Florence, Alabama man accidentally shot himself in the parking lot of a sporting goods store. At the time of the shooting, he was on his way to buy a holster. After the man, who was not identified, was airlifted to a hospital in Huntsville, police said he had lost a lot of blood but …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2019
A man participating in target practice with family and friends was accidentally shot in the leg when another participant attempted to fix a malfunctioning weapon. The Free Soil Township, Michigan man, Jason Eric Schenkel, is expected to survive. According to the report, the gun owner was attempting to fix the malfunction on the hood of …
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019
A Davie, Florida police officer shot himself in the hand while attempting to shoot at a dog that was charging at him. The dog was grazed by the bullet and is said to be OK. Source: “Davie Officer Shoots Himself While Attempting to Shoot Charging Dog,” 7 News Miami (December 20, 2019).
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2019
A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a woman was shot in a parked car when her toddler pulled the trigger on a loaded gun. After being taken to a local hospital, the woman was expected to recover. No further information is available about the circumstances of the accident. Source: Associated Press, “Woman Accidentally Shot by Toddler in …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2019
A benefit was held today in Alexandria, Louisiana for a 20-year old man who has had nearly a dozen surgeries after accidentally shooting himself in the face. Christian Collister was replacing a part on his Glock in his car when it accidentally fired. He tells the story like this: “So to take apart Glocks, you …
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
In Detroit Michigan, a 20-year old woman was seriously injured when she was accidentally shot by an off-duty police officer while the two were sitting together in a car. According to a preliminary investigation, the officer was moving her weapon when it discharged, striking the other woman. The officer told investigators that the gun accidentally …
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019
A 34-year old Elloree, South Carolina man told deputies that his .45 caliber semi-automatic Springfield 1911 pistol discharged as he moved it from the glove compartment of his vehicle. He shot himself in the upper leg and was treated at a local hospital. Source: Martha Rose Brown, “Elloree Man Accidentally Shoots Himself in Leg,” The …
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2019
In Evansville, Indiana, Police responded to a call about a woman shooting her husband. Upon arrival at the scene, they learned that the man had been hit, not by a bullet, but rather by a piece of a gun that had exploded. Both husband and wife received treatment at the scene. Deputies determined that the …
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019
In Tulsa Oklahoma, a woman was shot in the leg and hospitalized after a gun was accidentally fired by her neighbor in the apartment next door. The bullet passed through the wall between the apartments, through the woman’s leg, and continued on into the woman’s living room. The police determined that the incident was a …
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019
In Raleigh, North Carolina, at the Wake County Firearms and Education Training Center, a firearms instructor accidentally shot himself in the leg while holstering his gun. He was taken to a local hospital. His injuries were not considered life threatening. According to the Wake County Sheriff, “The Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center was …