Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
In Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, a 10-year old boy named Connor died in a gun accident at his home. At the time of the accident, he was jumping on a couch. One of the adults in the home was clearing the chamber of a gun when it fired. According to a report, the gun was sent to …
In Concord, Georgia, a 17-year old boy was shot and killed in a gun accident caused by a gun defect. The Sheriff’s Office preliminary investigation indicated that a person in an adjacent room dropped a firearm which discharged. The round passed through a wall and struck the victim. He was taken for medical treatment, but …
In Ellisville, Mississippi, a four-year old toddler found a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his family car and accidentally shot and killed his two-year old sister. Their mother had left them in the back seat of the car temporarily. The toddler was able to climb out of his car seat and grab the gun. “It’s just …
Brooklyn Terrell, a 17-year old Lockland, Ohio teenager, was accidentally shot and killed when she and two other teenagers were handling a stolen gun. A 16-year-old boy has been charged with reckless homicide, obstructing justice and tampering with evidence. The other suspect, a 14-year-old boy, is charged with obstructing justice, tampering with evidence and theft …
There was another accidental gun death of a young child today. A three-year old in Owosso, Michigan found a gun in his home and shot himself. He later died at the hospital. “Owosso Public Safety offers its condolences to any family or friends who have been impacted by this tragic event,” the local public safety …
Two young children were killed in preventable accidental shootings, one in Philadelphia, the other in Detroit. The incidents are strikingly similar. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, balloons were released at a vigil for nine-year old gun accident victim Nyssa Davis. Davis was shot and killed by a 5-year old relative in her home. The boy had found …
Two 15-year old boys died in gun accidents today, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Mississippi. In Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, three teenagers were “handling a firearm” when it discharged. 15-year old Marcus Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene. No other details were released. In Pascagoula, Mississippi, a 14-year old and a 15-year old were …
Four-year old Andre Walker of Sedalia, Missouri, found a loaded gun in his home. He shot and killed himself. Two other children were in the home at the time. Police say the investigation is continuing but no foul play is suspected. Source: “Sedalia 4-year-old Dies after Accidentally Shooting Himself,” Fox 4 KC (January 5, 2021).
Across the country, people young and old were injured or killed by celebratory gunfire on New Year’s morning. The incidents are too numerous to fully describe. Returning to Texas, the site of one of last year’s worst celebratory gunfire tragedies, at least four people, including a sleeping eight-year old Houston boy, were struck by celebratory …
Two teenagers were shot and killed in gun accidents on Christmas day. In Indian Head, Maryland, 17-year old Edwin Roberto Rivera Juarez was accidentally shot in the upper body by a 13-year old relative who was handling a firearm. The victim was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police are investigating how …
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 …
In Little Rock, Arkansas, 18-year old Donte Jones died in a gun accident. The Police report indicates only that a juvenile has been arrested in connection with the incident and charged with manslaughter, tampering with evidence and possession of a handgun by a minor. Source: Max Brantley, “Teen Dies in What Police Term Accidental Shooting,” …
Aerial Katelynn Brazzell of Hamilton, Ohio was arrested for reckless homicide after accidentally shooting and killing a 16-year old boy at her home. Brazzell, who is 21, was playing with a firearm when she pointed it at the victim, Bennie Boggs, Jr. The gun went off and Boggs is dead. Boggs ‘”liked to be a …
In Las Vegas, Nevada, Jasmin Vargas was charged with two counts of “child abuse and neglect with substantial bodily harm leading to death” after she accidentally shot her 3-year old son. Vargas was a new gun owner who was showing the gun off to her friends in the parking lot of a local apartment complex. …
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 …
On the 8th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, at least four children were killed or injured in gun accidents. Three of the incidents involved guns that were found by the children themselves or by other children. The fourth involved a child who was hit by a stray bullet while walking on the …
Two young people were accidentally shot and killed by friends today while playing with guns. 18-year old Armani Hall of Louisville, Kentucky was shot and killed by her 21-year old friend Adrianna King. King admitted that she had been playing with the gun. She was arrested and charged with one count of reckless homicide. In …
At least three children were victims of gun accidents today; two were killed and one was wounded. The accidents occurred in Georgia, California and Ohio. Five-year old Jada Willingham was killed in Lithonia, Georgia after being shot by another child who found a gun in her home. Police arrested 35-year old Chad Brooks, Sr. whose …
Another Ohio child died in a gun accident today. 12-year old Lidia Ghide of Reynoldsburg, Ohio was inside her apartment when she was shot in the back. Her neighbor, 42-year old Eric Carpenter, was cleaning a gun when it fired. The bullet passed through Carpenter’s front door and into Ghide’s apartment. Carpenter was arrested and …
In Forney, Texas, a 14-year old boy was taken into custody after accidentally shooting and killing his 1-year old neighbor at her home. A 9-year old child was also injured. At the time of the incident, four children were in the home. No adults were present. The 14- year old was charged with ‘Unlawful Carrying …
A hunting accident in Hartford, Arkansas killed 14-year old Newt Hodge and wounded his 21-year old brother. While the boys were loading a deer they had killed into a truck, a rifle leaning on the truck fell and discharged. The bullet passed through Newt and struck his brother Kasey in the shoulder. Arkansas Fish and …
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 …
An 11-year old died in a gun accident in Texarkana, Texas today. His death marks the second time this week that a Texas pre-teen died in an accidental shooting. In both incidents, a boy was using a gun belonging to an older sibling. Roland Toney, the boy shot in the Texarkana incident, had taken his …
A four-year old North Charleston, South Carolina boy died in a gun accident today. He apparently found a loaded gun and accidentally shot himself, though few details are available. No arrests have been made, but the police continue to investigate. According to the report, “South Carolina doesn’t punish firearm owners for leaving their weapons out, …
Cojuan Singleton, a 12-year old San Antonio, Texas boy, accidentally killed himself with his brother’s gun today. Singleton’s older brother, who owned the pistol, told police he was cleaning the gun and had put it down. Seconds later, Singleton picked it up and accidentally fired it. He was struck in the head. It is unclear …
In Candor, North Carolina, an 11-year old was killed in a gun accident that occurred while he was visiting a friend. The child’s name has not been released. “Investigators learned there were six children in the home at the time of the incident and were left unsupervised, while the mother was at work,” the County …
18-year old James Noel Zamora was killed during training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Zamora, a private, was a California soldier in combat training at the base. The accident occurred at the rifle range. Training was stopped for 36-hours to attend to the needs of soldiers and to evaluate relevant procedures. “Our hearts are heavy …
On election day, two 12-year old boys were accidentally shot and killed in separate gun accidents. In Jackson, Michigan, Brayden Carnes, a middle school student, was at home when a gun that one of his friends had brought to his home accidentally fired. Brayden was shot in the chest. The shooter was also a child. …
At least three children were shot in separate gun accidents today. Two were wounded. One was killed. In Senatobia, Mississippi, a two-year old girl found a loaded gun and shot herself. She is being treated at a local hospital and is in stable condition. The incident is being reported as an “accidental discharge.” It is …
A nine-year old and an eight-year old were killed in gun accidents today. The nine-year old shot herself with a weapon found in her Detroit, Michigan home. Two other children 10 and under were home at the time of the incident. However, no adults were present. “We are seeing this too often, please put your …
Three children under ten-years old were shot by accident in separate incidents today. Two of the incidents occurred in connection with drive-by shootings in Mississippi. In the first, in Roxie Mississippi, six-year old Robert London was killed when someone fired into his home for unknown reasons. He was hit in the head. “They went by …
In Seward, Nebraska, a nine-year old boy died after shooting himself accidentally while pheasant hunting. According to the local sheriff’s office, the boy, Gunnar Holte, was hunting with his father. Gunnar “had fired his shotgun at a bird, then went to reload when his dad heard another shot go off, turned around and saw his …
An unidentified three-year old in Porter, Texas found a gun and shot himself in the chest at his own birthday party. He later died at the local fire station. The boy’s family members were playing cards at the time of the accident. The gun had fallen out of the pocket of someone present at the …
Two children were accidentally shot and killed today. In Merced, California today, a 5-year old girl was shot and killed by another child who found a loaded and unsecured gun in the home. Her father drove her to the hospital where she died. The girl’s father, Rodney Mathews, left her at the hospital and led …
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 …
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 …
Three children under age 10 shot themselves today. In Chicago, Illinois, three boys left home alone while their father was picking up their mother from the hospital found a loaded gun. One of the boys, a five-year old, accidentally shot his nine-year old brother in the head. The boy, Ashton Lipscomb, died at the hospital. …
Jo-Jo Flores, a 14-year old Corpus Christi, Texas middle school student was accidentally killed in yet another incident in which teenagers were playing with a gun. 17-year old Ivan Farias was later arrested, imprisoned and charged with manslaughter. “It looks like it was an unfortunate accident between a couple of males, possibly playing with …
In Shishmaref, Alaska, a 12-year old boy was killed in a gun accident on Saturday August, 22, 2020. The best report of his death available on the internet is an incident report issued by Alaska’s Department of Public Safety. It reads, in full, as follows: On 8/22/2020 at approximately 1921 hours, AST received a report …
In Lincolnton, North Carolina, 18-year old Mathew Combs was arrested and charged with second degree murder after the shooting death of 13-year old Gabriel Teems. Teems was shot in the living room of his home and died at the scene. Surprisingly, Teems’ brothers rallied around Combs, a close family friend. They say the shooting was …
In Fairview Township, Pennsylvania, a 17-year old boy died in a gun accident at his home today. He was visiting with two friends, age 14 and 15, who were showing him a gun when it discharged. None of the three children apparently knew that the gun was loaded. There is an ongoing investigation. This is …
Two deaths today occurred when guns were unintentionally fired by young boys. In both cases an older boy accidentally killed a younger child. Both of the shooters are being prosecuted. In a third incident, two boys were injured after shooting themselves with a gun they found in a car. In Canton, Ohio an 11-year old …
Zachary Rock, an 11-year old boy died in a gun accident in Clay Township, Michigan at a “youth deer hunting event.” The boy was shot by his stepfather and died at the hospital. While police were at the scene, the boy’s mother accidentally discharged a gun while attempting to unload it and was struck in …
Details are scarce about an incident in which 5-year old Amani Barringer was shot in the neck by her 14-year old brother with an unsecured gun. Amani was home, in Charlotte, North Carolina, with two teenagers age 14 and 15, when she was killed. The 14-year old was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. An …
In Wichita, Kansas, 18-year old Jeremy Retana was accidentally shot and killed by a child outside a store. 21-year old Christian Concha faces charges of felony murder and aggravated child endangerment because he left a gun in the care of two children while he went into a convenience store. The children were 10 and 9-years …
In yet another innocent bystander shooting, 14-year old K-Ron Surratt was shot and killed near his home in Emporia, Virginia. K-Ron was getting ready to enter the 9th grade. His mother said, “K-Ron was ‘a very outspoken person, he was fun to be around, he loved to listen to music, he loved to dance,’ as …
In Stokes County, North Carolina, a 6-year old found a gun at home this afternoon and shot themselves to death. The child’s name and gender were withheld as were the circumstances in which they got their hands on a gun. A parent was home at the time of the accident. “I couldn’t believe what had …
13-year old DeAdrian Walker of San Antonio, Texas died when a handgun he was playing with accidentally fired and hit him in the chest. The gun may have been stolen. Several other teenagers who were with DeAdrian at at the time of the gun accident are cooperating with an ongoing investigation. In Cincinnati, Ohio, 16-year …
An 11-year old and a 12-year old were involved in gun accidents today. In Lake County, Florida, 12-year old Jeremyah Wyatt found an unsecured gun in his home and accidentally shot and killed himself. “This is that one of those calls that deputies don’t want to ever go to — and paramedics. No one wants …
In Evansville, Indiana, nine month old Iowa Meriweather was accidentally shot in the face and killed by her father. At the time of the shooting, the girl’s father was handling a friend’s gun that he had found in a couch while his friend was out of the room. The situation was initially complicated because the …
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1-year old Zykier Young was killed inside his home by a bullet fired outside. According to investigators, the shot traveled through a window and then two walls before hitting Zykier. A Pittsburgh police press release stated, “[w]ith a police sergeant driving, two police officers held the baby in the backseat and worked …
In separate incidents in the nation’s capital, an 8-year old girl and a 5-year old boy were struck and injured by gunfire. The news report also describes recent Washington, DC incidents in which 11-year old Davon McNeal and 17-year old Christopher Brown were struck and killed by gunfire. In each of these incidents, the victim …
Continuing a string of horrific accidents involving Indiana children, a 9-year old South Bend boy was shot today, apparently by his older brother. Tre’von Barnett and a group of neighborhood kids were playing with a gun which went off. Responding police found Tre’von dead in the yard. Investigators are attempting to figure out how the …
In Charlotte, North Carolina, 2-year old Amor Cureton shot and killed himself with a loaded handgun in a motel. His father Antonio Cureton was arrested and charged with “involuntary manslaughter, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a stolen firearm and failure to secure a firearm to protect a …
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 …
Two children were killed in gun accidents in their homes today. In New Haven, Connecticut, an 8-year old was unintentionally shot in the head. Police concluded that the death was accidental, but did not provide specific information about the circumstances of the accident, including whether the child shot himself. They seized a loaded handgun , …
Two children found guns in their homes and accidentally shot and killed themselves today. In Saginaw, Michigan, a five-year old boy found a gun. According to police, he died of “self-inflicted gunshot wounds.” They have called the incident a “tragic accident.” While they investigate to determine how the boy got ahold of the gun, “their …
In Pensacola, Florida, 7-year old Aniyah Nettles was shot and killed, likely by another small child. She was on her grandmother’s front porch at the time she was shot. Police continue to investigate and are not yet certain how the child who shot Aniyah got the gun. Source: Brianna Hollis, “State Attorney will Review Evidence …
In Indian Head, Maryland, police are investigating a gun accident in which a 12-year old boy was accidentally killed. He and a 13-year old relative were playing with a gun in a bedroom when the gun “discharged.” It is unclear how the boys came into possession of the gun. “This is such a tragic situation …
A two-year old girl who was caught in the crossfire when shots were fired is dead. A girl the police identified only as “Jo Jo” was in a car in Hammond, Indiana with her mother when the incident occurred. Jo Jo’s mother was unharmed. According to police, neither Jo Jo nor her mother had a …
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 …
A two-year old boy died in a gun accident Saturday night in Graniteville, South Carolina. He “accessed a handgun and shot himself” according to a news report. Deputies arriving at the scene “observed a complainant sitting on the ground in the roadway holding her 2-year-old son, Jamarious Rogers, in her arms.” He later died at …
In yet another incident involving an Indiana child, a 2-year old found a gun at home and was shot in the arm. According to police, there was an adult in the home at the time. Others left the apartment before police arrived. The child is in serious but stable condition. Source: “IMPD Investigating 2-year-old Shot …
A Laramie, Wyoming 14-year old has been arrested and charged with manslaughter after an incident in which he killed a 13-year old. Although the details remain murky, comments on the Laramie police department’s Facebook page by relatives and others suggest that the children were playing with a gun while drinking in the park. It is …
A three-year old Arlington, Texas boy died today in yet another tragic gun cleaning accident. According to police, an “adult relative” was cleaning a gun when it fired and shot both the boy and the person who had been cleaning the gun. That person suffered non-life threatening injuries. The toddler died at the hospital. No …
For the third day in a row, a young child was killed in a gun accident. In Commerce City, Colorado, a three-year old boy was found shot to death in an incident that involved “mishandling” of a gun. Two siblings, ages 12 and 13, were present in the home at the time of the incident, …
A local new story in St. Louis begins, “[a]nother child has been killed by a gun, this time a 6-year-old … St. Louis Police are not releasing much information.” It is at least the tenth death of a child in or around St. Louis since the beginning of the year. According to the report, a caller …
In a gun accident in Rochelle, Georgia, a four-year old girl was shot and killed. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation found that “the child was shot while she and her 3-year-old brother were playing with a gun.” The GBI found that the gun was unsecured. The girl’s father, Johnny Lee Kellom, was arrested after the …
In a Detroit, Michigan accident, a 13-year old boy died when he mishandled a gun. There were no adults home at the time, but another child was present. It is unclear how the boy gained access to the gun. Source: Dane Kelly, “13-year-old Boy Killed in Accidental Shooting on Detroit’s West Side,” Click on Detroit …
A 14-year old St. George, Utah girl was shot and killed today during a gathering with other teenagers. According to an affidavit, the suspect, Anthony Vega, an 18-year old, was playing with [a] handgun, pointing it at several individuals while pulling the trigger. A juvenile witness also admitted that the individuals at the home, including …
In Evansville, Indiana, 16-year old Rylan Conway was shot to death in an incident that occurred in a home where a group of kids were playing with a gun. The shooter, 19-year old Eriyon Gibson, says he unloaded the gun, then pointed it at Conway while they were joking around. He asserts he wouldn’t have …
In Hendersonville, Tennessee John Robert Moore, a two-year old boy, found an unattended loaded handgun in his father’s car and shot himself. His father was a volunteer firefighter and the two were visiting the Shackle Island fire station at the time of the accident. “Everybody loved that little boy,” said Martin Bowers, fire chief for …
A two-year old Elkview, West Virginia toddler is dead after he found an unsecured gun in a bedroom of his home and used it to shoot himself in the head. A parent and a sibling were in the home at the time. Putting aside a parent’s responsibility to unload and safely secure guns when children …
For at least the third time this week, children were shot and killed by stray gunfire. Ten-year old Lena Nunez, of Chicago, Illinois, was struck by a bullet that entered through her apartment window and hit in the head. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police believe that a group of males outside were …
Three young children were accidentally shot and killed today, one at his own hand and the other two by relatives. In Springboro, Ohio, a five-year old boy shot and killed himself with his grandmother’s gun. The boy’s father told police that he woke to the sound of a gunshot. In Jackson County, West Virginia, a …
A 16-year old boy was charged with negligent homicide in Phoenix, Arizona after he accidentally shot and killed 16-year old Kinesha Hill while handling a firearm. Because he is a minor, the boy’s name was not released. Source: “16-year-old Girl Dead after Gun Discharges in Phoenix Home,” Arizona Daily Sun (June 22, 2020).
A three-year old boy died after a gun accident in Lima, Ohio. The circumstances of the accident are not available. The accident brings to mind the accidental shooting of Aubrie Moore, a four-year old Middle Point, Ohio girl who shot herself with a found gun in April. On June 11, her parents were charged with …
The local sheriff’s office is investing the accidental shooting death of a male “juvenile” in Kalona, Iowa. The boy was found dead when police responded to a 911 call. No further information about the circumstances of the shooting have been released. Source: Mike Bunge, “Investigation Underway Into Deadly Kalona Shooting,” KIMT3 (June 20, 2020).
One-year old Javion Sexton of South Bend, Indiana was shot and killed today by his four-year old brother, according to the County Prosecutor’s office. “An autopsy conducted Friday found the cause of death to be a gunshot wound and the manner of death to be accidental,” the office said. Javion’s obituary states, he “liked being …
In Atlanta, Georgia, a 6-year old boy was shot and killed by a young sibling who found a gun. “During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the siblings of the victim, ages 8 and 4, were also present during the shooting,” a police spokesman said in a news release. “Preliminary investigation …
A 16-year old Houston, Texas teenager was killed when a gun accidentally fired while in his pocket. The boy was playing basketball with friends when he went indoors to rest. The gun went off when he slapped his leg. According to a Houston police officer, “[s]omehow that juvenile was shot and he has passed away …
Another two-year old Jacksonville, Florida toddler died after an apparent gun accident today. Although some of the circumstances of the accident are unclear, the child and/or a young sibling apparently found a loaded gun in their home. One of them fired it and the toddler is dead. Police confirmed that there were also adults present …
A four-year old Burgaw, North Carolina boy died Tuesday afternoon after an accidental shooting in his home. According to the report, he was taken to a local hospital in a family vehicle and then flown to a regional hospital where he was pronounced dead. There is an ongoing investigation. The circumstances of the shooting have …
11-year old Cash Cover of Kamas, Utah, apparently found a gun in his home. Although details of the incident are scarce, he shot himself in the chest and later died of his wounds. Cash “lost his life in a tragic accident involving a gun,” the family said in a statement. “Our hearts are broken, and …
In Beattyville, Kentucky, nine-year old Jeremiah Fox died in a gun accident that occurred during target practice with his family. According to a report, a weapon malfunctioned, discharged and hit the boy in the chest. He was flown to a hospital where the coroner pronounced him dead. The reported details so far are insufficient to …
Police announced that Chance Gilbert, an 8-year old Hamilton, Ohio boy who was killed by an accidental gunshot earlier this month, was shot by his nine-year old friend. Chance and the 9-year old were playing with guns. “The only one in this whole investigation really who has shown courage and told the truth was the …
Memorial Day was marked by accidental gun violence and the death of two children. In North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, 16-year old Nathaniel Brooks was accidentally shot in his home by his father, Mathew Brooks. The local chief of police determined that the shooting was an accident involving a semi-automatic handgun. Mathew was cleaning the gun. …
17-year old Ishmael Muhammad of Des Moines, Iowa was struck by a bullet in a local residence today when someone accidentally fired an illegal handgun. He later died of the wound. According to police, residents initially said that Muhammad had arrived at the home having already been shot. After an investigation, police charged a 16-year …
In Peoria, Illinois, an eight-year old boy died in an accident that, according to police, involved “children handling a gun.” Jordin Wilson was taken to the hospital after being struck with a bullet in the chest. He died while being treated. Police are continuing to investigate. Source: Andy Kravetz, “8-year-old Boy Identified in Accidental Shooting,” …
For at least the sixth time this month and the third time this week, a toddler died in a gun accident. This time a three-year old in Flint, Michigan found a gun in his home and shot and killed himself. Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said, “[t]his is a tragedy and a loss no one should …