Once again, a baby girl was injured today in a gun accident. The baby’s mother, Victoria Tejeda, age 20, of Ramona, California and her boyfriend, Roman Estrada, age 18, were both arrested after the incident, in which Estrada accidentally fired a gun and shot the baby in the leg. Both Tejeda and Estrada were charged …
Category: Adult Arrested
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021
In Auburn, Alabama, a 13-month old girl was shot in the upper torso and killed. Witnesses remained at the scene and were cooperating with police. Later, Michael A. Thomas, one of the adults present at the at the time of the incident was arrested and charged with manslaughter, possession of Marijuana 1st degree, three counts …
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
A Soso, Mississippi mother accidentally shot and killed her own teenage son when firing a warning shot to break up a confrontation between the boy and her boyfriend. Her son was running out the door chasing her boyfriend when the shot was fired, she told investigators. The boy, 16-year old Mikeal Smith, died at the …
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021
Garrick Baker,an intoxicated Westfield, Indiana man shot and killed his stepson, age 18, who was sleeping on a couch at the time of the incident. According to the report, the man was handling a gun in his living room while “presumed to be intoxicated.” It went off. Baker was arrested and charged with criminal recklessness. …
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2021
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 …
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
A two-year old in Waco, Texas shot himself in the head with a loaded gun he found in his uncle’s backpack. He later died at the hospital. After the incident, the boy’s uncle, Derrick Pipkins, left the scene with the gun. Pipkins was later arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. Source: Felicia Cardenas, “Waco …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021
An Urbana, Illinois woman was shot in the neck when a person sitting behind her in a vehicle negligently discharged a firearm. The shooter, Devontre Newbill, was arrested on preliminary charges of discharge of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm by a convicted felon. Newbill and the injured woman were on their way …
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021
Minimal details were reported about two gun accidents that occurred today. The Winter Park, Colorado police department reported that Eric Van Geet, age 25, was arrested and charged with second degree assault and reckless endangerment after he picked up a .22 caliber revolver inside a local apartment, cocked it, and pulled the trigger. He shot …
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
In Cleveland, Ohio, a 6-year old boy found his uncle’s gun under a bed and accidentally shot himself in the hand. The boy’s uncle was arrested and charged with child endangerment. The boy was taken for emergency treatment at the hospital. Source: Adam Ferrise, “6-year-old Boy Accidentally Shoots Self with Uncle’s Gun in Cleveland, Police …
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021
A $5.5 million settlement was reached in connection with a gun accident that occurred at a Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania shooting range two years ago today. The shooting occurred during a training exercise organized by a variety of organizations and individuals who were then named as defendants in the lawsuit. The shooter, who was supposed to be …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021
Johnnel Green of Marietta, Georgia was arrested today after leaving a loaded semi-automatic pistol on a patio chair at a home he was visiting. Two cousins, a four-year old and a two-year old, found the gun. The four-year old apparently fired a single round and both children were injured. After the incident, Green apparently left …
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021
A Macon, Georgia 4-year old shot and killed himself today with a gun he found in his home. The boy’s grandmother, Kawana Liggins, was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. Two boys, aged 14 and 16 were interviewed by police because they apparently had brought the gun into the home. According to the report, …
FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2021
Two Memphis, Tennessee girls were shot and killed in separate gun accidents today. In the first incident, at 2:30 A.M., William Oliver accidentally shot and killed his own eight-year old daughter, believing she was an intruder. He has been arrested and charged with reckless homicide. In the other incident, a Memphis six-year old was shot …
Adult Arrested Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Maine Missouri Ongoing Investigation
TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2021
In Shreveport, Louisiana, a 16-year old boy was shot in the head as he and a friend were playing with a gun. He is said to be “fighting for his life.” And in St. Louis, Missouri, Marquis Bishop, age 30, was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child after a three-year old …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Juvenile Arrested Louisiana Texas
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
Negligence with guns appears to have been the cause of at least two deaths today. In both incidents, the shooter is likely to be prosecuted. In Thibodaux, Louisiana, a teenager was shot and killed when he and a friend were playing with a handgun. An unidentified 15-year old is charged with negligent homicide. And in …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Adult Injury Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina Ohio Ongoing Investigation
TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021
In Jackson, Mississippi, police are investigating the accidental shooting death of Jeffrey Sutton II, the 15-year old son of Jackson’s fire chief. He was shot in the lower extremities. No other details are available at this time. According to the report, Sutton was the second child of a Jackson firefighter to die of a gunshot …
MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 2021
Four children were injured today in three incidents in which bullets fired outdoors entered their homes. It appears that the children were all innocent bystanders to gun violence. In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, a 13-year old from Wisconsin was struck and killed while standing inside the home where he was visiting. It is unclear why shots …
SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2021
In Phoenix, Arizona, 15-year old Valerie Arreola-Loya was accidentally shot and killed by a 21-year old relative who was cleaning his gun. He had removed the magazine from the gun, and then apparently believed that the gun was unloaded. The 21-year old who fired the fatal shot, Alexis Vidrio, was arrested and charged with manslaughter. …
THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2021
In Southport, Florida, a five-year old child shot a seven-year old sibling with a 20-gauge shotgun while their mother slept in another room. Sheriff’s deputies found the seven-year old bleeding on the bathroom floor in her mother’s arms with “severe and life-threatening injuries.” According to the report, the injured girl told investigators that her brother …
SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021
In High Point, North Carolina, a four-year old boy found a gun underneath a couch cushion and shot himself in the head. He later died at the hospital. His mother, Jasmine Eagan, has been charged with felony child abuse. Several adults were in the home at the time of the incident. According to the report, …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Alcohol and Guns Child Injury (18 and Under) Michigan Ohio Pennsylvania Texas
FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021
A 22-year old was killed and three children were seriously injured in gun accidents today. In Dunmore, Pennsylvania, 22-year old Tyler Sitar was accidentally shot in the stomach by his friend Luigi Lorusso, who was handling a gun. Sitar died of his wound and Lorusso was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Another Columbus, Ohio child, …
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021
Jason Smalley of Athens, Texas accidentally shot and killed his friend Stoney Conley in the mistaken belief that he was acting in self-defense. The two men were smoking meth together when they heard a suspicious noise. Smalley went to fetch his .22 caliber rifle and aimed at a person he could only see from the …
Adult Arrested Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Kansas Louisiana Ongoing Investigation
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2021
In Wichita, Kansas, a three-year old found a gun and shot herself and her father while he was sleeping. The girl was struck in the hand and her father was struck in the leg. Both were treated at the hospital. Police are investigating how the firearm was stored. During the investigation, three other children have …
SATURDAY, JULY 10, 2021
In a chaotic incident, a Chicago, Illinois man appears to have accidentally shot his girlfriend, the mother of his two children, while futilely trying to defend himself after a minor traffic accident. The accident occurred during Chicago’s Puerto Rico day parade on June 19, but the circumstance are just being reported today. The man, Gyovanni …
Adult Arrested Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Oklahoma Ongoing Investigation Utah
FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2021
Two more children died in gun accidents today, a seven-year old girl and a five-year old boy. In Heber City, Utah, a man who was described as “incredibly intoxicated” fired a gun through an apartment wall. The round struck a seven-year old girl in the next apartment and killed her. Christopher O’Connell, age 34, was …
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2021
Two people died today in apparent gun accidents. In Goodlettsville, Tennessee, police found 8-year old Brayden Bowling in his home, suffering from an apparent accidental gunshot wound. No specifics of the incident have been reported, including whether the boy found a loaded gun and shot himself. Brayden later died at the hospital. The principal of …
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2021
Devonte Carter, Jr., a four-year old, found his father’s loaded gun and accidentally shot himself to death in Jennings, Missouri. His father, Devonte Carter, Sr., age 25, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a firearm and is being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond. Source: “4-year-old Jennings Boy …
Adult Arrested Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Colorado New York Ongoing Investigation Pennsylvania
SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021
Six women and a toddler were struck by stray bullets in four incidents today. Although the shooters may have had violent intent, all of the women struck were not intended targets. In Aurora, Colorado, numerous shots were fired by two or more shooters outside an apartment complex. Two of the rounds passed into the building. …
MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a 22-year old man was arrested after pointing and firing a gun that he believed to be unloaded. The man, Zachary Shipley, was playing video games with his friend, Christian Price, also 22, and wanted to frighten him. Price was struck in the head and killed. Shipley had taken the magazine out …
SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2021
In Grande Prairie, Texas, 29-year old Marque Wilford accidentally discharged his firearm inside his apartment. The bullet passed through an apartment wall and struck and killed his 32-year old neighbor. Wilford was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Source: “North Texas Man Arrested For Allegedly Shooting Through Apartment, Killing Neighbor,” 11/21 CBS DFQ (June 14, 2021).
Adult Arrested Adult Death Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Connecticut Illinois Kansas Massachusetts No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation Texas
SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 2021
All over the country today, people were injured, in some cases critically, in gun accidents. The available news reports make it difficult to separate those who were engaged in unsafe practices from those who were injured based on lack of safety features on their guns. In most cases, accidents can presumably be attributed to both …
TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021
For the second time this week, a man who believed he was acting In self-defense shot and killed someone in error. In today’s incident, 37-year old Matthew Sharpf shot and killed his best friend, Jonathan Hankins, also 37, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Hankins was knocking on a window of Sharpf’s home when the fatal shot …
SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2021
In Miami Beach Florida, a Georgia woman accidentally shot her sister in the head while they were filming a video for Instagram. The sisters were riding in a Jaguar SUV at the time of the accident. The woman, Taniyria Akias Holt, age 24, was arrested “on charges of culpable negligence inflicting personal injury and improper …
THE DANGERS OF FACSIMILE WEAPONS DESIGNED TO LOOK REAL
A good deal has been written about the risks of paint ball weapons and toy guns that are designed to look real. The marketplace has far too many facsimile weapons that can be mistaken as potentially lethal. Police officers frequently report being unable to tell the difference between individuals armed with real guns from kids …
SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a man was accidentally shot through an apartment wall when the people next door tussled with a gun. The victim later died at the hospital. The deadly incident originated in domestic violence. Corry Lykes told authorities that he had threatened his girlfriend with a taser. When she then tried to take Lykes’ …
SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2021
Erik Keith Wood of Fortuna, California, age 42, was arrested and charged with attempted murder today after shooting a teenager who apparently was playing Ding Dong Ditch at Wood’s home. The game involves ringing someone’s doorbell and then running away. The teenager was treated at a hospital for a shotgun wound and released. Source: “Fortuna …
Adult Arrested Alabama Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Kentucky Ongoing Investigation Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington
SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2021
Seven children under the age of six were killed or injured by gunfire today. All of them were innocent bystanders to adult gun violence. In Memphis Tennessee, a one-year old child was shot and killed inside a vehicle. “Our kids are scared to death out there,” a local community group leader said. The other incidents …
FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2021
In Lakeland, Florida, a man unsuccessfully hid a loaded gun in a couch to keep it away from children while he and a friend watched a basketball game. A 3-year old found it and used it to shoot his two-year old sister. The girl is in critical condition at the hospital. The gun’s owner was …
FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021
For the second time in a week, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin toddler found a loaded gun and shot himself. This time a two-year old is in critical condition. A news report states that a 28-year old woman was arrested in connection with the incident. Just last Saturday, a Milwaukee three-year old found a gun and killed …
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021
In Union, Missouri, a four-year old founded a loaded gun under the couch where his father was sleeping. The boy shot and killed himself. According to the local sheriff, the boy’s father, Scott E. Hilton, Jr., was restricted from having a gun in the home. Hilton was arrested and charged with second degree murder during …
Adult Arrested Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Indiana Ongoing Investigation Texas
MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021
In Saint Joseph County, Indiana, a two year-old found a gun and shot himself. Police say the child suffered multiple non-life-threatening injuries to his right foot, left leg and left hand and is being treated at the hospital. Police did not say how the child found the gun, but they are seeking at least one …
SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2021
Six-year old Saryah Perez of San Antonio, Texas was shot and killed in her car seat when “a disturbance happened and shots were fired.” The car that Saryah was sitting in was struck and Saryah, an innocent bystander, was killed. Andrew Elizondo, age 23, was arrested and charged with murder. “It’s a random act by …
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
In Escambia, Florida a two-year old was accidentally shot and killed by his mother’s friend, Quentin Wright. At the time of the accident, Wright was putting the gun away at the request of the boy’s mother. They boy, Sebastian Mooney, was struck by a single 9 mm round. Wright was arrested and charged with manslaughter. …
Adult Arrested Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Idaho Illinois Louisiana Ongoing Investigation
THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021
A 17-year old, a 12-year old and a four-year old were injured in gun accidents today. In Rigby, Idaho, a 17-year old was removing his gun from a vehicle while fishing with friends when the gun accidentally fired and he was struck in the chest. He was flown to the hospital and is expected to …
Adult Arrested Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Montana North Carolina Ongoing Investigation
WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021
A 34-year old Burlington, North Carolina woman was arrested for failing to secure a firearm “to protect a minor” after a 15-year old boy was accidentally shot. The incident involved three children who gained access to the woman’s gun. The boy was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries. In Helena, Montana, a 68-year old …
MONDAY, MAY 3, 2021
Police in Statesville, North Carolina announced that a two-year old child found a loaded gun on a bed in their home and shot themselves. The child is in stable condition. The owner of the gun and the child’s mother were arrested. The gun owner, Erin Vanderburg, was charged with failure to secure a gun to …
THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021
Two six-year old children and a five-year old were injured in unintentional shooting incidents today. Both six-year olds were innocent bystanders to the disputes of others and the five-year old was accidentally shot by her own father. In Yonkers, New York, a six-year old boy who was answering the door of his home was shot …
MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021
At a backyard barbecue in Grand Prairie, Texas, Darwing Gloria, age 37, displayed a handgun and accidentally shot and killed an acquaintance, Antelmo Carrizales-Ramos, age 47. Gloria was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Texas is a state that is moving toward authorizing permitless public carry, which would inevitably mean more guns would be present in …
SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2021
In Federal Way, Washington, a man was handling a gun inside his home when it fired. The bullet passed through three walls and struck his 8-year old daughter in the stomach. The girl is not expected to survive. Her father was arrested at the hospital on unspecified charges. In December of 2020, a Federal Way …
Adult Arrested California Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Children and Guns Illinois No Charges Filed
FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021
Two three-year old boys gained access to loaded handguns in separate accidents and shot themselves. Available reporting suggests that the parents were treated differently after the two incidents. Neither report suggests that police are asking why gun manufacturers are allowed to make guns that a three-year old can fire. In Bakersfield, California, 29-year old Shawndel …
Adult Arrested Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Florida Georgia Ongoing Investigation Tennessee
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021
Three children were seriously injured in separate gun accidents today, one in Florida, one in Tennessee and one in Georgia. A 14-year old boy in Miami, Florida was preparing to start working out with his father in the family garage. When he went to move his father’s gun, it went off. The boy was airlifted …
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021
Two teenage boys and a 24-year old woman were killed today in separate gun accidents. In Houston, Texas, 16-year old Chase Swain was killed while he and his friend were playing with a gun that had been stolen the day before. A 17-year old has been charged with manslaughter. In Nashville, Tennessee, 19-year old Juerno …
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
Gabrielle Jones, a seven-year old Gastonia, North Carolina girl died today after being accidentally shot by her uncle, Jeremy Lewis, while he was making a music video last week. According to the report, the video-making process included several guns. During the taping, another person handed Jones a gun, which fired. The bullet passed through a …
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021
A 12-year old innocent bystander was shot and killed in Leavenworth, Kansas today. One adult and two juveniles have been arrested in connection with the incident. The adult, Darvon Thomas, age 25, is charged with felony murder. Police reported that gunshots also struck a vehicle occupied by a 30-year-old woman and a 6-month-old child. Source: …
TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021
18-year old Breanna Porter of Grayson, Kentucky was accidentally shot in the stomach by one of her friends as she and a group of three others were handling a gun. Some members of the group initially told police that an unknown person “ran up to the woman, shot her in the stomach and then ran …
MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021
Three-year old Jamayla Marlowe of Nashville, Tennessee was shot and killed when she was caught in the crossfire of a shootout that erupted between several individuals. Her sister, Antania Butler, age 2, was injured in the incident. The two girls were in a parked car when the shooting started. Afterwards, police identified several men who …
SUNDAY, APRIL 4, 2021
In an accident that appears to have been related to use of alcohol, a Cedar Falls, Iowa man was found on the street with a gunshot wound to his leg. Police applied a tourniquet until medical help arrived. Two other men were arrested at the scene of the accident, one on weapons charges and the …
FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021
Ken Thomas of Wichita, Kansas was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated battery after what appears to be a property-defense situation gone awry. Two teenagers were apparently trespassing at TreatCo, a pet treat factory that had been shuttered at some point in the past. Thomas, the business’s owner, fired a shotgun toward them, …
TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2021
In Tallahassee, Florida, an innocent bystander was killed when two groups of people opened fire at each other in a local gas station parking lot. Police later arrested two suspects and charged them with felony murder. Source: “Update: Two Men Arrested in Connection to Fatal Circle K Shooting,” WCTV.tv (March 24, 2021).
SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2021
In Louisiana today, there were two different innocent bystander shootings. Three people were injured, and a five-year old child has died. In Shreveport, Louisiana, one of two men arguing in a hotel parking lot fired a gun. The bullet penetrated the wall of the hotel and struck a five-year old in the head and grazed …
FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2021
A 19-year old Kingston, New York teenager who accidentally shot himself in the neck in New York City yesterday died today at the Mid-Hudson regional hospital in Poughkeepsie. He had been airlifted there for surgery after the accident. According to police, the investigation shows that the teenager, Raymond Robinson, had mishandled a friend’s gun. The …
MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021
A four-year old in Columbus, Ohio was in stable condition at the hospital after rolling over onto a loaded gun on a bed in his home. A “911 caller told police that the child rolled over onto a gun that way lying on the bed, causing the gun to go off, shooting the child in …
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021
Two young men were arrested after accidental shootings that killed a four-year old and a 24-year old today. One accident occurred in Michigan, the other in Washington State. In Othello, Washington, Felipe Tapia-Perez accidentally killed his four-year old son when his stolen gun went off. The boy was hit in the head. Tapia-Perez, age 27, …
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2021
In Louisville, Kentucky, Michael McGreggor was arrested after an incident that he claimed was an accident. McGreggor said he was defending himself “by hitting the victim with the gun and that he never intended to fire it.” According to the arrest report, he asked several times whether the victim would be alright. McGreggor’s victim is …
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021
In Hardeman County, Tennessee, Jonterrious Hampton was arrested and charged with reckless homicide after a gun accident in which a 7-year old boy was killed. After the incident, Hampton took the boy to a local hospital where the boy was pronounced dead. According to Hampton, he was visiting the boy’s siblings at their home. During …
Adult Arrested Adult Injury Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Colorado Connecticut Juvenile Arrested
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021
19-year old Kahlis Parker of Bridgeport, Connecticut, accidentally shot himself in the arm and then lied to police about the incident. Upon release from the hospital, Parker was arrested and charged with risk of injury to a minor, carrying a pistol without a permit, stealing a firearm, interfering with a police officer, illegal discharge of …
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 22-year old Deyandre Gilmore was showing his gun to a 17-year old. The gun fired while being handled by the teen and Gilmore was shot dead. The teen, who has not been identified, has been arrested and charged with negligent homicide. The news report about the incident does not say whether …
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
In Beaver Township, Ohio, police charged a hunter with “discharging a firearm near a protected premises” after a round he fired hit a man inside his home. According to the report, hunter Kasen Smith fired at a deer on protected land. The bullet passed through the wall of a nearby home and struck a man’s …
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021
In Clarksville, Tennessee, a two-year old child was killed in a home where there were three children under the age of four. One of the toddlers found an unsecured gun and shot the two-year old. He died at the hospital. Julian Chester, the child’s mother’s boyfriend, was arrested on unrelated charges. Source: “Tenn. Toddler Dies …
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021
Two 55-year old innocent bystanders were shot inside a New Orleans, Louisiana hospital when a woman outside fired a gun in an attempt to settle an argument. Both of the victims are expected to survive. A man and a woman were arguing on an on-ramp to the emergency room when the woman fired a gun …
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2021
Elijah Farral, a 20-year old Columbus, Georgia man and two friends were playing with a loaded handgun when he accidentally pulled the trigger according to police testimony. He accidentally shot and killed Sara Holtrop, age 18, who was sleeping nearby on a couch. Farral has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. “Sara was an extremely sweet …
Adult Arrested Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Ongoing Investigation Pennsylvania
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2021
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 …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2021
In Niles, Ohio, Nicklas Trkula, age 21, was attempting to shoot a man he believed to be his girlfriend’s lover. The bullet he fired passed through an apartment wall and struck another man in the leg while he was watching TV. Trkula fled the scene with his girlfriend, but was later tracked down by police …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021
Nia Reyes of Phoenix, Arizona was attempting to shoot a shoplifter, but instead accidentally struck an Ace Hardware store employee in the leg. The employee was in pursuit of the shoplifter at the time of the incident. It is unclear why Ms. Reyes, age 45, believed it appropriate to use potentially lethal force on a …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021
In Houston, Texas, Gerald Peavy was relaxing in his bed when he was killed by a shot accidentally fired by a friend staying in his living room. Peavy’s wife was with him at the time of the accident. The friend, Norez Hargrove, was examining a gun he had found in Peavy’s home. He told authorities …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2021
In Norton, Virginia, George Henry Sailers, IV, was charged with shooting his girlfriend in an accident that occurred while he was playing with his gun. Sailers allegedly told deputies that he had been trying to twirl a .22 Ruger pistol he had gotten for Christmas. While Sailers was trying to show how fast he could …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021
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 …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
At least three children were accidentally shot and injured today. They were aged 14, 15, and 7. The incidents occurred in states that have been regular sites of gun accidents involving children: Florida, Ohio and North Carolina. The most fully reported of the accidents was in Jacksonville, Florida. Ayva Guthrie, age 14,was accidentally shot by …
MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021
At a gated community in the Bronx, New York, Noble Grant, an eight-year old boy, retrieved a gun from a gun safe in his father’s closet and accidentally shot himself in the back of the head. It is unclear whether the safe was locked at the time the boy obtained the gun. According to a …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021
More than a year after an incident in which University of Central Missouri University student Jeremy Allen Manley accidentally shot and killed his friend, Stephon Abron, Manley pled guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter. At the time of the incident, which occurred in University housing, Manley had been arrested but not charged. Manley told …
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
In Richmond, Indiana, a four-year old child was flown to a Dayton, Ohio hospital after suffering an accidental gunshot wound. Police arrested 23-year-old Khylier Childress-Shelby and preliminarily charged him with possession of a handgun without a license and neglect of a dependent. Although the charges are consistent with an incident in which the child found …
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020
In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Richard James Russell was arrested for mishandling a gun after he accidentally shot his 21-year old son in the abdomen. Mr. Russell was showing the gun to his son at the time of the accident. Police also said that Russell initially misled them by claiming that his son had been shot …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2020
In Woodbridge, Virginia, Kaitlyn Marie Roulten Ellis, a 29-year old mother of two, was arrested after she negligently discharged a gun while caring for her two daughters, a 1-month old and a four-year old. Ms. Roulten Ellis was handling a gun when it discharged and struck her in the arm. She was arrested after being …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2020
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 …
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
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 …
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020
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. …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2020
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 …
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
In Detroit, Michigan, a nine-year old boy was accidentally shot and seriously injured as his father was checking the chamber on his gun to make sure it was unloaded. Police arrested the father even as the boy remained hospitalized. “What we know about this story so far is no doubt it’s tragic and it’s unfortunate …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2020
In Mesa, Arizona, 20-year old Tyler Rascon died in an accident caused by the absence of a magazine safety disconnect. His 21-year old friend, Michael Whipple, is under arrest. According to a report, the accident is explained in court documents: “it all started when Whipple, his girlfriend, Rascon, and a witness had returned to Whipple’s …
Adult Arrested California Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia Ohio Ongoing Investigation
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020
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 …