Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a one-year old girl was shot and killed by her 7-year old brother, who also injured himself. According to a neighbor, a friend had come to visit and had left the loaded gun used in the incident in her purse. “He’s seven. He might have thought it was a play gun,” …
In Chicago, Illinois, Cecilia Thomas, a six-month old girl was shot and killed in her car seat when someone opened fire on her father’s car. According to the report, the shooter is believed to be a woman. Police are investigating. Source: “6-month-old Baby Girl Shot in the Head and Killed,” Chicago Journal (June 24, 2022).
In Muskegon, Michigan, an unidentified 63-year old man was shot dead when a 35-year old accidentally fired a round in a neighboring apartment. The round passed through at least one wall. The 35-year old is in custody and there is an ongoing investigation. Source: Karie Herringa, “Muskegon Man Hit, Killed by Bullet Fired From Adjacent Apartment,” foxonline.com …
A two-year old New Orleans, Louisiana boy found a loaded gun and used it to shoot and kill himself. His parents have been detained for questioning but no charges have been filed. “Everyone has a constitutional right to carry a weapon of course, but we need to do so responsibly,” said New Orleans’ police chief. …
At least three children were injured in gun accidents today. In Wichita, Kansas, a ten-year old boy was hospitalized in critical condition when his father accidentally fired his new gun when he was unloading it to put it in a gun safe. There is an ongoing investigation. Police are looking for a Waterbury, Connecticut man …
After some boys in Rockford, Illinois broke into an abandoned house, a “gun accidentally went off” and a 15-year old was shot in the foot. How the boys got the gun and the circumstances of the accident are not reported. Authorities did not say whether anyone will be charged. Source: John Clark, “Rockford Boy Shot …
Taniya Jones, a Washington, DC sixteen-year old was shot and killed in an incident that police blamed in “negligent weapon handling.” The specific circumstances of Taniya’s death have not been reported. Taniya was the eldest of three sisters and a rising high school junior who dreamed of becoming a pediatrician. “She was a full-of-life, sweet …
Witnesses to a Duluth, Minnesota bar fight and surveillance video confirms “that two men were fighting two other men when a gun fell out of a man’s waistband. When a bystander attempted to grab the gun, it fired and the victim was shot in the foot.” The shooting remains under investigation but police say “there …
A West Memphis, Arkansas two-year old was killed and his mother was injured today in a drive-by shooting. The police do not believe that either was an intended target. “It’s always tragic to her when a little one has been the result of a community violence, and that’s one of the reasons why we’re trying …
A pair of three-year olds were injured as the unintended consequence of gun violence today. Both were shot when rounds were firing into cars in which they were traveling. In Chicago, Illinois, the toddler was shot in the leg and is in good condition. There are no suspects. In Goldsboro, North Carolina, Tyrik Joyner, age …
Four people were injured today, including three children, by shots fired indiscriminately into their homes from the street. All were presumably innocent bystanders. In Meridian, Mississippi, an elderly woman and a five-year old child were victims of a drive-by shooting in which rounds passed into their home. Police are investigating. Both are expected to survive. …
At least five children were killed or injured today as unintended consequences of other people’s gun violence. The grim toll: Mariyah Lacy, age 5, of Jackson, Mississippi, was killed when her mother’s ex-boyfriend shot into her mother’s car in an argument over money. Mariyah’s two siblings were uninjured, but her mother was grazed by a …
An 18-year old woman accidentally killed 15-year old Achilles Lopez today while handling a gun inside a Pembroke Pines, Florida home. Police called the shooting unintentional but negligent. Lopez’s sister posted to social media Monday, writing, “[w]ords cannot explain how much I miss you. Fly high you beautiful angel…” Source: Vanessa Medina, “Family Member Handling …
Anthony James Madrid, a four-year old Beaumont, Texas boy, found a loaded gun and accidentally shot and killed himself in his home. Several adults and other children were at home at the time of the incident. Police are investigating, but have not yet made an arrest. Local child protection authorities are also involved. “The detectives …
Trent Byerly, a Des Allemands, Louisiana 19-year old, was handling a gun inside a car when it accidentally fired. The round struck him in the chest and killed him. Two of his co-passengers were arrested for obstruction of justice. An eight-year old Chicago, Illinois girl was accidentally shot by a 12-year old neighbor in her …
On Memorial Day, two women were shot inside their homes as a result of gun violence occurring outside. In Queens, New York, 72-year old Margaret Henry, a grandmother and a retired librarian, was struck in the arm by a bullet fired outside. She was in bed watching television at the time of the incident, having …
A 14-year old Decatur, Illinois boy was accidentally shot in the neck while at home with a 15-year old and an 8-year old. Several adults were also present. The boy’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Despite identifying the incident as accidental and having a variety of likely witnesses, police have not yet described …
Among ten shootings reported in 24 hours in Portland, Oregon, there were at least two that involved innocent bystanders. In one, the victim was in bed asleep when she was struck by a round fired in an altercation outside. The extent of the woman’s injuries was not reported. In the other, a woman getting out of a …
This page is intentionally left blank in memory of the dead and injured in the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting.
In what West Valley, Utah police are calling an accidental shooting, an unidentified 14-year old boy shot himself on Saturday. He died at the hospital the next day. Police are investigating various questions, including how the boy got a gun. A man also shot himself in the parking lot at an Orlando, Florida gun show …
A six-year old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania apparently found a gun is his home and accidentally shot himself in the head. He is hospitalized in critical condition. And in separate incidents, two Pullman, Washington men accidentally shot themselves and had to be airlifted to the hospital in Spokane. One of the men shot himself in the leg …
Many people were injured in gun accidents today, with mostly minimal press coverage. Two of the accidents occurred in the Philadelphia area. On the Drexel campus in West Philadelphia, a man accidentally shot himself in the leg inside a Shake Shack restaurant. Given the number of recent mass shootings, it is not surprising that the …
In Palo Alto, California, two young men were shot and injured in a ghost gun accident. One was struck in the hand and the other in the leg in a local shopping center parking lot when a gun went off while they were smoking marijuana in a truck. A bloodied and loaded handgun with no …
In Wellsville, Ohio a 14-year old boy found a gun in a closet in his home and removed the gun lock. He accidentally fired the gun and shot himself in the stomach. According to police, he was using his cell phone when the gun went off. The boy is expected to recover and may face …
A four-year old Dutton, Alabama boy accidentally shot and killed himself after apparently finding a loaded gun in an unspecified location. He was airlifted to a hospital where he died of his wound. No further information has been reported. Andre Sharp, a 29-year old Dallas man, surrendered to authorities after unintentionally shooting and killing an …
Five more children were killed or injured in gun accidents today. In Katy, Texas, a four-year old boy died after being shot in the head by his nine-year old brother today with his uncle’s Glock. The uncle, Franciso Lupian, had brought the gun into the home and showed the boys how to use it. He …
Two children were killed and two were injured by unintended gun violence today. In Shreveport, Louisiana, 13-year old Landry Anglin was shot and killed as an innocent bystander when a round was fired from a vehicle in a rolling gun battle. Landry was a middle school student and was inside a home when she was …
Kyler Jackson, a South Bend, Indiana 5-year old was accidentally shot and killed by a 9-year old relative today. “We ask that you please respect the family,” the Police Department wrote, adding that the 9-year-old is “trying to recover from the trauma.” Additional details are not available. Colton Jon Shoemaker of Burlington, West Virginia was …
Yovany Rodriguez, a 39-year old Los Angeles, California man, was shot while driving. He died at the scene after crashing into another vehicle. Police are investigating, but have not identified the shooter. Source: “Fatal Head-on Crash Turns Into Shooting Investigation in South LA,” Fox 11 LA (April 27, 2022).
There were gun accidents across the country today resulting in at least six death or injuries: A person taking part in a gun training for Taylor, Michigan auxiliary police officers was shot in the abdomen and taken to the hospital. He was accidentally shot by another person participating in the training. “The volunteers with Taylor’s …
In Houston, Texas, 18-year old Nariah Champion was accidentally shot and killed by 17-year old Zakorion Batiste, who was playing with a gun. The two were among a group of kids hanging out together. Batiste has been charged with manslaughter and is being held on $50,000 bail. According to the report, if bond is made, …
Two women were shot today as innocent bystanders in gun violence incidents initiated by men or boys. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a pair of teenage boys, one 17 and the other 13, got into a spat over insults on social media. When they later engaged in public gunplay, a woman was struck and injured. She has …
A four-year old Spanish Lake, Missouri boy was “dropped off” at the hospital with a bullet wound to the arm. Police determined that he was shot accidentally at home, but have not said whether he shot himself or whether he was shot by a man who was also in the home. Source: Dori Olmos, “Man …
In Fort Worth, Texas, an 88-year old woman was struck in the hand by a stray bullet fired in a nearby dispute. She was in her home at the time of the incident. The bullet was fired by one of two men engaged in a dispute at a nearby horse stable. No one has been …
In Denver, Colorado, police are investigating the shooting of a three-year old who was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle in critical condition. “Investigators said the shooting appears accidental and self-inflicted.” The boy died five days later. It became clear that the accident happened in a parked vehicle. The boy’s mother, Celina Duran, …
Once again in Ohio, a child is dead after finding a loaded gun in his home. Today’s incident in South Euclid involved a ten-year old boy, Eion Boyette. The boy appears to have been playing with a gun when it went off, according to a news release from local police. Eion attended Greenview Middle School …
A Henderson, Nevada 14-year old was charged with involuntary manslaughter after shooting and killing his ten-year old brother with a shotgun. According to the report, the involuntary manslaughter charge means that the shooting was considered unintentional. One neighbor described the victim’s family as the “perfect family.” That’s extremely devastating,” said a mother who lives a …
Devin Page, Jr., a Baton Rouge, Louisiana 3-year old, was shot and killed by a stray bullet that entered through a window of his home. Police do not know who fired the gun. “He was a great, a very smart, intelligent 3-year-old. He was always happy, you know he loved the dance, he loves school, he …
In Opelika, Alabama, a loaded firearm discharged when it fell. The round struck and killed a 13-year old boy. “Our thoughts are with the family as they grieve the loss of their child,” said the Police Chief. “We encourage all individuals who own a firearm to ensure that it is stored safely and kept in a …
A six-year old a 12-year old are dead today after finding loaded guns in their homes. The six-year old died in Fort Collins, Colorado after arriving at the hospital. “Tragic events like this have a lasting impact on everyone involved, including family, friends, and first responders. Words cannot begin to express the depth of our …
Three teenagers have died in shooting incidents in Billings, Montana in just the last three months. The latest incident involved a 15-year old who died in a gun accident today. Local authorities have not yet described the circumstances of the incident other than to say that it happened at the boy’s home. What we see …
A three-year old and a six-year old died at the hospital in separate incidents involving unsecured loaded guns found in their homes. The three-year old, a Meigs County, Ohio boy, shot himself in the chest. “I just couldn’t imagine the pain and the hurt and the suffering they’re going through at the time, and …
14-year old Alexis Pierson, a Port St. Louis, Mississippi middle-schooler was shot and killed in her home by a child who found a loaded gun. One of Alexis’s friends had brought the gun over and did not secure it. When Pierson told the child who found the gun to put it down, the child accidentally …
In Clayton County, Georgia, 17-year old Anthony McClain was shot and killed while standing outside the barber shop he ran with his mother. According to a witness, he was caught in the crossfire when a man started shooting at a white car and someone in the car fired back. “He was just standing outside the …
In Shreveport, Louisiana, two children, aged 3 and 4, apparently found a loaded gun in their home. The gun inevitably was fired and the four year old, Michael Thomas, Jr., was shot in the chest and killed. His younger sister was also injured. Two adults were home at the time of the incident. According to …
Two people, including a one-year old baby, were injured in gun accidents after rounds passed through apartment walls. A one-year old Columbus, Ohio girl was struck by a bullet while she was sleeping between her parents. She was struck in the backside and is in stable condition at the hospital. The round, which was fired …
In Houston, Texas, a man shot himself in the testicles at the St. Regis hotel. He was either unpacking the gun or pulling it from his pants when the incident occurred. Source: John Tedesco, “Man at St. Regis Hotel Accidentally Shoots Himself in Testicles.” Houston Chronicle (March 25, 2022).
Kismet Sengdan of Akron, Ohio, a ten-year old died today after another child picked up an unsecured gun and accidentally discharged it. Kismet was visiting at the time. Police are investigating to determine who owned the gun. The Akron Public schools issued the following statement after the incident: “It is with a heavy heart that …
A two-year old and a three-year old were victims of unintended gun violence today. In Talbott, Tennessee, a two-year old is in critical condition after finding a loaded gun in his home. Investigators believe the gun went off in the boy’s hands as he was playing with it. “If you’re a gun owner, you got …
Yaniel Rivera, age 11, of Cleveland, Ohio was found dead in a Cleveland home after being shot in the abdomen. Police are investigating the incident as a likely unintentional shooting on the basis that Yaniel got access to an unsecured firearm. No arrests have been made. Yaniel is the fourth Cleveland child to die in …
The unintended consequences of gun violence were felt across the country on Sunday, including incidents on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, three incidents in Chicago and single incidents in Georgia and Maryland. In New Orleans, Louisiana, Charles Hudson, a bar employee, was shot and killed in the Cat’s Meow, a crowded Bourbon Street karaoke bar, …
A Fremont, Ohio 22-year old was found dead from an accidental gunshot wound after police received an emergency call. They believe that alcohol played a role in the accident and are investigating. Source: “22-year-old Fremont Man Killed in Apparent Accidental Shooting,” 13 ABC Action News (March 18, 2022).
A 16-year old San Angelo, Texas boy died from a gunshot wound to the chest suffered when he and other kids were handling a loaded gun. Police are investigating to determine exactly what happened. They have announced that no further information will be released at this time. Source: Matt Trammell, “San Angelo Police Confirm Teen …
A Ripley, Tennessee three-year old found a loaded gun in his home and shot himself in the head. He was found dead at the scene. No arrests have been made, but there is an ongoing investigation. Also today, the father of a Dolton, Illinois three-year old who accidentally shot and killed his mother was arrested …
Three children found loaded guns in their homes today and injured themselves, two of them in Baton Rouge Louisiana. The two incidents make three accidental shootings in Baton Rouge in just two days. Deetroy Watkins, 26, of Baton Rouge was arrested after he left his gun in a couch cushion. His three-year old son found …
Several types of common American gun accidents were on display today in cities across the country. In Memphis, Tennessee, a man died in an apparent shooting range accident. Two children found loaded guns at home and shot themselves. Again, in Memphis, Tennessee, a toddler is in critical condition after a self-inflicted shooting. Memphis officials say …
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a woman who was attempting to shoot at an intruder instead accidentally struck her husband, Brent Barnes. Barnes was struck in the arm and the stomach. According to the report, the intruder got away. Source: Jennifer Pierce, “Woman Accidentally Shot Husband Multiple Times Instead Of Home Intruder,” news9.com (March 4, 2022).
A 12-year old Chicago, Illinois girl was in a car with her family returning home from her birthday dinner when she was struck in the head by a bullet fired on the street. According to police, the shooters were firing at a different car. The girl was taken to the hospital in critical condition. And …
For the third day in a row, a four-year old boy found a gun in his home and used it to shoot himself. Today’s accident involved a four-year old named Roman in Coatesville, Pennsylvania who shot himself in the face. Although investigatory details have not been released, a neighbor said, “”[h]e played around with a …
Four-year old Miyell Hernandez of Lithonia, Georgia, found a loaded gun in his mother’s car while she was at the grocery store and shot and killed himself. Miyell was waiting for her with two other children when the accident occurred. “We talked all the time,” said Miyell’s grandmother, April Griffin. “I never felt that kind …
A gun accident in Mobile, Alabama led to hospital treatment for two teenagers. The younger of the two was attempting to disassemble the gun when it fired. He was struck in the hand and the other teen was struck in the knee. They arrived at the hospital separately and police later concluded that the incidents …
Gun accidents involving children appear to have become so routine that they are sometimes barely reported. In Florence, South Carolina, there was an accidental shooting involving a child that resulted in hospitalization. No other information was reported. And in Detroit, Michigan, a five-year old was shot and taken to the hospital. Either he or another …
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating a gun accident in which off-duty border agent Stevan Djordjevic shot and killed a relative who was visiting his home. The victim, Jacob Sellors, age 26, was visiting Sierra Vista, Arizona from out of town and was found on a bedroom floor in …
A Payette County, Idaho 64-year old was airlifted to the hospital after his 70-year old friend accidentally shot him during target practice. The 70-year old was unloading his rifle when it went off. The round struck the younger man, whose condition is unknown. No arrests have been made. Source: “Middleton Man Shot in Target Practice …
In Johnston, Rhode Island, the local police chief announced that the gun death of a 15-year old boy was not a suicide and is being treated as an accident. No other details have been released. And in Siler City, North Carolina, Patricia Stanley, age 38, died in an apparent gun accident in an RV. A …
A Detroit, Michigan 14-year old has lost his life as the result of an incident that appears to have involved “horseplay” with a gun. A weapon was found “near the child,” according to police. There may have been a second person involved and police are investigating. Source: Hani Barghouthi, “Saturday Evening Shooting That May Have …
An Anderson County, South Carolina 9-year old was shot today when his mother’s gun fell out of her purse, struck the floor and discharged. His injuries are not considered life-threatening. The sheriff’s office is investigating. Source: Anne Newman, “Child Shot at Anderson County Home, Deputies Say,” wyff4.com (February 10, 2022).
Harold James of Washington, DC was lying in watching TV when a bullet came through the ceiling and struck him in the leg. It ended his life. According to authorities, the man living the apartment upstairs from James was cleaning his gun when it discharged. “I don’t think any of us can ever imagine a …
In Sunny Valley, Oregon, a man took his own life after accidentally shooting and killing his brother. According to the source, the man called 911 to report that he had accidentally shot his brother while loading a gun after discovering a bear on their property. When police arrived, they found both brothers deceased and concluded …
Two St. Louis, Missouri girls, aged 3 and 4, were injured after finding a loaded gun in a parent’s coat pocket and accidentally firing it. One of the girls is in critical condition at the hospital and the other has non-life threatening injuries. There is an ongoing investigation. Source: Kelsee Ward, “2 children, Ages 3 …
A familiar story from Port Arthur, Texas today where a juvenile had access to a gun. He was playing with that gun in a group of kids when it fired and struck Jordan Reed, aged 18. Reed was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Despite an ongoing investigation, police released the juvenile who fired the …
In San Antonio, Texas, police are searching for three suspects who opened fire on a woman that they had been chasing by car. The woman was not injured. Rounds instead struck and killed Paul Wilson, age 47, who was going to his car to go to the grocery store. “He was at the wrong place …
In Jackson, Mississippi, 19-year old Shakira Gatlin was shot in the head and killed on the street when a teenager she was with mishandled a gun. Police are investigating. Gatlin is a former member of the Dancing Dolls, a Jackson dance group made famous on the reality TV series, Bring It. Her father, Derrick Robinson …
In Columbus, Georgia, a three-year old was shot and killed under circumstances that have not been described, but which authorities say are likely to be ruled accidental. No follow-up news stories appeared in the first five days following the incident. In Chicago, Illinois, a security guard who had been shot in the leg in a …
Three children, aged 4, 7, and 11 were shot and injured or killed when they found loaded guns today. A fourth child, age 14, was shot and killed with a ghost gun he had built. In Lexington, Kentucky, a four-year old was injured in a gun accident that police have determined was accidental. However, the …
Three people were unintended victims of gun violence today, including an off-duty police officer who was mistakenly shot at his home by another officer who mistook him for an armed robbery suspect. In Athens, Texas, an 8-year old was shot in the head with a bullet that came out of a wooded area behind his …
In Atlanta, Georgia, a 6-month old child was killed in the crossfire of an incident in which two people were shooting at each other outside a local Food Mart. A bullet fired on the street passed into the car where the child was strapped into the back seat. According to a report, the death of …
At a housing complex for the elderly in Mansfield, Massachusetts, an elderly man accidentally shot himself in the leg at 2:00 AM. Officers called to the scene applied a tourniquet to the man’s leg and took him to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Source: Stu Skerker, “Man at Mansfield Apartment Complex Accidentally Shoots Self …
An eight-year old girl was shot in the head and killed on the street in Chicago, Illinois today. Police are clear that neither she nor her caregiver were the intended targets of gun violence, but rather that they were innocent bystanders. A pool of blood could was visible at the scene of the crime and …
In Columbia, South Carolina, a woman with a gun in her pocketbook or in her pocket accidentally shot herself while shopping at a local mall. Other shoppers heard a loud bang and rushed from the premises. The woman’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, but her precise condition is unknown. Police are investigating whether …
18-year old Fernando Akins of Nashville, Tennessee mishandled a gun in his home and accidentally shot and killed his 17-year old half-brother, Elton Maupins. After the accident, Akins went to get his grandmother and the two of them rendered aid, but Maupins later died at the hospital. The gun used in the incident has not …
A Storm Lake, Iowa nine-year old was struck in the lower body by an accidentally fired handgun round today. Another child living in the home had found an unsecured gun and fired it. The child is expected to survive. Two children, an 11-month old in the Bronx, New York and a five-year old in Atlanta, …
Three children, age 2, age 4, and age 15, were shot and injured in gun accidents today. The two year-old, of Spring Lake, North Carolina, was shot with a semi-automatic pistol as he was sitting in his mother’s car, while she was speaking with someone through the window. Police have declined to say whether he …
An 11-year old girl was struck in the arm by a bullet as an innocent bystander when a dispute erupted at a family gathering at her grandmother’s home in St. Louis, Missouri. She is recovering at the hospital. Also today, an eleven-year old and three teenagers were killed in gun violence incidents in various American …
A pair of three-year old children found loaded guns in their homes and accidentally shot themselves today. In Birmingham, Alabama, a three-year old found a family member’s loaded gun in his home and shot himself in the leg. He is expected to survive. The report notes that it was the second incident in Jefferson County …
Three more two-year olds were shot and killed today after small children found unattended loaded guns in their homes. Four American two-year olds have died from unintended gun violence in just two days. In Callaway, Florida, a four-year old shot a two-year old sibling, according to the Sheriff’s Office. “We’ll be evaluating and gathering evidence. …
Kyler Small, a Hueytown, Alabama two-year old, died today after finding a family member’s loaded gun and shooting himself. Coroner’s officials called the shooting “accidental.” An investigation is ongoing, but no further information about the shooting is being released. Source: Associated Press “Police: 2-year-old Killed After Discharging Relative’s Gun,” apnews.com (January 12, 2022).
Children were shot as innocent bystanders in three separate incidents today. In Kenner, Louisiana, a 10-year old was shot while he was sleeping. He is in stable condition at the hospital. Police are investigating the connection between today’s incident and an incident in July, in which a 15-year old was killed in the same home. …
In Granbury, Texas, a one-year old child accidentally shot an infant sibling and their mother in a Walmart parking lot. Both mother and child are expected to survive. The 23-year-old mother of the children “was standing outside of the driver’s door of their vehicle,” according to witnesses. The childrens’ father was behind the truck. “[T]he …
A 20-year old New York City man driving a Tesla on First Avenue shot himself in the leg. He discarded the gun on the street before pulling over. Police then found him with a gunshot wound to the thigh. He is in stable condition at the hospital. Source: Dean Moses, “Man Shoots Himself in Leg …