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 …
Category: Ongoing Investigation
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2022
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 …
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2022
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 …
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2022
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 …
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2022
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 …
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2022
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 …
Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Florida Georgia Kentucky No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation Texas
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022
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 …
Adult Death Alabama Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Ongoing Investigation Texas Washington
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2022
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 …
MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022
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 …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 23, 2022
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 …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 2022
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 …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022
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 …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022
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 …
Adult Arrested Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia Iowa New York Ongoing Investigation
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022
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, …
Adult Arrested Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Florida Georgia North Carolina Ongoing Investigation
MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 2022
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 …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 2022
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 …
Adult Arrested Alabama Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Michigan Ongoing Investigation
FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022
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 …
Adult Arrested Arizona Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Children and Guns Florida Ongoing Investigation Tennessee
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2022
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. …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022
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).
SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 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. …
Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Kansas North Carolina Ongoing Investigation Texas
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022
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 …
TUESDAY JANUARY 4, 2022
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 …
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021
For at least the third year in a row, police have linked at least one random death on New Year’s Eve to celebratory gunfire. Among this year’s incidents is one that occurred in Durham, North Carolina. A witness says that he saw two women pull up in a car when one of them fell to …
Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) North Carolina Ongoing Investigation Texas
MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2021
A Jacksonville, North Carolina police officer accidentally shot his 15-year old son in the head. The injury is considered life-threatening. Reported details are scarce other than a statement that preliminary indicators suggest that the shooting was accidental. There is an ongoing investigation. Tiffani Tant, age 18 of Gladewater, Texas was accidentally shot and killed by …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2021
Dillan Burton, age 7, of New Orleans, Louisiana was struck and killed by gunfire while in the back seat of her mother’s car. The family was driving through an intersection at the time of the incident when gunfire broke out on the street. Dillan, an innocent bystander was struck by a bullet passing into the …
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2021
A Hendersonville, North Carolina three-year old found a loaded gun on Christmas day and shot herself. She was airlifted to the hospital where she initially was undergoing treatment. A later news story reported that the girl, Aylee Gordon, died at the hospital. Her father, a retired sheriff’s captain, told police that Aylee had found the …
Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Missouri Ongoing Investigation Texas
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2021
On the day of Christmas Eve, a two-year and a five-years old were victims of gun accidents. The two-year old killed himself and the five-year old was injured. In Independence, Missouri, the two-year old was handling a gun when it fired. The child was pronounced dead several hours later. Police were initially told that there …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2021
In Columbia, South Carolina, a 13-year old and his friend were handling a loaded gun when it went off. The 13-year old was struck and killed. “Where did they get the gun? That’s my biggest question as a parent. Where did they get the gun from? Why were they playing with it? Why was it …
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021
A man in a parked vehicle at a Monticello, Arkansas Walmart accidentally fired a gun inside his car. He was taken to the the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The report does not explain why the man needed a loaded gun at the local WalMart on a Friday afternoon. Source: Joe Burgess, “Accidental Shooting on …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2021
A teenager was killed and a young man was seriously injured today by rounds fired from guns that were believed to be unloaded. As always, this raises the question of why guns are manufactured without prominent loaded chamber indicators. Although safety protocols should always include checking the chamber for a live rounds, many gun users …
Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia Nebraska Ongoing Investigation
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021
In Columbus, Nebraska, two people were injured when a dog in a pick-up truck discharged a shotgun that had been left unattended in the back seat. The shotgun had previously jammed, according to authorities. Two people were struck as they exited a nearby business. Another vehicle was also damaged. In Oakwood, Georgia, a teenager accidentally …
Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation Virginia
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2021
In Atlanta, Georgia, a one-year old who was left alone with her pre-school age brother and a loaded gun was accidentally shot. She is in critical condition at the hospital. A police lieutenant said though it was “a tragic accident,” charges could be filed. “Please put guns away. This is now the second time in …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021
A six-year old and a nine-year old were killed as innocent bystanders in Columbus, Ohio when unidentified men opened fire on a car in which they were sitting. The 22-year old driver was also killed. “There is a mother now who will have to go on in her life with two young babies that she …
MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2021
Alexander Alvarado, a 12-year old boy, and a 12-year old girl were shot today when men opened fire on a parked car near a Los Angeles, California elementary school. Alvarado later died at the hospital. The 12-year old girl, who was participating in the afterschool program, was wounded. “She was in the schoolyard just playing. …
Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Children and Guns Florida Ongoing Investigation Texas
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2021
From a Facebook post made by the sheriff’s office in Nagadoches County, Texas, we learn today that two young boys were playing in a bedroom with a .380 semi-automatic pistol that had been left unattended. The boys, one ten and the other 13, had been shooting earlier in the day under adult supervision. When the boys …
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2021
Michael McDougal of Columbus, Georgia, age 26, was killed in a gun accident that reportedly occurred when his 9-year old daughter placed a gun on a table. There is an ongoing investigation. The report is unclear about whether the trigger was pulled. There are several well-known defects that cause certain makes and models of guns …
Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Children and Guns Ongoing Investigation Virginia
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021
A Covington, Virginia three-year old found a gun in his home and shot himself to death. His grandfather acknowledged that the gun was his, but told police it was hidden under some clothes. The boy died at the hospital after being airlifted to a trauma center. According to the news report investigators are “searching for …
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2021
A ten-year old innocent bystander was one of three people injured when gang-related gun violence broke out on the day after Thanksgiving at a crowded Durham, North Carolina mall. His injuries are not considered life threatening. The shooting led to a mass evacuation, but no suspects were arrested. The shooting was one of two triple …
Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia Juvenile Arrested Minnesota Ongoing Investigation Pennsylvania
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021
Three children were killed in unintended gun violence on Thanksgiving Day. In Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a group of kids were making a social media video with a gun on Thanksgiving Day, when one of them accidentally pulled the trigger. A five-year old was shot and killed and a 13-year old has been taken into custody. …
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2021
Eric Perez, a 10-year old in Shelbyville, Kentucky, died today in a shooting that appears to authorities to have been accidental. “He was just a fun and energetic little boy — he did his own little thing, that’s why it’s so shocking,” said a neighbor. A police spokesperson added, “[t]hat’s hard especially with the holidays …
Adult Death Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Juvenile Arrested Missouri Ongoing Investigation Pennsylvania
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021
In St. Louis, Missouri, a two-year old accidentally shot his father in the back with a rifle. The unidentified man, who was in his 20s, died at the scene. No further information is available. A Corry, Pennsylvania man, 64-year old Gary Hunt, was shot and killed while hunting bear with a friend. According to an …
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021
Police reported accidental shootings today in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois, two American cities already notably suffering from the ongoing pandemic of gun violence. In Milwaukee, a 69-year old woman was struck by a random round fired outside her home. Her suffered serious injuries, but is in stable condition at the hospital according to a …
Adult Injury Alabama Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) New Hampshire New Jersey Ongoing Investigation
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021
For the second day in a row, a law enforcement officer was shot in a training accident. A correction officer requalifying on her weapon at a training facility in Cedar Grove, New Jersey was reportedly struck in the buttocks when her weapon misfired. Her name was not released and she is expected to be OK. …
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a two-year old boy found a gun next to a bed in his home and shot himself in the stomach. The bullet exited through the boy’s back. The boy’s parents drove him to hospital, where he is listed in stable condition. “Yet another one of our precious children has suffered a critical …
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
Quadarrien Simmons, age 19, of Perry, Georgia, was accidentally shot and killed in a car when two teenagers in the backseat accidentally discharged a gun. The fired round passed through the back of his seat before it struck him. A local police Captain said that a 19-year-old named Tyrese Brown of Fort Valley and 17-year-old …
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2021
In Poughkeepsie, New York, two teenagers fired guns outside a Poughkeepsie High School. A 13-year old with a semiautomatic pistol and a 15-year old were later arrested after fleeing on foot. Several shell casings were found near the school and several vehicles were hit. A short time later, a 19-year old, apparently the victim of …
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2021
An innocent bystander in Houston, Texas was accidentally shot and killed today in a 2:00 AM firefight between security guards and a reckless driver. It is unclear if the driver was armed. He was reportedly driving dangerously in a parking lot and had injured two people. The women was killed when security guards confronted …
Alabama Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Georgia Ongoing Investigation
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2021
Kayden Jones, age 8, of Atlanta, Georgia was accidentally shot and killed at his home. Family and friends released red and blue balloons on Sunday at a vigil in his honor. “We’ve been crying all night, all morning,” a neighbor said. “How can you constantly keep trying to explain and get another seven or eight-year-old …
Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Kentucky Minnesota No Charges Filed North Carolina Ongoing Investigation
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021
Three common types of gun accidents were illustrated on Friday. In Meeker County, Minnesota, Mike Hendrickson, a hunter, unintentionally fired a gun into his thigh while climbing a tree stand. He was airlifted to the hospital after a tourniquet was applied at the scene of the accident. “His first surgery revealed significant loss of tissue, …
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2021
Bystanders were injured in three shootings today. In Chicago, Illinois, a one-year old was shot in the arm while sitting in a car outside a Walgreens store. Two men sitting in another car were also shot. “This is so sad. This s— has to stop, but nobody is doing anything,” said a woman who was …
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2021
There were accidental shooting deaths today in Beaumont, Texas, where an 18-year old boy died at home and in Kansas City, Missouri, where a woman died on the street. Few details were reported. And in Clark County, Illinois, a child accidentally shot their father while the two were walking in the woods. Sheriff’s deputies called …
Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Oklahoma Ongoing Investigation South Carolina
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2021
Three children were injured today in two separate gun accidents. A nine-year old in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was injured when a gun accidentally discharged. According to the report, a group of children were playing with the gun in an apartment when it discharged and struck the child in the hip. The report does not provide …
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2021
Jasper Wu, of Fremont, California, was just shy of his second birthday when he was struck and killed by a stray bullet while traveling with his family on Interstate 880 in Oakland. The round was part of an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles traveling in the other direction. No one besides Jasper was struck …
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2021
For the second time in a week, there was a gun accident at a gun shop. Today’s shooting at Superior Pawn and Gun in Virginia Beach, Virginia, follows an incident on Tuesday in Charleston, South Carolina in which a gun store employee was killed. Few details were reported about today’s incident, other than it was …
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2021
In the Bronx, New York, a woman was hit in the leg by a stray bullet while pushing her 2-year old in a stroller down the street. The baby was not hurt. The shooter, who was involved in an argument with another man, who also pulled a gun, is wanted by police. Source: Liam Quigley, …
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021
In an illustration of how even an accidental shooting can lead to a vicious cycle of violence, four people in Des Moines, Iowa were injured when gunfire erupted at a vigil for an accidental shooting victim. The original accident occurred on March 6, 2021, when Thomas Ivy accidently shot and killed 16-year old Elijah Brown-Townsend …
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021
Jon Whitley, a Charleston, South Carolina gun store owner accidentally shot and killed an employee after mistaking his personal handgun for a bb gun. The accident victim, Stefan Mrgan, age 36, died shortly after officers arrived at the gun store, Coastal Firearms. “A witness told Deputies he saw the two men having a normal conversation, …
Adult Injury Alabama Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Indiana Ongoing Investigation Tennessee Texas
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021
In Granite Quarry, North Carolina, a middle school student shot and killed himself when he “mishandled a gun” that he thought was unloaded. At this time, the family has asked for privacy and we ask for everyone to keep the family in thoughts and prayers,” the local police chief said. “We have no further releasable …
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021
A three-year old in Columbia, South Carolina shot and killed herself today. No other details are available. Authorities have not said how the child got the gun. Nor do they question why there are no laws or regulations that would prevent gun designs that make it simple for a toddler to pull a trigger. Source: …
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021
A Houston, Texas mom sent her ten-year old son and his eleven-year old cousin to retrieve something from her car. The boys found a loaded gun in the vehicle and, while playing with it, the ten-year old was shot and killed. Police are uncertain which of the boys was handling the gun when it went …
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021
Dawson McGrath, an Addison, Vermont man died today of a “non-suspicious gunshot.” Police are continuing to investigate, but they have preliminarily concluded that McGrath’s gunshot wound was accidental and self-inflicted. He was transferred by helicopter to Vermont Medical Center and was originally listed in critical condition, but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital. …
Adult Arrested Alabama Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Ongoing Investigation Wisconsin
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021
Kemar D. Hinton, age 4, of Greensboro, Alabama, shot and killed himself today with a loaded gun he found in his home. “When a tender age child is involved, it’s just near and dear to my heart that we find out the truth. But like I said, based on the evidence we have so far, …
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2021
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a 16-month old child was shot in the head by a sibling, but is expected to survive. “He is breathing on his own,” his grandmother told a local news station. There were four children at home at the time of the accident. The victim was the youngest and the oldest was …
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021
15-year old Kamm VanGilder of Jeffersonville, Indiana was riding with a former Jeffersonville police officer when the man’s rifle accidentally discharged and VanGilder was killed. The former officer was not identified. An autopsy has confirmed that the shooting was accidental, but the investigation is ongoing. In an incident at a San Antonio, Texas mall, two …
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021
Authorities in Clinton Township, Michigan are expected to charge a man whose gun went off during a physical altercation with his younger brother. The two men were wrestling on the floor when the gun fired and the younger man was killed. The precise circumstances causing the gun to go off are unclear. Although the police …
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021
The Rust Movie Set and The Death of Halyna Hutchins Horrific gun accidents happen in this country every day, 365 days a year. Halyna Hutchins’ accidental death today on a New Mexico movie set should prompt a larger discussion about regulating guns for safety and about the level of gun safety training necessary to prevent …
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2021
In West Point, Georgia, a 17-year old and her 23-year sister were playing with a pistol when it fired. They didn’t know the gun was loaded. The 17-year old died of a single gunshot wound to the head. Although there is an ongoing investigation, Police have concluded that the shooting was accidental. There is no …
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2021
In Mooers, New York, a man was hospitalized after a firearm accident. The case remains under investigation, according to the report, and there is no continuing threat of harm to public safety. Source: “Possible Firearm Accident in Mooers,” Press-Republican (October 16, 2021).
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2021
An 18-year old Peoria, Arizona man was shot and killed by a friend who was cleaning his gun inside a local apartment. The Peoria police said that the man who fired the fatal shot was reassembling his gun after cleaning it and that it still had a round in the chamber. No other information about …
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021
Seattle, Washington police concluded that a man who accidentally fired a pistol shot into his leg had used a gun that was reported stolen in 1997. The man initially claimed to have been shot by people who were trying to sell him drugs. Other witnesses told police that the man was playing with the gun …
MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2021
A Nashville, Tennessee woman heard an argument in the apartment below, then a loud pop, followed by pain in her foot. She had been struck by a round that passed through the floor of her apartment. According to the report, “[o]fficers found the apartment below the victim’s empty with the door slightly open, and a bullet …
Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Children and Guns Missouri Ongoing Investigation
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2021
The Problem of Relying on a Gun Seller as an “Expert” on Gun Safety According to the original report, police concluded that an Independence, Missouri eight-year old found a gun in his family’s home and shot himself. He was transported to the hospital where he later died. “We are just trying to put all the …
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Autumn Merrick, age 18, was killed when a shoot-out between people in two moving vehicles resulted in a fiery crash on a local sidewalk. Merrick, an innocent bystander, was riding a scooter on the sidewalk where the crash occurred. Her death was ruled a homicide, but no arrests have been made. “It …
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2021
A three-year old and a four year old were injured today by their gun-owning parents’ negligence. This is at least the fourth day in a row that young children were injured in gun accidents. You can track the links to the other stories here. In Houston, Texas, a three year-old was shot in the upper …
Adult Arrested Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) New York North Carolina Ongoing Investigation
MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021
For the third day in a row, a baby was shot when an adult mishandled a gun. In this instance, a one year old Winston-Salem, North Carolina girl was shot in the hand by one of her parents. She was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. Also today, Shawn Santiago, a 39-year …
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Tylin Parker, a Newton, Mississippi six-year old was airlifted to the hospital after being shot in the leg by a seven-year old first grader who had brought a gun to school in his backpack. According to police, the gun went off accidentally just as the children were getting out of school. Both how the child …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2021
A hunter looking for turkey accidentally shot a woman today in Leeds, Maine “at the end of Walton Way.” It is unclear if hunting was legal in that area. The hunter remained at the scene to provide first aid until emergency personnel arrived and the woman is in stable condition at the hospital. There is …
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 …
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2021
In LaCrosse County, Wisconsin, the sheriff’s office is investigating an accidental shooting that occured after 1 A.M. at a French Island bar. A man was shot in the leg by another patron he did not know. The circumstances of the accident are unclear. Source: Jourdan Vian, “Police: Accidental Shooting Reported on French Island,” news8000.com (September …
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, a teenager was shot in the leg by an unknown person. She was apparently an innocent bystander to other people’s gun violence. She is at least the fourth child shot this week in an incident involving violence committed by others. None of the reports state that an arrest has been made …
Adult Injury Alabama Child Injury (18 and Under) North Carolina Ohio Ongoing Investigation Pennsylvania
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
There were at least four different innocent bystander shootings today. The unintended consequences of intentional shootings continue to grow in proportion to the expansion of gun violence in the United States. In Cincinnati, Ohio, an 11-year old boy was struck in his bedroom while playing video games. The rounds that passed into his room were …
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 …
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
Austin Salyer, a Texas State University student, was shot and killed while sleeping when a gun was negligently discharged in a neighboring apartment. Police in San Marcos, Texas have identified and interviewed the shooter, but have not released the shooter’s name pending further investigation. They have offered their deepest condolences to Salyer’s family. Source: Maeve …
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2021
A St. Louis, Missouri three-year old asleep in her bed was shot in the head and rushed to the hospital in critical condition today. The shots were fired outside. No other details were reported. Source: Jason Maxwell, “Three-year-old Shot While Sleeping; Shot Fired Outside Home,” Fox 2 Now (September 6, 2021).
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2021
According to a witness, a guest at the Omni Dallas hotel in Dallas, Texas accidentally shot himself in the torso while cleaning a gun in his room. He was found dead by police. There is no report of the type of gun involved in the accident, including whether the gun had a loaded chamber indicator …
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
In Casa Grande, Arizona,a five-year old boy who found a loaded handgun in his apartment, accidentally shot and killed his mother, Michele Cox, today. Ms. Cox’s three other children and her boyfriend were home at the time of the incident. After the fact, a police department statement reminded the public in a generic way about …
TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2021
Caiden Hulliberger, age 18, of Angola, Indiana was accidentally shot and killed when he and a friend were handling a shotgun inside a residence. The other boy, also 18, has not been charged with a crime. “Not only was he a loving son but an amazing brother, friend & dog Dad. You couldn’t help but …
MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2021
In the second incident affecting a local child this week, an Indianapolis, Indiana three-year old was struck by random gunfire near his home. He is expected to survive. Police do not know who fired the shot that injured the toddler. No other details are available. Source: “Child Struck by Stray Bullet on East Side of …
SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 2021
A Newark, New Jersey eight-year old was playing with a loaded gun he found in his home when it fired and killed him. According to law enforcement, the incident is being treated as a “horrible accident.” Police are investigating whether the gun was legal and how the child got hold of it. “The 8-year-old was …
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 …