Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
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 …
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 …
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 …
A 15-year old Tucson, Arizona boy is charged with negligent homicide after a gun he was handling discharged and struck his 16-year old friend. The 16-year old, Carlos Chavarria Gonzalez, died at the scene. It was unclear how the younger boy came into possession of the gun. In a similar incident in Huntsville, Alabama, 18-year …
In Fort Worth, Texas, three-year old Lauryn Barrett found a gun in the door of the family car during a trip to Oakland Lake Park. She fired the gun and killed herself. A witness said he looked out the window of his home to see a family begging for help. “I saw the woman on …
In another accident involving a nine-year old child, a Louisville, Kentucky boy was rushed to the hospital after unintentionally shooting himself while playing with a relative’s gun. Police say the boy’s injuries are not considered life-threatening. The incident is nearly identical to one that occurred in Alabama just two days ago on April 15. A …
A Houston, Texas man may lose his leg after accidentally shooting himself. Police say the man was cleaning his gun when it went off. Source: “Man May Lose Leg after Accidental Shooting,” News 4 SA (April 16, 2021).
In Fairfield, Alabama, a nine-year old boy is fighting for his life after finding a gun and shooting himself. He is at the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating and the boy’s name has not been released. Nor if there information about how he came into possession of the gun. …
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: …
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 …
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 …
Another Texas child died today in an unintentional shooting after being shot by a child who had found a loaded gun. In Dallas, a 9-year old boy found the gun in a car and shot an 11-year old child who was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The two boys were left unattended in the …
In Hartford, Connecticut, a three-year old boy died today when someone fired into the car in which he was riding. The boy’s mother and two other young children were in the car at the time of the incident. A male passenger was also present, but he ran off after the shooting. According to police, the …
Police believe that a Houston, Texas three-year old found a loaded gun in his home today. He shot and killed his 8-month old brother, Royal Gordon. Four adults were home at the time. Police say it is unclear how the child got ahold of the weapon as they continue to investigate. As usual, there was …
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Trevion Cole, a 5-year old, was shot and killed by another child. The two children had found a loaded gun. An adult who was home at the time was not in the room when the accident occurred. On the same day, Sara Collins, a 14-year old Oklahoma City girl, was also …
A three-year old in Baker, Louisiana, found and pulled the trigger on his father’s loaded gun while his father was making lunch. The gun had recently been purchased for the family’s protection. The boy is now dead. It was unclear whether the boy’s father will face charges. “I believe in gun ownership. I grew up …
In Clendenin, West Virginia, Heather Marie Allen, age 30, was coyote hunting when she placed her loaded rifle up against her SUV. The rifle fell and discharged without a trigger pull, striking Allen in the leg. Her injuries are not expected to be life threatening. As a recent Violence Policy Center gun safety study noted, …
In Fort Mojave, Arizona, a man was accidentally shot and killed when a firearm discharged as it was being “transferred” to him. No other details of the incident are available. Near Fresno, California, ten sheriff’s deputies and a police helicopter participated in the investigation of a report that a 17-year old made after being shot …
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 …
At least two gun-owners accidentally shot themselves today in separate incidents. The first accident, in Columbus, Ohio, occurred when a man was cleaning his gun. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition. The other accident occurred at the Hawg Pen bar in Raleigh, North Carolina, where a man shot himself in the …
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, …
In Greenville, North Carolina, an 8-year old boy found a loaded gun in the glove box of his family’s car and accidentally shot himself in the abdomen. He later died at the hospital. A police spokesperson said, “[g]uns can be very appealing to young children particularly children of this age and words cannot express the …
Candace Chrzan, a senior at Jonesboro High School in Georgia was accidentally shot and killed during target practice in the backyard of her friend’s home. “At some point, Candace did have possession of a .22 pistol that they were using for target practicing,” the Sheriff’s Office later announced. “The gun jammed.” The Sheriffs’ Office added …
The Burnett County sheriff’s department responded today when a Siren, Wisconsin man was shot inside a bar. The Siren police and the St. Croix tribal police also responded. Investigators determined that the shot that injured the bar patron had been accidentally fired in a house across the street. The round apparently pierced both the wall …
A man’s gun fell out of his pocket today while exiting a vehicle in a parking lot on Tiny Town Road in Clarksville, Tennessee. It drop-fired and struck him in the leg. He was taken to the hospital in unknown condition. The potential for any gun to be dropped is, of course, foreseeable. Some guns …
In Fort Worth, Texas, an 8-year old found a loaded gun in his uncle’s home and shot himself in the leg. The boy’s injuries are not considered life-threatening and no charges have been filed at this time. Source: Jack Howland, “Boy, 8, Accidentally Shoots Himself in the Leg in Uncle’s Fort Worth Home, Police Say,” …
Two teenagers and a child were injured and hospitalized in separate gun accidents today. A 35-year old man and a 32-year old woman were also hospitalized after a fourth accident. In yet another unintentional shooting in central Ohio, an 18-year old who was playing with a gun was rushed to the hospital with life threatening …
Two men shot themselves in the leg today while holstering their guns, one in Nebraska and one in Ohio. Neither injury is considered life threatening, but both accidents would have been prevented by guns with external manual safeties, had they been deployed. A 33-year old Scottsbluff, Nebraska man was placed in a tourniquet by police …
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).
In Elk Creek, Missouri, children playing outdoors got access to a rifle from inside a parked vehicle. A nine-year old was shot and killed by a younger sibling in the incident. “With the age of the child we are talking about I don’t think they can fully grasp the consequences of what has happened,” the …
One man accidentally shot himself and another shot a teenager while cleaning their guns today. Typically, such accidents can be prevented with load indicators, magazine safety disconnects, manual safeties or cleaning protocols that do not require a trigger pull. Remarkably many guns, including Glocks, require that the trigger be pulled for disassembly and cleaning, leading …
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 …
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 …
Kevin Niyibizi, an Antioch, Tennessee 16-year old was accidentally shot and killed by a 17-year old friend, Eric Ishimwe. Niyibizi had brought a gun to his friend’s home that the two were playing with. Ishimwe told police that “he and Niyibizi were both handling and playing with a gun that Niyibizi brought into the home …
Teon Burwell, a 10-year old Richmond, Virginia boy found a loaded gun in his home and accidentally shot himself to death in front of his 12-year old brother. “They said he had been shot in the arm and it went through to his other arm. It hit a main artery,” his grandmother said. It remains …
A 77-year old Fond du Lac, Wisconsin man accidentally shot himself in the hand while cleaning a gun. Police were alerted by a call from the hospital emergency room where the man was treated and released. Source: “FDL Man Injured In Gun-Cleaning Accident,” KFIZ AM 1450 (March 17, 2021).
13-year old children in Illinois and Tennessee were innocent victims of gun violence today. Both were innocent bystanders when gunfights broke out between others on the street. These incidents are part of an epidemic of innocent bystander shootings associated with a national increase in gun violence. The Chicago, Illinois victim and a man he was …
One woman was killed and another injured in innocent bystander incidents today. There have been three such incidents in the last two days. In Waco, Texas, a woman was inside her apartment when she was struck and killed by a bullet fired in an incident outside her home. She was found later by her roommate. …
Gudelia Vallinas of Queens, New York, age 37, was an innocent bystander caught between two rival gangs when she was shot and killed on Friday. Ms. Vallinas was an unintended target when two groups of 6 to 7 teenagers each starting firing at each other at a Queens housing complex. “I heard the gunshots, like …
At a Richmond, Utah manufacturing facility, a 23-year old employee accidentally shot himself in the leg while cleaning his Glock during a break. He did not realize that the gun was loaded when he attempted to break it down. Police and paramedics responded at the scene. “This individual had fired his firearm about two weeks …
A Columbus, Ohio 12-year old and a Fairlawn, New Jersey 40-year old were injured in gun accidents today. The 40-year old was shot when his uncle handed him a Ruger pistol. The 12-year old was handling a gun in his home when it fired. Details are limited. Both individuals were taken to the hospital by …
In Detroit, Michigan, a 13-year old and a three-year old were hurt in separate gun accidents. The three year old was shot by a four-year old sibling while they were playing with a gun. They were being supervised by another sibling, age 13, while their parents were at work. The injured child was in stable …
Jalynn Lester, age 17, of Dallas, Texas was arrested and charged with manslaughter after accidentally shooting and killing Don-Yeah Hill, also 17, at a shopping center in the middle of the afternoon. Lester told police that he was breaking down a gun when it went off. Hill died at a local hospital. Source: Catherine Marfin, …
A Bixby, Oklahoma teenager is charged with first degree manslaughter after accidentally shooting a man while cleaning his gun. The boy, Jackson Bruce, told witnesses that he was on the floor of his bedroom cleaning a gun when it went off and struck the victim in the chest. The victim later died at the hospital. …
Thomas Ivy, age 18, of Des Moines, Iowa, accidentally shot and killed Elijah Brown-Townsend, age 15, while handing him a gun. The two were in a vehicle parked at a convenience store when the accident occurred. Ivy was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. Source: Amber Mohmand, “18-year-old Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter in Death of …
At a Ceres, California gun range, a firearms instructor was holstering a gun during a training session when it fired. The 69-year old was struck in the thigh and taken to the hospital where he is in stable condition. Perhaps if the gun had an external manual safety that the instructor demonstrated for the class, …
In Holt, Michigan, a woman accidentally shot both herself and her boyfriend with a single round fired from her recently purchased handgun. She had removed the magazine from the weapon and did not realize that there was still a round in the chamber. Apparently, the gun had no magazine safety disconnect. Both the woman and …
In a complicated incident today, Houston, Texas police accidentally shot a one-year old child in the head. They were reportedly attempting to prevent a carjacking at the time of the incident. The baby is in stable condition at the hospital. Police report that they were chasing an armed suspect, wanted for several aggravated robberies. At …
A 6-year old Nashville, North Carolina boy was shot and injured by a friend of his brother, who was showing off a gun. According to the report, the boy’s 16-year old brother had friends over, one of whom was showing the group his gun when it fired. The 6-year old was airlifted to a hospital, …
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 …
An 88-year old woman was killed and a three-year old child was seriously injured in separate gun accidents today. In Warren, Ohio, 88-year old Ruth Lewis was planning a funeral with family members when someone shot through a window and killed her. “This was a senseless death caused by a random bullet. Obviously, she wasn’t …
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, …
In Hays, Kansas, Raymond Nieman, a 72-year old man, died in a gun accident today. According to the report, he was attempting to secure his shotgun in the rear of his vehicle when it discharged and struck him in the chest. The man was found lying in the street next to his vehicle by a …
Two gun accidents were announced on social media today. @MoCoPGNews tweeted that a Silver Spring, Maryland man shot himself in the shoulder while cleaning his gun. The extent of the man’s injuries were unknown. In Arlington, Texas, “Arlington Texas Crime” posted on its Facebook page that a man shot himself in the leg while unloading …
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 …
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 …
An 11-year old Lakewood, Washington girl died while filming a video of herself with her mother’s handgun. The girl’s 10-year old brother called police to report the incident, although her mother was home at the time. Police are investigating how the girl gained access to the gun in light of Washington law governing safe storage. …
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 …
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 …
At a Winston-Salem, North Carolina hospital, doctors discovered that an eight-year old had been shot in the head in her home. The girl was in critical condition. No other information has been released, including about the circumstances of the incident. Police are investigating. Source: John Hinton, “An 8-year-old Girl is Shot in the Head on …
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 …
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 …
After investigating, police determined that a man found shot on the street in South Sioux City, Iowa had accidentally shot himself. The man had been taken by two good Samaritans to a local hospital. He is not facing charges. Nor will the unidentified man pay, apparently, for the various police and health care resources triggered …
Gabriel Alexis Henderson, a 25-year old mother of five young children in Cornelius, North Carolina, was shot and killed when one of her children found a loaded handgun in her purse. Four of her children were in the room with her at the time of the accident. One of those children was also struck, but …
At Desert Sky Mall in Phoenix, Arizona, a 17-year old boy was shot as an innocent bystander to an argument between others about a pair of sneakers. Alejandro Martinez, a high-school student, was shot and killed on the anniversary of the Parkland High School murders. According to the report, gunfire erupted at a kiosk inside …
An 8-year old boy was accidentally shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin today inside his home by a bullet fired outside. The report does not include information about the boy’s condition. A 16-year old was later arrested for firing indiscriminately into the home. “If children and women in our city are not safe, nobody is safe,” said …
In Fort Wayne, Indiana, an Indiana State trooper called in a report of a gun accident at his own home. According to the report, the trooper, who was on duty at the time, was notified of an accident involving a 6-year old child. He reported it to authorities and responded personally. The trooper took the …
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 …
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 …
Two children found guns and injured other children today, once again in Texas and Ohio. In Houston, Texas, a boy described as 6- or 7-years old, found a loaded gun and shot his five-year old sister in the leg. She was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Several family members were home at the time of …
In Idaho Falls, Idaho, a police officer mistook a man with a gun at a housing complex for a wanted suspect with a gun. The officer shot and killed the wrong man. Although details of the accident are unclear, the officer involved was placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation. “The truth that we …
In Auburn Hills, Michigan a 50-year old man who was playing with a gun accidentally shot and killed himself. When police responded to a call about an accidental shooting, they found the victim on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to his head. His semi-automatic pistol was next to him. The victim’s brother, …
At a baby shower in Gaines Township, Michigan, a 26-year old man was killed when a “small cannon-like device” exploded. The man, Evan Thomas Silva, was struck by shrapnel from the explosion. He was ten to fifteen feet away at the time of the accident. The authorities are still “piecing together how the celebratory event …
In East Chicago, Indiana, a two-year old found an unattended loaded gun in his home and shot himself in the side of the head. The child was conscious when officers found him, a police deputy reported. Family members told police that the boy had located his father’s gun in the residence and shot himself with …
In Indianapolis, Indiana, two people were hurt in a single shooting that police concluded was an accident. One of them was taken to the hospital. No other information is available. Source: “IMPD: 3 Hurt in Overnight Shootings, Including Attempted Robber,” Fox 59 (February 4, 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 …
In Concord, Georgia, a 17-year old boy was shot and killed in a gun accident caused by a gun defect. The Sheriff’s Office preliminary investigation indicated that a person in an adjacent room dropped a firearm which discharged. The round passed through a wall and struck the victim. He was taken for medical treatment, but …
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a three-year old boy found a loaded gun in his home and shot himself. Police were alerted to the incident by a call from the hospital. Although the child is expected to survive, there is an ongoing investigation. Source: “Toddler Expected to Survive after Accidental Shooting, Police Say,” Fox 8 Live …
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 …
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 …
In Ellisville, Mississippi, a four-year old toddler found a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his family car and accidentally shot and killed his two-year old sister. Their mother had left them in the back seat of the car temporarily. The toddler was able to climb out of his car seat and grab the gun. “It’s just …
The Bennettsville, South Carolina Police Department issued the following statement about a gun accident that injured two children today, reprinted here in its entirety: “The Bennettsville Police Department Detectives’ Division was called in reference to a shooting at a residence inside the city limits of Bennettsville, SC. A preliminary investigation has led detectives to conclude …
Brooklyn Terrell, a 17-year old Lockland, Ohio teenager, was accidentally shot and killed when she and two other teenagers were handling a stolen gun. A 16-year-old boy has been charged with reckless homicide, obstructing justice and tampering with evidence. The other suspect, a 14-year-old boy, is charged with obstructing justice, tampering with evidence and theft …
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 …
In Engelhard, North Carolina, Brandon Marshall was accidentally shot and killed while duck hunting with his son. Details of the accident were not released other than that Marshall was in a duck blind at the time of the accident and that he died on the way to the hospital. An enforcement officer with the North …
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 …
Two innocent bystanders were accidentally shot at 2:06 A.M. on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. According to the report, two people opened fire on each other. Neither of the shooters was hit. The two victims were an 18-year old woman and a 57-year old man. Police are looking for the shooters. Source: “NOPD Investigating Double …
There was another accidental gun death of a young child today. A three-year old in Owosso, Michigan found a gun in his home and shot himself. He later died at the hospital. “Owosso Public Safety offers its condolences to any family or friends who have been impacted by this tragic event,” the local public safety …
A 74-year old man was accidentally shot and killed in his Louisville, Kentucky home today. The round that killed him was fired in a dispute between two groups of people outside. The man has not been publicly identified and no arrests have been made. We call him Mr. Herb,” a neighbor said. “He’s a great …
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 …