Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
Two more young children died in gun accidents in their homes today. In Westminster, Colorado, a three-year old girl, Ruby Jackson, was shot and killed while playing with her seven-year old brother. She was shot in the chest as the children played ‘swords.’ “Ruby was using a broomstick, but at some point her brother picked …
A four-year old girl, Kastari Nunez, was accidentally shot and killed in Northeast Philadelphia today. According to the report, a “.357 revolver with five live rounds and one spent cartridge casing was found on a living room sofa.” Police ultimately charged three adults who were present in the home at the time of the accident. …
20-year old Keaton Sexton died today in Frankfort, Kentucky when a bullet passed through his apartment wall. Another 20-year-old, Trevor Fridenmaker, of Frankfort, was handling a pistol in the next apartment when it accidentally discharged. “There’s no belief there was any ill intent,” a Police Captain said. “Through investigation, it was determined the round that …
Once again, a young person was seriously injured by a stray bullet fired in a fight that she had no part in. In Boston, Massachusetts a 10-year old girl is in critical condition after being struck by a bullet that passed through her apartment wall. The shot was fired during a fight that occurred in …
Four accidental shooting victims are taking up hospital beds amidst the coronavirus medical crisis, after gun accidents in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and California today. In Jeanerette, Louisiana, a boy was accidentally shot in the neck during “horseplay.” The adult shooter was arrested and charged with illegal discharge of a weapon. A man in Lake Jackson, …
A man was killed today in an accidental shooting on a Houston, Texas street. According to authorities, a group of friends had congregated despite coronavirus related social distancing concerns and were playing with a gun when it when off. The deceased man was in his 20’s. Source: “Man May Have Been Playing with Gun When …
In Edinburgh, Indiana, a police officer who was cleaning a personal weapon accidentally shot his wife in the leg. According to investigators, he did not know that there was a round in the chamber. The woman is in stable condition at a hospital in Indianapolis. Officers are trained to be careful when cleaning their weapons …
Quainnesha Paul, an 18-year old Baton Rouge, Louisiana teenager died in an apparent gun accident today. She was accidentally shot in her home by a 22-year old relative, Keagan Valdry. Valdry was arrested and charged with negligent homicide. No other details were released. Source: “Baton Rouge Man Accused of Negligent Homicide After Relative’s Death in …
In an Evans, Georgia gun accident, a 2-year old girl was shot in the abdomen by her 8-year old brother. The child had found a gun while watching TV and was playing with it when it went off. Police are investigating who brought the gun into the home. Source: “Who Owned Gun Used in Accidental …
In Colonie, New York, Denzel Grimes, a 29-year old man, accidentally shot and killed himself in a hotel with a 9-mm pistol. The gun apparently discharged and struck Mr. Grimes in the groin. He later died of the wound. Police identified Grimes’s gun as a “Jennings/Bryco Arms, Model 59,” a type of cheap handgun that …
In a continuing epidemic of young children being caught in the cross-fire of gun violence among adults, a 7-year old was shot and killed in his home during an argument in Clayton County, Georgia. According to a report, “[t]he shooting was the result of an altercation between [an] 18-year-old and the occupants of a white …
A young Roanoke, Virginia boy was found in a vehicle with gunshot wounds. He later died at the hospital. The boy’s age was not released. Police responded to a “shots fired” call and later found the boy. A man separately arrived at the hospital with gunshot wounds. Police assume that the two injuries are related …
The latest gun accident involving a child happened in Jackson, Mississippi, where a 5-year child found a gun in his home and shot himself. He was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. There is an ongoing investigation. Source: Justin Victory, “JPD Investigating after 5-year-old Accidentally Shoots Himself,” Clarion Ledger (April 9, 2020).
There was a fatal gun accident today in Katy, Texas. An unidentified woman was accidentally shot and killed when two friends were handling a gun. According to a report, the women asked to see the gun and it went off while it was being handed to her. The men remained on the scene and attempted …
In another fatal gun accident, an unidentified 19-year old Goose Creek, South Carolina man is dead after he was shot inside a local home. According to investigators, the “shooter was trying to show the victim how to clean the weapon but failed to ensure the gun was empty, leading to the fatal shot.” The shooter …
Once again, a young child was shot as an innocent bystander to a violent argument, this time in Jacksonville, Florida. This is the second shooting of a child as bystander to an argument in two days. It is the third gun accident of this type in four days. The victim, Kearria Attison, was 5-years old. …
In Chester, Pennsylvania, 7-year old Sinsir Parker was found dead after being hit by a “stray bullet” during an apparent drive-by shooting. He had been shot in the face and was discovered lying in the middle of the street. Police are investigating. The report noted that the incident was the 14th homicide in Chester in …
In an incident in Craigsville, Virginia, a 14-year old girl was accidentally shot in the hip during an altercation. The girl was attending a party where a fight broke out. One of the participants fired a warning shot into the ground. A bullet fragment ricocheted and struck the 14-year old. The man who fired the …
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a 7-year old boy was accidentally shot on the street. He suffered a non-fatal wound. The shooting was apparently related to an argument in which the boy was not the intended target. Police are investigating. Source: “Milwaukee Police: 7-year-old Boy Shot, Wounded Near 23rd and Locust,” Fox6now.com (April 4, 2020).
Amir Jennings Green, a 4-year old in Thornton, Illinois, found a loaded gun in the basement of his home today. He fired it and killed himself. This is the third gun accident in two days in which a toddler found a gun and fired it. Source: “4-year-old Dies After Accidentally Shooting Himself in Thornton,” WGN …
Two young children gained access to guns today and shot themselves. At a Wawa grocery in Henrico County Virginia, a 5-year old found a loaded gun in a car while her parents were pumping gas at the Wawa. She shot herself in the hand. In Charlotte, North Carolina, a 3-year old was taken from her …
In Chandler, Arizona, Jordan Taylor was arrested after accidentally shooting his wife. According to Taylor, he and his wife were new gun owners. One of their guns fired while he was cleaning it and struck his wife in the chest. She later died at the hospital. Taylor claimed that the same weapon had also accidentally …
Here is the entirety of a report about an incident that occurred today in Bessemer, Alabama: “The 12-year-old boy who was shot in the head Monday by his brother while playing with a gun has died, according to the Bessemer Police Department. No other information has been released at this time.” Source: Phil Pinarski, “12-year-old …
A Liberty County, Texas man was cleaning a 9-mm semi-automatic pistol when it accidentally fired and struck his 15-year old son in the lower back. The boy was flown to a hospital in Houston and is expected to survive. The gunshot was reported to have caused a “through and through wound.” Source: “Father Cleaning Gun …
In Lincoln, Nebraska, a thirty-year old man was treated at the hospital after suffering a wound while target shooting with a 9-mm handgun. According to authorities, a bullet ricocheted after hitting a steel target and a fragment of the round hit the man in the leg. No charges will be filed. Source: Lori Pilger, “Lincoln …
In Springfield, Tennessee, a woman was hit by a stray bullet while walking down the street. She was hospitalized with a non-life threatening wound to her arm. Police are investigating, and believe that the shot was fired on an adjacent street. Source: Jason Hall, “Report: Springfield Woman Accidentally Shot While Walking Down Street,” Fox 17 …
On Thursday night, 20-year old Zion Lofton shot and killed his twin brother Zain in their home in Indianapolis, Indiana. Zion accidentally fired a shot into the floor in his upstairs bedroom and the bullet struck his brother who was downstairs at the time. The police concluded that the shooting was an accident. Zion accepted …
In a variety of jurisdictions across the country today, accidental gunshot wounds sent people to the hospital, where staff are already struggling to find sufficient resources to manage the coronavirus epidemic. Among the accidents was one in Ormond Beach, Florida, where a 22-year old man was shot in the leg when a .22 caliber rifle …
In Torrington, Connecticut, two people were injured by a single round fired accidentally from a 9-mm handgun. Their wounds are not considered life-threatening. According to a statement made by a police investigator, “[u]pon arrival of the officers, it was found that a male party, and a female party had both suffered non-life threatening injuries as …
The Augusta, Georgia sheriff’s office mobilized units to look for a suspect when an individual was shot in the leg on a city street on Monday afternoon. Investigators later concluded that the shooting was accidental. No charges are pending. The report does not discuss whether the resources used to investigate the incident can be recovered …
In Rome, Alabama, James Triston Williams, a 19-year old man, was accidentally shot and killed by his 20-year old friend while they were playing with a gun. The shooter, Cameron Andrew Thornton, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Witnesses told police, “Thornton had the gun pointed at Williams’ chest. When Williams reached for the weapon, Thornton …
Daryl Gunnison, a 28-year old Atlanta, Georgia man was shot by his girlfriend, who was playing with a gun. This is the second report of a serious gun accident in Atlanta in two days. Gunnison was shot in the chest. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries, where he later died. …
A three-year old girl and her father were both injured in Atlanta, Georgia, when the father’s gun accidentally went off while he was handling it inside their apartment. The father, Sahir Duvall, was shot in the hand and his daughter was shot in the neck. Duvall drove them both to the hospital where they were …
19-year old Anthony Padilla, an Albuquerque, New Mexico man, accidentally shot and killed his 13-year old cousin while arming himself for protection against the Covid-19 scare. The boy, Patrick Arroyo, was shot in the torso and pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. According to a report of the shooting, “Padilla told police he was …
In Northwoods, Missouri, a 15-year old boy accidentally shot his 12-year old sister, Nakyah Durham. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy was handling a firearm when it accidentally discharged. He has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. Source: Associated Press, “Police: 15-Year-Old Accidentally Shot 12-Year-Old Sister,” US News and World Report …
Three children were accidentally shot in their own homes yesterday. Each incident involved a handgun apparently left unsecured. Two 12-year old boys in Springfield, Oregon, who were off from school due to the coronavirus on Tuesday morning, found a gun belonging to a family member and were playing with it when it went off. One …
A Gadsden, Alabama man shot himself outside the hospital after bringing his wife in for treatment of an accidental gunshot wound. The women’s injuries were not life threatening, but the man was taken to a second hospital where he is reported to be in critical condition. A school two blocks from the hospital was placed …
A three-year old Louisville, Kentucky girl is dead. According to a report, Fayth Graham found a loaded gun in her home and shot herself. “We’re still in the very early stages of the investigation, and really, at this point, that’s way down the line,” a police spokesperson responded when questions were raised about whether the …
In Saint Charles, Missouri, a man accidentally shot himself in the leg outside a gun and knife show at the Convention Center. On a day when Americans were asked to remain at home by medical professionals to prevent the spread of the CoronaVirus, medical crews responded to the accident and transported the man to a …
A 13-year old boy in Memphis Tennessee was charged with negligent homicide after accidentally shooting 9-year old Xavier Jackson with a gun that he found unsecured. A 26-year old man, Lindsey Williams, was also charged with negligent homicide in connection with the incident. “Too many kids in Memphis have died this year,” a relative said. …
In Laurinburg, North Carolina, a 27-year old man accidentally shot himself outside a Golden Corral restaurant. According to police, the man, who has a concealed-carry permit, “had been trying to take the gun out of [his] holster to put away before going into the restaurant when the gun went off.” The report did not disclose …
A gun unintentionally discharged in a Grand Forks, North Dakota residence while its owner was attempting to disassemble it. A man in the residence was hospitalized “with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.” There is an open and ongoing investigation. Source: “Man Injured after Gun ‘Unintentionally’ Discharged in Grand Forks Home,” The Grand Forks Herald (March 11, …
Derrius Atkinson, a Wake Forest, North Carolina teenager pled guilty and was sentenced to 13-25 months in prison in connection with a 2018 gun accident that left his best friend dead. Atkinson was also ordered to pay restitution. Rodshawn Barnes, Atkinson, and two other boys were playing video games at Barnes’ home, while also playing …
Darric Appleton, a 14-year old Phoenix, Arizona teenager, was accidentally shot and killed by a 16-year old friend. 7 children, age 5-16, were in the home at the time of the incident. No adults were present. According to police, the 16-year old brought a gun to the residence, pointed it, and accidentally pulled the trigger. …
A child is dead after a gun accident in Fairview, North Carolina. Although sources indicate that the wound was self inflicted and that the victim was five-years old, authorities expressly declined to release any details of the incident on the basis that the victim was under 18. An investigation is ongoing. This case illustrates the …
After accidentally shooting a woman in Paris, Tennessee, the shooter apparently took his own life. After the accident, the shooter accompanied the woman to the hospital. She was admitted and is in stable condition. The man went missing and then shot himself in the hospital’s emergency medical services building. “We have no indication that it …
In another accident involving a police officer, this time in Detroit Michigan, an officer shot herself at police headquarters. She was taken to the hospital where she was listed in serious condition. Compared to most American gun owners, police officers undergo significant firearm safety training. Even with training, accidents frequently occur. Police, for their own …
A school maintenance worker at the Sagemont School in Weston Florida was accidentally shot in the eye by an armed school security officer. The security officer, who worked for a private company, dropped the shooting victim at a local hospital and went home. According to authorities, the security officer, Julian Suarez, was not authorized to …
In Brownstown, Indiana, a police investigation has determined that a shot was accidentally fired by a man who was handling a handgun in the living room of his home. A bullet from the gun went through the man’s leg and then entered the leg of his 5-year old son. The man was treated and released. …
A three-year old shot himself in the head today in Columbia, South Carolina with a gun he found in a bedroom in his home. He is hospitalized in critical condition. His mother was later charged with “unlawful conduct toward a child.” In Bolivar, Missouri a two-year old child shot his four-year old brother in the …
Ashley James, a 19-year old who recently starred on the Green Run High School basketball team in Chesapeake, Virginia, was shot and killed today in an accidental shooting. He and another teen were handling a gun when it went off. James received emergency care, but died from his wound. No further information about the nature …
An 11-month old child in Plymouth Massachusetts was injured when a gun was accidentally fired near his home. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The boy’s neighbor, a licensed gun owner, accidentally discharged his gun, according to the local police chief. “He says he was putting a trigger guard on it, …
In Biloxi, Mississipi, Bennie Hiep Lu, a 15-year old, accidentally shot and killed another teenager. The boys were playing with a gun and Lu pulled the trigger in the belief that the gun was unloaded. Reports indicate that “Bennie has been placed under arrest and is being charged as an adult with manslaughter. … After …
Malinda Broyles of Fairmount West Virginia died after being accidentally shot in the neck. Gene McIntosh was reportedly manipulating the action on his rifle when the gun fired. Although Mr. McIntosh was charged with wanton endangerment and the circumstances of the accident are still being investigated, a rifle should not fire unless the trigger is …
Two teenagers were shot to death today by others in incidents that involved playing with a gun. In Tamaqua, a borough in Eastern Pennsylvania, Eric Tavener was shot and killed accidentally by 21-year old Francis Witmayer. Witnesses said that Tavener, an 18-year old, was playing with a gun when he was asked to return it …
For the third day in a row, a child was accidentally shot in East Texas by another child. In Joaquin, Texas, 17-year old Heston Avery accidentally shot and killed his teenage friend, whose name was not reported. At the time of the shooting, Avery called for emergency help, but deputies pronounced the victim dead at …
For the second day in a row, a child was accidentally shot by an older relative in Houston, Texas. According to sheriff’s deputies, 19-year old Caitlyn Smith accidentally shot her 10-year old nephew while she was taking selfies with a gun. The Sheriff announced that Ms. Smith was arrested and charged with “Injury to a …
A 15-year old in Houston, Texas turned himself in to police after accidentally shooting his 5-year old sister in the stomach. The accident occurred while his parents were asleep. The boy panicked and ran from the home when his parents woke up to the sound of the gunshot. The 5-year old was rushed to a …
Two Tennessee teens were unintentionally shot this weekend. One is dead and the other is recovering at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In Memphis, 16-year old Jordan Milan was shot and killed by his 17-year old friend, who was playing with a gun. The 17-year old, who was not identified by police, was arrested and charged …
A 13-year old Muskegon Heights, Michigan boy fired a flare gun that accidentally passed through a window and started a fire in the home of an 88-year old neighbor. Police officers responding to the incident heard a faint cry for help from inside the dwelling and rescued the 88-year old and her unconscious cat. The …
In Texarkana Arkansas, Kayden May was charged with manslaughter after the shooting death of his girlfriend Abbigale Thacker in their home. Both May and Thacker were 18-year olds. May’s charge was reduced from second-degree murder to manslaughter after authorities concluded that Thacker’s death resulted from an “extreme case of gun safety violations.” A Texarkana police …
In Brooksville, Florida, an unidentified man accidentally shot and killed himself while playing with a gun. He was waiting for a haircut at the time. The sheriff’s office called the incident a “horrible accident.” The make and model of the gun that accidentally fired was not released. Source: Associated Press, “Florida Man Waiting for Haircut …
In Bryan, Texas, two police officers were injured when a gun “accidentally went off” at the police station. Both officers were taken to the hospital, treated and released. A release issued by the Bryan police department says that an administrative review of policies, procedures, and training will take place to determine what can be done …
A man sitting in his apartment in Plano, Texas today was shot in the leg by a neighbor who was moving a shotgun inside his home. The man whose shotgun accidentally fired is expected to be charged with the misdemeanor crime of discharging a firearm. Source: “Police: Man Accidentally Fired Shotgun Inside Plano Apartment, Injuring …
In Killingly, Connecticut, Mountain Robicheau shot through his leg when showing off his gun to his sister. The man told police that “he was showing his sister the de-cocking mechanism of his Beretta 96A .40-caliber pistol when his finger slipped while he was trying to lower the weapon’s hammer.” Robicheau opted not to immediately go …
In Dunmor, Kentucky, a 15-year old boy was killed when a firearm accidentally discharged while he was target shooting with a friend and his friend’s mother on their property. The Kentucky State Police investigated and concluded: “it was an accidental discharge. Detectives are working to determine exactly how the incident happened. No one has been …
In St. Louis, Missouri, a 12-year old boy was accidentally shot when a family member fired a warning shot at a person she believed was going to rob her. The bullet struck the ground and the ricochet hit the boy in the hand. He was taken to a hospital where he was expected to recover. …
On Valentine’s Day, four young children were shot and injured in their homes by other children. Three children were shot in two incidents in Chicago, Illinois. The other incident occurred in Dallas, Texas. An eight-year old boy and a 12-year old girl were both shot in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side by another …
A student at Henley High School in Klamath County, Oregon was hospitalized after an accidental shooting in the school parking lot. According to reports, two students were moving a gun from one car to another after shooting together when the gun went off, hitting one of the students in the hand. Source: Anna Weeks, “Accidental …
14-year old Jesus Jimenez Solis was cleaning a gun in his bedroom when it accidentally fired, killing his 15-year old friend, Sylas Lieb. Jimenez Solis, an Omaha Nebraska boy, was holding the gun in his lap and wiping it with a towel when it went off. Lieb died at the scene. According to investigators, Jimenez …
The Police Chief in Magnolia, Arkansas, Todd Dew, was accidentally shot by a fellow officer while attempting to serve a warrant on a man who had violated the terms of his probation. According to a statement, the officers were entering a home when the gun went off and struck the Chief in the back. Chief …
In Tampa, Florida, 17-year old Ivan Johnson died today after being shot with a BB fired from a pellet gun by an eight-year old friend while they were waiting for the younger boy’s father in the father’s car. The BB struck Ivan in the eye. He was taken to a hospital before dying three days …
A family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is mourning the death of three-year old Chassity Clancy who was shot to death in a gun accident in her home. According to reports, 51-year old Marlin Pritchard was babysitting and fell asleep next to Chassity with a loaded pistol grip shotgun under his pillow when the gun went off. …
In Dayton, Ohio, a 9-mm pistol accidentally fired when a man and his his grandfather were inspecting it. The man was shot in the foot and taken to the hospital. His name and condition were not released. Source: Nevin Smith, “Man Shoots His Foot, Medics Respond,” Dayton Now (February 8, 2020).
Lincoln Mack, a 4-year old boy in Pemberton Township, New Jersey, accidentally shot and killed himself today after finding a loaded handgun in his home. His parents and two siblings were in the home at the time. Lincoln’s preschool teachers described him as a “sweet and fun little boy with a smile that lit up …
20-year old Betty Spado of Pendleton, South Carolina died after being shot when a gun discharged inside her apartment. Her boyfriend and two other men were handling guns while visiting when one of the guns went off. The coroner ruled her death an accident. Source: Live 5 Web Staff, “S.C. Woman Killed After Gun Misfires …
A five-year old boy in Macon, Georgia accidentally shot his six-year old brother in the shoulder while they were playing with a handgun they had found in their home. The injured boy went to the hospital and is listed in stable condition. The boys’ mother was charged with cruelty to children in the second degree. …
A 15-year old boy was injured in Fannett, Texas when a dog jumped into his four-wheel UTV and discharged his .22 caliber rifle by knocking it over. The gun fired one round into the boy’s stomach. According to reports, this was the third accidental shooting involving a Southeast Texas teenager in less than 60 days. …
Police announced today that they are still considering filing charges against an unidentified 21-year old in White Township, Pennsylvania, who accidentally shot his four-month old son with a 9-mm handgun. The boy suffered significant injuries after being hit in the upper body, but is expected to survive. At the time of the shooting, the boy’s …
In Harvest, Alabama, five-year old Maxton Hughes, the son of a Huntsville police officer, apparently found a gun in the family car and accidentally shot himself in the head. A parent found the child and drove him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. An investigation is ongoing but no charges are expected. “This …
In Hinckley, Ohio, 13-year old Max Muzyczka, an eighth grader, was shot to death. Police reported that “the initial investigation indicates this was sadly a tragic accident.” Authorities declined to release additional information about the incident out of respect for the the boy’s family. According to a statement issued by the school district, “Max was …
Three-year old Keegan Vasquez shot himself in the face with a .25 caliber pistol he found on a TV stand in his great-grandmother’s home. The Callaghan County, Texas boy was taken to a hospital in Fort Worth, where he later died. The boy’s great-grandmother said that she had forgotten that the gun was there. The …
Four young children accidentally shot themselves today with found guns in separate incidents. Two are dead. Two are hospitalized. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania a four-year old found a Glock pistol in a closet and shot himself in the head in his bedroom. His three-year old brother was in the room at the time. Police say the …
A 10-year old St. Louis, Missouri boy found a gun outside his apartment building, brought it inside and accidentally shot himself in the leg. The gun had earlier been stolen in Springfield, Missouri according to police. Source: “Boy, 10, Accidentally Shot Himself With Stolen Gun He Found Outside, Police Say,” KMOV4 (January 30, 2020).
An unidentified man died today after accidentally shooting himself while in line at the Supreme Bean coffee shop in Spokane, Washington. No further information about the accident has been reported. An investigation is ongoing. On the other side of the country, in Cedartown, Georgia, at Zorba’s restaurant, a man accidentally shot himself in the parking …
In Byesville, Ohio, 37-year old David Wray was charged as: “a parent, guardian, custodian, person having custody or control, or person in loco parentis of a child under 18 years of age, who did create a substantial risk of the health or safety of an unidentified child, by violating a duty of care, protection or …
In another fatal gun accident involving a child in Pataskala, Ohio, a town of less than 16,000 people near Columbus (see December 14, 2019), 15-year old Noah Bigham shot and killed his best friend, Hunter Cooper, a high school freshman, while attempting to distract him from playing a video game. Noah was using the laser …
3-year old Amir Antoine of Baton Rouge, Louisiana shot and killed himself Saturday morning in his home. He was handling a gun and accidentally pulled the trigger. This was the second accidental shooting in the Antoine home in the last four years. In 2016, 17-year-old Ahmad Antoine was charged with negligent homicide after he accidentally …
Of eight reports of accidental shootings today, involving a total of 11 shooting incidents, three occurred in Ohio, one each in Mississippi, Wyoming, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. None of the 11 shootings was fatal. Two of the incidents involved accidental self-inflicted shootings, three involved young children shot accidentally by others, three involved women apparently …
In Prestonburg, Kentucky, a messenger for an armored car service was shot when his gun accidentally discharged while he was making a drop at a Big Lots store in a strip mall. “His weapon became lodged between himself and items he was carrying,” according to Prestonburg police detective Ross Shurtleff. “While it was lodged between …