A 57-year old Hackensack, New Jersey man was placing his Smith & Wesson .45-caliber handgun on his nightstand as part of his preparation for bedtime when it accidentally fired. The victim was struck in the abdomen. He remains in critical condition with severe internal injuries. “We are doing our due diligence, as always, in investigating,” …
Category: Law Enforcement Action (At Time of Report)
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2020
According to authorities, a 17-year old Charlestown, West Virginia teen shot himself in the arm today while cleaning his gun. No charges will be filed. Source: Bailey Pace, “Teen Accidentally Shoots Himself According to Sheriff Dept.,” WVVA (January 21, 2020).
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2020
A bullet accidentally fired in Chesterton, Indiana, near Gary, passed through two adjoining apartments and narrowly missed a three-year old child. According to a police report, Samuel Duley, a 22-year old, was cleaning his rifle inside the apartment building when it went off. He had removed the gun’s ammunition clip, but “he must have spaced …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 2020
In Bloomington, Indiana, both four-year old Tripp Shaw and his father, Tyler, were shot in the head after the father’s gun accidentally discharged. After several days in the hospital, Tripp died of his wounds. His father was expected to recover. According to authorities, the father and son were play-wrestling on a bed when a gun …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 2020
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, an accidentally discharged round passed through the shooter’s bedroom door, across a hallway and through another door where it struck 52-year old Virgen Milagros Rivera, who was critically injured. The shooter, who was found to have negligently handled the firearm, was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. He was …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020
At Three Fires Elementary School in Howell, Michigan, a father accidentally discharged his gun in his vehicle while waiting to pick up his child. The initial investigation showed no criminal intent, though the school was placed on lockdown at the time of the shooting. The man shot himself in the hand and leg. He was …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020
Providence, Rhode Island police found 22-year old Edward Rodriquez in a hallway in his apartment building at 16 What Cheer Avenue, without pants, with a gunshot wound to his scrotum. Martinez said that he had been handling a gun on his bed when it fired. According to police, no charges will be filed. Mr. Martinez …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, an 8-year old found his father’s loaded handgun when his father left him alone briefly in the car while shopping. The boy shot himself in the leg. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Just over a month ago, a Fort Lauderdale toddler also found his father’s loaded handgun …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020
19-year old Cesar Cortes was accidentally shot and killed today at Bellaire High School, just outside of Houston, Texas. The shooter was his 16-year old friend, a boy who has not been identified because of his age. According to authorities, both the shooter and Cortes were members of the High School’s JROTC program. The younger …
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2020
According to a Riverside, Ohio police sergeant, “a 3-year-old got ahold of his father’s weapon and accidentally shot himself in the leg.” The boy found the gun in a bedroom and brought it to the living room where he was playing with it when it went off. The boy’s father was home at the time. …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020
In separate incidents in different parts of the country, two women were struck by stray gunfire while walking on the street. In Detroit Michigan, a woman walked to the hospital, where she was found to be in serious condition, after being hit by a bullet along Crusade Street near Liberal. Police said she was struck …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2020
41-year old Brian McManemy of Blairstown, Iowa was shot in the leg when one of the guns in the vehicle in which he was riding discharged. He was transported to a Cedar Rapids hospital. Mr. McManemy was coyote hunting at the time of the accident. He was a passenger in a vehicle driving through a …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2020
Bronson Reed, a 45-year old father in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee was cleaning a 9-mm pistol in his home when it went off unexpectedly. The bullet struck Reed in the leg and then hit his seven-year old son. At the time the story was reported, the child remained hospitalized. An investigation is ongoing. Source: Ken Nicholson …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020
A 19-year old Clifton Park, New York woman, Kylee L. Stark, was charged with first degree reckless endangerment after accidentally discharging a shotgun inside her apartment while taking pictures of herself on her cell phone. There were no injuries. Ms. Stark was arraigned in Halfmoon Town Court and was released on her own recognizance. Source: …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
20-year old Gregory Lee Miller, Jr. of Lexington Kentucky died today of a gunshot wound. 25-year old Jaquan St. Louis has been arrested and charged with reckless homicide. According to police, St. Louis believed the gun was unloaded when he pointed it at Miller. Source: “Arrest Made in Lexington’s First Homicide of 2020, Victim Identified,” …
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2020
A Daytona Beach, Florida woman, Lauren Sherriffs, was arrested and charged with child abuse after a minor in her care shot himself in the foot with a .40-caliber handgun. The boy found the gun in a closet and was attempting to unload the gun went it off. Initially, the boy told police that he was …
MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020
A 20 year-old Rio Communities, New Mexico man was airlifted to the hospital after suffering injuries from a close range shotgun blast in his own home. The round was fired by the man’s 12-year old brother. The shooting was found to be “negligent/accidental in nature.” The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department was notified. …
SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020
Gringo Tacos + Burgers Restaurant In St. Louis, Missouri closed early on Sunday after an employee of the restaurant accidentally shot and killed himself while changing clothes in the bathroom. Police said the shooting is not suspicious. It is unclear whether the restaurant prohibited guns on the premises. Employees declined to comment, stating that the …
SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2020
An Anderson County, South Carolina man accidentally shot himself in the lower leg while unloading his handgun in the parking lot outside a gun show. The show does not allow loaded guns on the premises. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment. Source: Grant Garland, “Man Accidentally Shoots Himself at Gun Show in …
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2020
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources reported today that there were 11 hunting accidents across the state in 2019, including two that resulted in deaths. The year 2020, however, started badly when hunter Kim Drawdy and his 9-year old daughter were mistaken for deer on New Years day and accidentally shot by other hunters. …
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020
An accidental shooting on Long Island, New York today was blamed for one injury and a multi-vehicle crash that injured four others. A 25-year old Plainview man was cleaning a firearm in his home when it discharged, hitting a 17 year-old who was with him in the neck. As the 25-year old rushed the teen …
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020
As the clock struck midnight on New Years eve, 61-year old Philippa Ashford was struck and killed by a stray bullet in Harris County, Texas. Police believe that the round was fired in celebration of the new year by an unidentified person in the neighborhood. The shooter was not a member of Ms. Ashford’s family. …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2019
In Savannah Tennessee, 86-year old Lawrence Smith accidentally shot himself in the leg while sitting in his car outside a gun store. Police administered aid, but Mr. Smith later died of his wound at the hospital. Source: Eyewitness New Staff, “Police: Man Dies Following Accidental Shooting,” WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News (December 31, 2019).
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2019
18-year old Jacarie Mozell accidentally shot and injured himself in Ocala, Florida today. According to witnesses, Mr. Mozell was putting a gun in his waistband when it discharged. At the time of the report, Mr. Mozell was recovering at a local hospital. Source: Austin L. Miller, “Ocala PD: Injured Man Apparently Shot Himself,” Ocala Star …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019
A 13-year old boy was killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma while passing around a gun with his friends. The wound was self-inflicted. The gun belonged to the parents of the boy who was shot. Police say the magazine was removed, but that there was a bullet in the chamber. “Parents do not educate their children enough …
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2019
At a gun range in Oak Forest, Illinois, a boy was struck in the abdomen by a bullet. He was in a showroom at the range with his father when someone accidentally discharged a gun and the fired round ricocheted and hit him. The boy’s injuries are not expected to be life threatening. Source: Alice …
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2019
At the Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw Township, Michigan, a 29-year old man accidentally shot himself in the leg. According to police, the man was shopping at Victoria’s Secret. When he went to put his wallet in his back pocket, his pistol discharged. Source: Michael Percha, “Accidental Shooting at Fashion Square Mall Injures One” NewsRadio …
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2019
A Florence, Alabama man accidentally shot himself in the parking lot of a sporting goods store. At the time of the shooting, he was on his way to buy a holster. After the man, who was not identified, was airlifted to a hospital in Huntsville, police said he had lost a lot of blood but …
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2019
In Buna, Texas, “a tragic end to Christmas left the town shaken.” 15-year old James Johnson was shot and killed when a 9 mm pistol was accidentally fired by his 10-year old brother. A cousin, 19, had brought the gun to Johnson’s home and the teens were passing it around, believing it to be unloaded. …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2019
Less than two weeks after 15-year old Bradley Hulett was accidentally shot to death (see entry for December 12, 2019), another Tampa, Florida area teen was shot and killed in a gun accident. 13-year old Steven McQueen was accidentally shot and killed by a sibling. Comments on the newspaper’s Facebook page include the following: Alfred …
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2019
A Carlisle, Ohio high school junior was accidentally shot in the face Monday evening at a friend’s home. The girl was shot through the left cheek with a .22 caliber handgun and the bullet is lodged behind her left ear. She is expected to survive. At the time of the incident, the teenager who shot …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2019
A man participating in target practice with family and friends was accidentally shot in the leg when another participant attempted to fix a malfunctioning weapon. The Free Soil Township, Michigan man, Jason Eric Schenkel, is expected to survive. According to the report, the gun owner was attempting to fix the malfunction on the hood of …
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2019
In San Antonio, Texas, police are investigating after 7-year old Jeffrey Taylor found a gun in his home this morning and shot himself while his family was sleeping. The child was pronounced dead when authorities arrived. The adults in the family are weapons trained and did not know why the gun was unsecured. Source: Gerald …
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019
A Davie, Florida police officer shot himself in the hand while attempting to shoot at a dog that was charging at him. The dog was grazed by the bullet and is said to be OK. Source: “Davie Officer Shoots Himself While Attempting to Shoot Charging Dog,” 7 News Miami (December 20, 2019).
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2019
In Philadelphia, PA, a 3-year old boy shot himself in the hand after he grabbed a gun when his father opened a gun safe. He was recovering at the hospital. Source: Dan Stamm, “Child Shoots Self After Grabbing Gun from Father, Police Say,” 10 Philadelphia (December 19, 2019).
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2019
A Harwich, Massachusetts police chief appealed a court decision that restored Jeffrey Gomes’ Massachusetts license to carry a firearm. The license had been restored by the Court even though Gomes had accidentally fired his gun while holstering it during Harwich’s Pilgrim Masonic Lodge corned beef dinner. The bullet passed through the floor of the lodge …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2019
A 15-year old Jasper, Georgia boy was struck by shrapnel at a Walmart when Pickens County Sheriff Donnie Craig’s pistol accidentally discharged during a “Shop with the Sheriff” event at the store. The boy’s injuries were minor. According to the Sheriff’s office, the gun was in the sheriff’s waistband went it went off. The bullet …
MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2019
A 13-year old boy is facing unspecified charges in Perkins Township, Ohio after he shot and killed Benjamin LeGresley, an 8-year old. The Assistant Police Chief for Perkins County called it “a tragedy for the family and for the entire community. You don’t see things like this every day.” The incident occurred in the home …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2019
A twenty-year old Pontiac, Michigan man was arrested after accidentally shooting his 13-year old cousin in the neck. The bullet lodged in the boy’s chest, though he was stable and expected to recover. Deputies said the 20-year-old had been playing with a .380-caliber pistol when it discharged. Source: Derick Hutchinson, “Pontiac Man Accidentally Shoots 13-year-old …
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2019
A Pataskala, Ohio girl was shot and killed by her 6-year old brother on the day after her second birthday. The boy had found a loaded gun in the home. A newspaper obtained the transcript of the call to 911: “There’s been an accident with a weapon. … My daughter’s been shot with a gun,” …
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2019
15-year old Bradley Hulett was shot and killed in Lithia, Florida at the home of his friend, the son of a Tampa police officer. A group of four teenage boys was present at the time of the shooting. According to a subsequent news report about the investigation, some of the boys found the gun in …
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2019
A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a woman was shot in a parked car when her toddler pulled the trigger on a loaded gun. After being taken to a local hospital, the woman was expected to recover. No further information is available about the circumstances of the accident. Source: Associated Press, “Woman Accidentally Shot by Toddler in …
Child Death (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Juvenile Arrested Ongoing Investigation Pennsylvania
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2019
Murder charges were dropped today in a case involving 18 year-old Fayaadh Gillard, a Philadelphia high school student who fatally shot his twin brother, Suhail, in a tragic accident. Their father, Alleem Gillard, who is paralyzed from the waste down due to his own exposure to gun violence, was teaching the twins, from his wheelchair, …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2019
A benefit was held today in Alexandria, Louisiana for a 20-year old man who has had nearly a dozen surgeries after accidentally shooting himself in the face. Christian Collister was replacing a part on his Glock in his car when it accidentally fired. He tells the story like this: “So to take apart Glocks, you …
MONDAY DECEMBER 9, 2019
The Associated Press reported that it had gathered reports of 1,422 unintentional gun discharges by police since 2012 at 258 different law enforcement agencies. It called its information gathering a “snapshot” of the problem because there are no reporting requirements for such incidents. The reports document all incidents in which a gun went off when …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2019
In Memphis Tennessee, 20-year old Alex Brown was arrested after accidentally shooting and killing a four-year old boy. Brown told police, “he was unloading his pistol when it accidentally fired and struck his nephew in the head.” A police official pointed to the importance of gun safety practices. “As a parent of three, two teens …
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2019
In Titusville, Florida, a nine-year old girl was shot by an older sibling during target practice in the woods. A 34-year old relative of the girl was arrested and charged with aggravated child neglect, apparently because he had left guns and ammunition with the children when he was not present. “Definitely an unusual case, because …
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2019
A Waycross, Georgia police officer was suspended for 84 hours after he accidentally discharged his gun inside his apartment. The fired round passed through an apartment wall into the living room of his next door neighbor and then through two additional walls in that apartment. Two children were playing in the living room at the …
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
In Detroit Michigan, a 20-year old woman was seriously injured when she was accidentally shot by an off-duty police officer while the two were sitting together in a car. According to a preliminary investigation, the officer was moving her weapon when it discharged, striking the other woman. The officer told investigators that the gun accidentally …
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019
A 34-year old Elloree, South Carolina man told deputies that his .45 caliber semi-automatic Springfield 1911 pistol discharged as he moved it from the glove compartment of his vehicle. He shot himself in the upper leg and was treated at a local hospital. Source: Martha Rose Brown, “Elloree Man Accidentally Shoots Himself in Leg,” The …
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2019
A five-year old child in Englewood, Florida shot and critically injured a 21-month old at home today. An adult was present in the home at the time. According to a report, “[i]nvestigators are working to determine what led up to the shooting. Officers asked the public to call JSO if they know anything about the …
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2019
Daniel Sanabria, a 3-year-old in Cape Coral, Florida was shot today by an older sibling. Daniel was taken to the hospital in critical condition. According to reports, the gun used had been locked in a gun safe. The shooting has been ruled accidental. No charges will be filed. Source: Kyra Shportun, Taylor Crehan & Emma …
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2019
At a house party in Bedford County, Tennessee, a 19-year old man shot and killed his teenage friend, Riley Hancock, while they played with a gun. According to witnesses, the shooter thought a recently purchased pistol was unloaded and pointed it at his friend. He fired the gun, striking and killing Hancock. The 19-year old …
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2019
Jaeden Livingston, a 14 year-old Abilene, Texas boy, died at Cook’s Children Medical Center today after accidentally shooting himself at a friend’s home on Friday night. He and two boys found a gun in the home and were passing it around, believing it to be unloaded. Jaeden’s mother later said, “I explained about the dangers …
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2019
In Memphis Tennessee, no charges were filed after a 11-year old boy found a gun in a cousin’s apartment when no adults were home. He accidentally shot and killed himself. The boy found the gun in a holster under the mattress in a room that he was told was off limits to him. The gun’s …
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
Colton Williams, of Williston, South Carolina was accidentally shot and killed by his father while rabbit hunting on Thanksgiving Day. He was a fourth grade student at Kelly Edwards Elementary School. In a Facebook post, his school said: It is with great sadness that we share news of the passing of one of our beloved …
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019
Steven Johnston of Lincoln Park, Michigan was arraigned today on child abuse charges after his three-year old daughter, Skylar, shot herself in the head after finding his loaded gun. His family called the accident a preventable tragedy. Mr. Johnston was not home at the time of the accident. Skylar was left in the care of …
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019
Shawn Patrick Burse, 18, was arraigned today on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in Greenwood, South Carolina after his pregnant girlfriend, Teresa Michelle Parkman, died from a gunshot wound received while they were cleaning a rifle together. Witnesses said there was no ill will and that there appeared to be no fight or conflict before …
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019
In a hunting accident in Lonoke County, Arkansas, a 13-year old boy underwent surgery after he was shot in the arm while handing his stepmother a gun as she was getting into a deer stand. Trey Reid, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said, “[i]ts disappointing. Folks weren’t following the proper safety …
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2019
In Evansville, Indiana, Police responded to a call about a woman shooting her husband. Upon arrival at the scene, they learned that the man had been hit, not by a bullet, but rather by a piece of a gun that had exploded. Both husband and wife received treatment at the scene. Deputies determined that the …
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2019
In Cleveland Ohio, 11-year old Tyshaun Taylor was shot and killed in an accident at a friend’s birthday party. According to an East Cleveland City Councilman, the shooting was an accident that occurred while the boys at the party were playing with a gun. The supervising parent had left the home to go to a …
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019
The Meadville Tribune in Meadville, Pennsylvania reported today that 19-year old Jacob S. Smith accidentally shot himself to death in a hunting accident. According to the local coroner, “Smith was removing items from a hunting sled when his shotgun accidentally went off with shotgun pellets striking Smith in the abdomen.” Smith was a sophomore majoring …
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019
In Tulsa Oklahoma, a woman was shot in the leg and hospitalized after a gun was accidentally fired by her neighbor in the apartment next door. The bullet passed through the wall between the apartments, through the woman’s leg, and continued on into the woman’s living room. The police determined that the incident was a …
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019
In California, a state that requires safe storage of guns, a five-year old boy found a gun in his home, shot himself, suffered extensive injuries and later died at the hospital. The boy was described by a family friend as “very, very sweet, young boy.” At the time of his death, the boy was under …
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019
A 13-year old boy was charged with murder after shooting and killing his 14-year old friend, Zavier Mendoza, in Olathe, Kansas. Because of the defendant’s age, his name was not released when the murder charge was announced. The boy who was charged claimed that he didn’t know the gun was loaded when it went off. …
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019
Eric Rosenbrock, a seventh grade science teacher in Lake George, New York, was sentenced to five-years probation for accidentally shooting and killing his wife, Ashley. Mr. Rosenbrock was oiling a loaded 9-mm pistol to prepare for a hunting trip when it went off. He was convicted of criminally negligent homicide after a plea bargain. Ashley …
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019
In Raleigh, North Carolina, at the Wake County Firearms and Education Training Center, a firearms instructor accidentally shot himself in the leg while holstering his gun. He was taken to a local hospital. His injuries were not considered life threatening. According to the Wake County Sheriff, “The Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center was …
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2019
Kylee Dawn Woods of Pickens County South Carolina, age 11, was shot and killed when her father attempted to eject a round from his .40 caliber handgun. According to a news report, Woods’ father “told police he had ejected the magazine and did not pull the trigger. He told deputies he does not know what …