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 …
Category: Law Enforcement Action (At Time of Report)
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 …