SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2022

In Anchor Point, Alaska,  Kenneth Defrancesco, 80, appeared to have been killed while getting out of his vehicle. “[A] firearm he was carrying came out of the holster and fired a round, fatally wounding him,” Alaska State Troopers reported in a press release on Sunday.  A friend found Defrancesco in his driveway after he had …

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022

22-year old Christopher Jordan of Fresno, California was arrested after he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend, Deisha Guzman, age 20, at a local Hampton Inn hotel.  Jordan initially claimed that he placed his gun on the bed and that Guzman had shot herself. After questioning, Jordan admitted that he accidentally fired the gun, striking …

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2022

In Lake County, Indiana, an 8-year old accidentally shot himself to death today.  The child was the second in the region to lose his life to an unintended gunshot wound in the last two months, illustrating the urgency in Indiana to enact more effective safe storage and child access prevention laws. According to the report, …

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2022

Demetrius Clarke of Oxon Hill, Maryland, age 18, was arrested and charged with manslaughter after a gun he was handling discharged and shot and killed his 16-year old friend.  The 16-year old was dropped off at a local fire station and later died at the hospital. Source: “PGPD Charges Male With Manslaughter in Oxon Hill,” …

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

In Detroit, Michigan, a 13-year old playing with a gun accidentally shot and killed his 12-year old cousin, Kenyon Davis. The older boy was charged with manslaughter after the incident. “It is a sad, sad situation that could’ve been avoided if parents put away their guns,” said a neighbor. And in Rogersville, Mississippi, 20-year old …

SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2022

Three more young people were unintentionally shot and killed today. In Detroit, Michigan, 14-year old Kaniyah Bryant was unintentionally shot and killed by her 13-year old boyfriend.  According to police, the two children were among a group who were passing around and playing with a stolen gun when the 13-year old shot Kaniyah.  She was …

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2022

 Eric Joseph Adams of D’Iberville Mississippi called police after his rifle discharged “unexpectedly” while he was putting it away.  The round tore through the door of a neighboring apartment and struck and killed Stayvia Leone Hood, age 23.  Adams was arrested and charged with manslaughter. “It’s just horrible, just horrible,” the local police chief said. …

TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2022

Torqavious Johnson, age 18, of Greer, South Carolina, was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter when he picked up a handgun that had fallen on the floor and attempted to return it to 17-year old Dalorian Tyler.  According to witnesses, the gun was pointed at Tyler and discharged as Johnson handed it to him. Tyler …

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2022

 In Mount Croghan, South Carolina, a 15-year old accidentally shot and killed her 15-year old boyfriend while the two children were playing with a gun.  The girl has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter.   “Looked like they were playing with a gun, handgun, and the gun went off, the safety somehow went off …

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2022

Back in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where gun accidents involving children appear common, two children found a loaded gun in their home.  A four-year old was shot and injured, but is in stable condition at the hospital.  The children’s uncle, Kiante Hawkins, was arrested and charged with negligence. Police determined that he had left the gun …

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2022

For the second time this week, a Phoenix, Arizona teenager accidentally shot a teenage friend today.  In the latest incident, Sergio Lopez Ruiz accidentally shot his friend Brian Lujan, also 18, while the two were handling Lopez Ruiz’s gun.  Lujan died at the hospital and Lopez Ruiz has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. On …

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Fong Vang, age 40, was charged with manslaughter after he accidentally shot and killed his younger brother Dan.  Fong was staying with his siblings and his mother temporarily and was sleeping on the floor.  When he heard a loud noise in the middle of the night, he fired multiple rounds through the …

SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2022

There were gun accidents across the country today resulting in at least six death or injuries: A person taking part in a gun training for Taylor, Michigan auxiliary police officers was shot in the abdomen and taken to the hospital.  He was accidentally shot by another person participating in the training.  “The volunteers with Taylor’s …

SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2022

In Houston, Texas, 18-year old Nariah Champion was accidentally shot and killed by 17-year old Zakorion Batiste, who was playing with a gun.  The two were among a group of kids hanging out together.  Batiste has been charged with manslaughter and is being held on $50,000 bail.  According to the report, if bond is made, …

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2022

A Henderson, Nevada 14-year old was charged with involuntary manslaughter after shooting and killing his ten-year old brother with a shotgun.  According to the report, the involuntary manslaughter charge means that the shooting was considered unintentional. One neighbor described the victim’s family as the “perfect family.” That’s extremely devastating,” said a mother who lives a …

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2022

 Gun accidents occurred all over the country today. In Henrico, Virginia, a 7-year old found his father’s loaded gun and shot himself.  His injuries are not considered life-threatening.  The boy’s father, Landin Lewis, Sr., was arrested and charged with allowing his son to access the gun. In Somerville, Massachusetts, a police officer shot himself while …

SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2022

The unintended consequences of gun violence were felt across the country on Sunday, including incidents on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, three incidents in Chicago and single incidents in Georgia and Maryland. In New Orleans, Louisiana, Charles Hudson, a bar employee, was shot and killed in the Cat’s Meow, a crowded Bourbon Street karaoke bar, …

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022

Blake Miller, age 18, was charged today in connection with a March 12 unintended gun violence incident that allegedly occurred while Miller was showing his family’s .22 caliber rifle to his friends.  The boys had had a few beers at the time of the incident. According to the report, Miller, of Omaha, Nebraska, pointed the …

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022

Four-month old Jaquari Jones was killed when a group of Lubbock, Texas kids were playing with a gun and it discharged. A 14-year old has been arrested and charged with manslaughter. No report on how the kids obtained the gun, though there is an ongoing investigation. Source: “Teen Arrested After Deadly Infant Shooting,”  Everything Lubbock …

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2022

A Robstown, Texas man was charged with manslaughter after he accidentally shot and killed 47-year old Patricia Blanco.  The man, Arturo Gonzalez, age 50, admitted to officers that he was very drunk when his revolver “went off.” In Cumming, Georgia, a teenager was arrested on multiple charges after he shot another boy in the chest …

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

 A 15-year old Bessemer, Alabama girl was shot and killed in a Valentine’s Day gun accident involving her 18-year old friend.  According to authorities, the two children were playing with a gun at the home of a relative of the shooter at the time of the incident.  The 15-year old, Janiyah Simmons, was a high …

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022

Trampas Penny, age 44, of Benson, North Carolina was shot and killed in a  gun accident at the pawn shop where he worked.  Penny was a gunsmith there.  Although police have concluded that the incident was accidental, no information about the circumstances of the accident has been released.  Shatiyah Johnson has been charged with manslaughter …

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

In Oxon Hill, Maryland, a 15-year old girl was arrested and charged with manslaughter after she accidentally shot and killed her 16-year old friend. Police say she was handling the gun when it went off. The names of the teenagers have not been released. Source: Sonia Dasgupta, “15-year-old Girl Charged in Accidental Shooting Death of …

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

In North Hollywood, California, Valentina Orellana-Peralta, a 14-year old girl who was shopping for a quinceañera dress, was accidentally shot and killed in a department store dressing room when a bullet passed through a wall during a police action at the store. She died at the scene. Los Angeles police were shooting at an assault …

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021

At least two fatal gun accidents occurred today.  In Pineville, Kentucky, Kyle Garrett, a 23-year old 911 dispatcher was accidentally shot and killed while trading guns with another dispatcher.  The two men were best friends and cousins who frequently traded guns. According to local authorities, there were protocols in place to prevent non-sworn employees, including …

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2021

Dameon Bates, age 29, of Toledo, Ohio was shot and killed today when he and a friend were “horsing around” with a gun at a party. Bates died at the scene. His friend Mychal Smith, age 30, was arrested and charged with reckless homicide. In a similar incident today in Dallas, Texas, 18-year old Alexandre …

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Elizabeth Newton Smith, a 59-year old woman in McColl, South Carolina was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter after a rifle purportedly fell and discharged on the porch of her home.  David Williams, age 58, was found dead at the scene.  If the rifle fell and discharged, any claim that the rifle was defective by …

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021

In an illustration of how even an accidental shooting can lead to a vicious cycle of violence, four people in Des Moines, Iowa were injured when gunfire erupted at a vigil for an accidental shooting victim. The original accident occurred on March 6, 2021, when Thomas Ivy accidently shot and killed 16-year old Elijah Brown-Townsend …

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

Two teenagers were accidentally shot in gun accidents on Halloween.  One has died and the other is hospitalized. A Denver, Colorado teenager is in custody after another juvenile was shot and killed in a gun accident at a local home.  A 17-year old is in custody and is being investigated for manslaughter.  The police have …

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2021

A 17-year old Tallahassee, Florida girl was arrested and charged with manslaughter after she and a group of kids were passing  around a gun in a local apartment.  It apparently went off while she was holding it and a 17-year old boy was killed.  The news report does not say how the teenagers got the …

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021

In Auburn, Alabama, a 13-month old girl was shot in the upper torso and killed.  Witnesses remained at the scene and were cooperating with police.  Later, Michael A. Thomas, one of the adults present at the at the time of the incident was arrested and charged with manslaughter, possession of Marijuana 1st degree, three counts …

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2021

In Phoenix, Arizona, 15-year old Valerie Arreola-Loya was accidentally shot and killed by a 21-year old relative who was cleaning his gun.  He had removed the magazine from the gun, and then apparently believed that the gun was unloaded.  The 21-year old who fired the fatal shot, Alexis Vidrio, was arrested and charged with manslaughter. …

FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021

One child was killed and three were injured in accidental shootings today.  In each case, reports of the incident contain minimal details. In Dallas, Texas, 17-year old Chadrick Good was shot and killed by a 16-year old who accidentally fired a gun while sitting behind Good in a vehicle.  The 16-year old has been charged …

SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2021

In West Jordan, Utah, a 13-year old boy was accidentally killed by his 15-year old friend.  According to police, the two had snuck out in the middle of the night with a handgun and were “messing around with it” in a church parking lot.  “At some point, the 15-year-old accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting and …

FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

A 22-year old was killed and three children were seriously injured in gun accidents today. In Dunmore, Pennsylvania, 22-year old Tyler Sitar was accidentally shot in the stomach by his friend Luigi Lorusso, who was handling a gun.  Sitar died of his wound and Lorusso was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Another Columbus, Ohio child, …

FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2021

Two more children died in gun accidents today, a seven-year old girl and a five-year old boy. In Heber City, Utah, a man who was described as “incredibly intoxicated” fired a gun through an apartment wall. The round struck a seven-year old girl in the next apartment and killed her. Christopher O’Connell, age 34, was …

MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a 22-year old man was arrested after pointing and firing a gun that he believed to be unloaded. The man, Zachary Shipley, was playing video games with his friend, Christian Price, also 22, and wanted to frighten him.  Price was struck in the head and killed. Shipley had taken the magazine out …

SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2021

In Grande Prairie, Texas, 29-year old Marque Wilford accidentally discharged his firearm inside his apartment. The bullet passed through an apartment wall and struck and killed his 32-year old neighbor.  Wilford was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Source: “North Texas Man Arrested For Allegedly Shooting Through Apartment, Killing Neighbor,”  11/21 CBS DFQ (June 14, 2021).

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

For the second time this week, a man who believed he was acting In self-defense shot and killed someone in error. In today’s incident, 37-year old Matthew Sharpf shot and killed his best friend, Jonathan Hankins, also 37, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.  Hankins was knocking on a window of Sharpf’s home when the fatal shot …

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a man was accidentally shot through an apartment wall when the people next door tussled with a gun.  The victim later died at the hospital. The deadly incident originated in domestic violence.  Corry Lykes told authorities that he had threatened his girlfriend with a taser. When she  then tried to take Lykes’ …

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

In Escambia, Florida a two-year old was accidentally shot and killed by his mother’s friend, Quentin Wright.  At the time of the accident, Wright was putting the gun away at the request of the boy’s mother.  They boy, Sebastian Mooney, was struck by a single 9 mm round.  Wright was arrested and charged with manslaughter. …

MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021

At a backyard barbecue in Grand Prairie, Texas, Darwing Gloria, age 37, displayed a handgun and accidentally shot and killed an acquaintance, Antelmo Carrizales-Ramos, age 47.  Gloria was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Texas is a state that is moving toward authorizing permitless public carry, which would inevitably mean more guns would be present in …

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021

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 …

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021

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 …

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021

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, …

SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2021

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. …

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2021

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 …

MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021

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 …

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021

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, …

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021

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 …

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2021

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 …

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021

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 …

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021

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 …

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

At least three children were accidentally shot and injured today.  They were aged 14, 15, and 7.  The incidents occurred in states that have been regular sites of gun accidents involving children: Florida, Ohio and North Carolina. The most fully reported of the accidents was in Jacksonville, Florida.  Ayva Guthrie, age 14,was accidentally shot by …

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021

More than a year after an incident in which University of Central Missouri University student Jeremy Allen Manley accidentally shot and killed his friend, Stephon Abron, Manley pled guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter.  At the time of the incident, which occurred in University housing, Manley had been arrested but not charged.  Manley told …

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020

In Little Rock, Arkansas, 18-year old Donte Jones died in a gun accident. The Police report indicates only that a juvenile has been arrested in connection with the incident and charged with manslaughter, tampering with evidence and possession of a handgun by a minor. Source: Max Brantley, “Teen Dies in What Police Term Accidental Shooting,” …

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2020

Two young people were accidentally shot and killed by friends today while playing with guns. 18-year old Armani Hall of Louisville, Kentucky was shot and killed by her 21-year old friend Adrianna King. King admitted that she had been playing with the gun.  She was arrested and charged with one count of reckless homicide. In …

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2020

In Mesa, Arizona, 20-year old Tyler Rascon died in an accident caused by the absence of a magazine safety disconnect.  His 21-year old friend, Michael Whipple, is under arrest. According to a report, the accident is explained in court documents: “it all started when Whipple, his girlfriend, Rascon, and a witness had returned to Whipple’s …

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020

In Kearns, Utah, 16-year old Roman Karpunin was accidentally shot and killed by his 18-year old friend Kaden Christiansen.  Christiansen was arrested and charged with a single count of manslaughter.  According to the arrest report, “Christiansen told police he was ‘mimicking being a police officer and arresting’ the 16-year-old when he pulled the trigger, thinking …

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020

On election day, two 12-year old boys were accidentally shot and killed in separate gun accidents. In Jackson, Michigan, Brayden Carnes, a middle school student, was at home when a gun that one of his friends had brought to his home accidentally fired.  Brayden was shot in the chest.  The shooter was also a child.  …

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2020

Jo-Jo Flores, a 14-year old Corpus Christi, Texas middle school student was accidentally killed in yet another incident in which teenagers were playing with a gun.  17-year old Ivan Farias was later arrested, imprisoned and charged with manslaughter.    “It looks like it was an unfortunate accident between a couple of males, possibly playing with …

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

In Okaloosa County, Florida, a 19-year old boy is under arrest for manslaughter after accidentally shooting his 21-year old friend shortly before midnight.  The two men were tossing an AK-47 back and forth, believing it to be unloaded, when the 19-year old, Mathew Gunn, pulled the trigger.  Hugo Sanchez, 21, died of a gunshot wound …

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

Two deaths today occurred when guns were unintentionally fired by young boys.  In both cases an older boy accidentally killed a younger child. Both of the shooters are being prosecuted. In a third incident, two boys were injured after shooting themselves with a gun they found in a car.  In Canton, Ohio an 11-year old …

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

Zachary Rock, an 11-year old boy died in a gun accident in Clay Township, Michigan at a “youth deer hunting event.”  The boy was shot by his stepfather and died at the hospital.  While police were at the scene, the boy’s mother accidentally discharged a gun while attempting to unload it and was struck in …

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Details are scarce about an incident in which 5-year old Amani Barringer was shot in the neck by her 14-year old brother with an unsecured gun.  Amani was home, in Charlotte, North Carolina, with two teenagers age 14 and 15, when she was killed.  The 14-year old was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter.  An …

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020

An 11-year old and a 12-year old were involved in gun accidents today. In Lake County, Florida, 12-year old Jeremyah Wyatt found an unsecured gun in his home and accidentally shot and killed himself.  “This is that one of those calls that deputies don’t want to ever go to — and paramedics. No one wants …

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

In Nyack, New York, two young men were fooling around with a gun in a car when it went off. Darien Brydie, a 21-year old Illinois man died after surgery at a local hospital.  Collyer Goodman, an 18-year old from Valley Cottage, New York was arrested and charged with second degree manslaughter. “This appears to …

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020

Michelle Ansley, a 40-year old Thomson, Georgia woman was accidentally shot by a family member who was cleaning his gun.  Ansley was shot in the leg and was taken to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead.  Police are investigating, but gun cleaning accidents are common, especially with certain guns that lack basic safety …

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020

In Charlotte, North Carolina, 2-year old Amor Cureton shot and killed himself with a loaded handgun in a motel.  His father Antonio Cureton was arrested and charged with “involuntary manslaughter, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a stolen firearm and failure to secure a firearm to protect a …

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2020

In Orlando, Florida, 20-year old Deontay Haynes was arrested and charged with manslaughter after he accidentally shot and killed his best friend.  The charge is a first degree felony with the potential for up to 30-years in prison.  He is  being held without bail. According to police, Haynes pointed a gun that he believed was …

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2020

Two children unintentionally shot and killed others while playing with guns today.  Each gun accident involves two shattered lives.  In Biloxi, Mississippi, a “deceased male … under the age of 18” was “hanging out at an apartment” with friends when a 13-year old,  Jayden Kyshun Frazier, started showing off a gun and pointing it at …

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020

A Laramie, Wyoming 14-year old has been arrested and charged with manslaughter after an incident in which he killed a 13-year old.  Although the details remain murky, comments on the Laramie police department’s Facebook page by relatives and others suggest that the children were playing with a gun while drinking in the park.  It is …

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2020

In a gun accident that occurred in Aurora, Colorado, one of two men playing with a gun was shot in the chest and killed.  Although police acknowledge that they do not know who pulled the trigger, they arrested the survivor, 38-year old Abdiel Vigil, at the scene and charged him with manslaughter. Source: Sam Tabachnik, …

CHILDREN AND GUNS

Criminalizing the Negligence of Caregivers May Let Manufacturers Off the Hook It is quite clear from any rational child safety perspective that manufacturers should be discouraged or prevented from designing guns that children can easily fire.  Better designs can be achieved with effective external manual safeties, magazine safety disconnects, heavier trigger pulls or trigger designs …

SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

17-year old Ishmael Muhammad of Des Moines, Iowa was struck by a bullet in a local residence today when someone accidentally fired an illegal handgun.  He later died of the wound. According to police, residents initially said that Muhammad had arrived at the home having already been shot.  After an investigation, police charged a 16-year …

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2020

In White, Georgia, a five-year old girl shot and killed herself while playing with a gun she found at a campsite. Her grandmother, Kimberly Anne Roberts, and an unrelated man were arrested and charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.  Both adults are being held at Bartow County Jail. Source: Asia Simone Burns, “Grandmother, …

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020

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.  …

SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020

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 …

SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020

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 …

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020

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 …

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020

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 …

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2020

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. …

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2020

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 …

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020

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 …

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020

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 …

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020

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 …

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …