Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
Celebratory Gunfire Injures At Least Eleven Many people were injured by celebratory gunfire on this New Year’s Day. During a small gathering of friends and their children, an 8-year-old boy in Missouri City, Texas, was grazed by a bullet from celebratory gunfire that came through one of the home’s living room windows. The boy was …
Toddler Dies in Celebratory Gunfire Incident on New Year’s Eve Brayden Smith, a 3-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, died after being struck by a stray bullet from what police believe was celebratory gunfire. The boy was at home with his family celebrating New Year’s Eve, when he was struck in the head by a bullet that …
Teen Unintentionally Shoots His Brother and Once Again Many People are Injured by Celebratory Gunfire on Independence Day In Choctaw, Oklahoma, two brothers, 12- and 14-years-old, were waiting in a minivan in a Walmart parking lot when the older brother accidentally shot his sibling once in the chest. The 12-year-old was responsive and taken to …
January 1, 2023 does not bode well for gun safety in the New Year because there were too many gun accidents to meaningfully consider, including many that appear to have resulted from celebratory gunfire. Among the reported incidents: In Van Buren County, Michigan, 62-year-old Christopher Toppenberg was charged with murder Wednesday in connection with the …
In an episode apparently involving celebratory gunfire during fireworks, an 18-year old was struck by a falling round in a Seattle, Washington park. The teen’s injuries were not considered life-threatening. A Brownsville, Texas police officer shot himself in the foot during a “SWAT competition”. The competition involved a hostage rescue, sniper spotter and a team …
In yet another incident that appears to have been caused by celebratory gunfire, an Akron, Ohio mother, Chelsey Jones, died today after being struck by a round that was fired from across a lake. The bullet apparently traveled more than a thousand feet and through a window before it struck Jones, where she was sitting …
At least nine people appear to have been struck by random rounds that were fired in celebration of the Fourth of July. The consequences of celebratory gunfire continue to be felt most keenly by people other than those whose idea of a celebration is to use their guns in an unsafe way. In Chicago, Illinois, …
For at least the third year in a row, police have linked at least one random death on New Year’s Eve to celebratory gunfire. Among this year’s incidents is one that occurred in Durham, North Carolina. A witness says that he saw two women pull up in a car when one of them fell to …
In Houston, Texas, a man accidentally shot his friend in the abdomen tonight while celebrating the Astros victory over the Chicago White Sox. According to the report, the celebration went “a little too far.” A group of people watching the game told police that they would dry fire their weapons whenever the Astros scored a …
Although there were many hundreds of incidents of gun violence on Independence Day, there were thankfully no deaths clearly associated with celebratory gunfire. However, several people were injured in such incidents across the country. Also today, a six-year old Knoxville, Tennessee boy found a gun and shot himself to death. In Raleigh North Carolina, Alexandria …
Across the country, people young and old were injured or killed by celebratory gunfire on New Year’s morning. The incidents are too numerous to fully describe. Returning to Texas, the site of one of last year’s worst celebratory gunfire tragedies, at least four people, including a sleeping eight-year old Houston boy, were struck by celebratory …
On Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, a homeless fired a gun into the air at about 10:00 PM on Christmas Eve and accidentally injured another homeless man. The victim is in stable condition at a local hospital. Police are investigating. Source: “Homeless Man Firing Gun Into Air Wounds Man,” LA.com (December 25, 2020).
On American Independence day, Paulette Thorpe, a 74-year old Durham, North Carolina resident was struck and killed by celebratory gunfire. According to police, Thorpe was “hit by a stray bullet that someone fired into the air.” “We were just talking, I was talking to her, we were all conversating, when all of sudden out of …
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. …