Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
Three Unintended Shootings on Halloween Dusty Clausen, of Payette, Idaho, who is the father of two young children, including one who is three months old, is in critical condition after accidentally shooting himself on Halloween. While removing a loaded rifle from a gun safe inside his home, the trigger snagged on other firearms in the …
Man Unintentionally Shot by Acquaintance A 24-year-old man was accidentally shot by an acquaintance, 26-year-old Kenyon L. Best, in an apartment in Parsons, Kansas. Best took the victim to the hospital in critical, but stable condition. Police recovered evidence including a 9mm handgun, and determined through their investigation that Best had also been drinking. Best …
Three People Wounded in Accidental Shootings In a farm field in Stone Creek, Ohio, a 12-year-old boy was wounded when a rifle unintentionally discharged after falling off the ATV he was riding. The .22 caliber rimfire bolt-action single-shot rifle, fired a round into the boy’s chest after hitting the ground. He was airlifted to the hospital for …
Teen Dead and Two Other People Wounded in Gun Accidents In what was described by the police chief in Pembroke, North Carolina, as “…a tragic gun safety handling event…”, a 17-year-old died after being accidentally shot. The victim and the suspect, 37-year-old Marshall D. Hunt were acquaintances. The teen succumbed to his injuries at the …
Two People Injured in Accidental Shootings A woman was struck in the stomach by a bullet that came through her kitchen wall in Stafford, Virginia. Her neighbor, Derek Avery-Craft, admitted to officers that he had pulled the trigger of a handgun that had a round in the chamber. The bullet traveled through his garage, across the …
Woman Grazed by Bullet; Neighbor Blames His Dog A woman was grazed on the arm by a bullet that came through the bedroom ceiling of her apartment in West Jordan, Utah. Her upstairs neighbor, 20-year-old D On Leonard Begay told police two slightly different stories, but in both his dog jumped on him causing the …
One Dead, Six Wounded in Unintentional Shootings In Saginaw, Michigan, 15-year-old Dominque Williams was accidentally shot and killed by his 16-year-old stepbrother with a pistol they were playing with. No adults were at home, but another juvenile was with the two stepbrothers when the incident occurred. The stepbrother has been charged as a juvenile with …
18-year-old Shoots Self in Leg, and Woman Struck by Stray Bullet in Unintentional Shootings Today In Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, an 18-year-old unintentionally shot himself in the leg. He is in stable condition at the hospital. No other details have been reported. And a 65-year-old woman is recovering from minor injuries after being struck by a …
Felon Charged After Unintentionally Shooting Himself In an apartment in Rancho Cucamonga, California, convicted felon Devauntae Lee Scroggins, age 28, unintentionally shot himself in the hand. Deputies discovered a handgun and blood splatter at the scene. Scroggins was taken to the hospital for treatment, then later arrested on multiple charges including willful discharge of a …
Woman Killed, and Three Injured in Unintentional Shootings In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman was shot in a vehicle and died. Police say a man and a child were also in the car, and that the child accidentally shot the woman. The woman was a local schoolteacher. The school issued a statement saying they are “deeply …
One Dead, Three Injured in Unintentional Shootings Today In Atlanta, Georgia, a passenger in the rear seat of a vehicle accidentally discharged a gun fatally striking a 19-year-old in the back. The victim was in the vehicle with two other people and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The person handling the gun was charged …
One Dead, Four Wounded in Accidental Shootings A 5-year-old boy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, shot himself in the hand while playing with a gun. Police said one parent was home during the incident, but did not say who owned the gun. There is an ongoing investigation, and so far no charges have been filed. Ari T. …
Mother Unintentionally Killed by Son with New Gun In Hopewell, Virginia, 46-year-old Charmel Dawn Mason was accidentally shot and killed by her oldest son, 19-year-old, Benjamin Tyler Mason. He had just bought a new gun so he could protect the family and told a neighbor that he was wiping it down and checking out its …
Two Teens and A Woman Injured in Accidental Shootings A 14-year-old boy was hospitalized after accidentally shooting himself in the face in Canton, Michigan. It appears he was home alone when the shooting took place, and a neighbor helped him by calling the police. The incident is under investigation. The police chief took the opportunity …
Six Unintended Shootings of Children: Two Dead, Four Wounded Children playing with a gun resulted in an unintentional shooting that killed a 10-year-old girl in Roswell, New Mexico. Few details are reported other than that the incident is still under investigation. In Indianapolis, Indiana, 11-year-old Jordan Robertson was accidentally shot and killed in a home …
Boy Unintentionally Shot with a Ghost Gun and Three Other Children Wounded by Stray Bullets In Gurnee, Illinois, a 15-year-old boy is in the hospital in critical condition after being accidentally shot in the abdomen. He was in the basement with two 16-year-old friends, when one produced and discharged a semi-automatic ghost gun, unintentionally striking …
Nine-year-old Girl Killed by Unsecured Gun and Eight Others Wounded in Unintentional Shootings In Memphis, Tennessee, a 7-year-old boy found a gun in a car’s glove box and accidentally shot his 9-year-old sister, killing her. The gun belonged to James Bowen Jr., his mother’s boyfriend. Bowen is facing multiple charges after allegedly leaving his gun …
Unsafe Target Shooting Leads to Gun Accident Injury of Eight-year-old Boy In Campbell County, Virginia, the sheriff’s office says an 8-year-old boy suffered an accidental gunshot wound this weekend. According to the report, two men were shooting rifles at “improper” backstops when the boy was struck. Both men were arrested for “improper handling of a …
One Person Dead, Seven Wounded, in Unintentional Shootings Today In Plano, Texas, a three-year-old was hospitalized with an accidental gunshot wound. The circumstances of the accident were not reported. Deonte’ Thomas of Emporia, Virginia was arrested for reckless handling of a firearm after he unintentionally shot a 13-year-old boy in the head. The boy was …
Six-year-old Shot by Older Brother Lanett, Alabama police are investigating after a 6-year-old was shot in the stomach by an older sibling resulting in serious injuries. The child was airlifted to a trauma center. According to the report, the child’s adolescent brother had gained control of an unsecured firearm in the residence and fired it. …
Gun Goes Off in a Man’s Pocket and His 12-year-old Son Is Shot In an incident caught on surveillance video at a Chicago, Illinois gas station, a man is shown putting his hand into his pocket and accidentally firing a gun he was carrying there. His son, age 12, was shot, but is expected to …
In Chicago, Illinois, a 50-year-old man sitting in his car in a local park was struck by a stray bullet and killed. He was an innocent bystander to a nearby disturbance according to the report. No one is in custody in connection with the shooting. In LaGrange, Georgia, a 15-year-old girl was struck in the …
Many people were injured in gun accidents today, with mostly minimal press coverage. Two of the accidents occurred in the Philadelphia area. On the Drexel campus in West Philadelphia, a man accidentally shot himself in the leg inside a Shake Shack restaurant. Given the number of recent mass shootings, it is not surprising that the …
In Statesville, North Carolina, a man in his late seventies accidentally shot and killed an elderly friend who had brought a gun to his home. “It looks like it could possibly be an accidental shooting,” a police Captain said. “The suspect and the victim knew each other very well and possibly were looking at guns, …
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a fiv-year old found a loaded gun in his home and shot his mother in the leg. Police have not said how the child got hold of a gun. The woman’s injuries are not considered life-threatening. In Detroit, Michigan a 16-year old boy left a loaded gun on his bed where his …
Larry Beeding, age 44, of Mediapolis, Iowa was charged with reckless use of a firearm and animal cruelty after shooting a round from his handgun at a dog inside a local home. The dog was killed. Another man was struck in the torso and Beeding was shot in the hand by the round that killed …
19-year old Donovan Meinke was arrested after accidentally shooting himself in a domestic violence incident. Elyria, Ohio police announced that the incident also resulted in injuries to the 19-year old woman that Meinke lived with. Although Meinke was already facing felony weapons violation charges from a prior incident in February, in this matter he was …
An Ankeny, Iowa man was arrested after accidentally shooting his roommate in the face. The man’s roommate has been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. According to the report, the unidentified shooter was intoxicated and handling a .9mm pistol in a reckless manner when it went off. He was released on bond after being charged with reckless …
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 …
Authorities in Clinton Township, Michigan are expected to charge a man whose gun went off during a physical altercation with his younger brother. The two men were wrestling on the floor when the gun fired and the younger man was killed. The precise circumstances causing the gun to go off are unclear. Although the police …
An Urbana, Illinois woman was shot in the neck when a person sitting behind her in a vehicle negligently discharged a firearm. The shooter, Devontre Newbill, was arrested on preliminary charges of discharge of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm by a convicted felon. Newbill and the injured woman were on their way …
Two women were severely injured today when men they were with mishandled guns. An 18-year old Danville, Illinois woman is in stable condition after she was accidentally shot in the chest by her 16-year old boyfriend who mishandled a handgun. The boyfriend was taken into custody on charges of reckless discharge of a firearm and …
In Norton, Virginia, George Henry Sailers, IV, was charged with shooting his girlfriend in an accident that occurred while he was playing with his gun. Sailers allegedly told deputies that he had been trying to twirl a .22 Ruger pistol he had gotten for Christmas. While Sailers was trying to show how fast he could …
In Woodbridge, Virginia, Kaitlyn Marie Roulten Ellis, a 29-year old mother of two, was arrested after she negligently discharged a gun while caring for her two daughters, a 1-month old and a four-year old. Ms. Roulten Ellis was handling a gun when it discharged and struck her in the arm. She was arrested after being …
In the tiny town of Somersworth, New Hampshire, two men, Raymond Picard and Joshua Conley, were charged with felonies for accidental discharge of their firearms in unrelated incidents. Somersworth has a total population of just 11,754. In the first incident, a 53-year old man was shot in the chest and taken to the hospital. He …
Accidental shots were fired at a peaceful protest today in Lafayette, Louisiana. No one was struck or injured. The accidental shooting occurred during a protest by the Not Fucking Around Coalition (“NFAC”), an armed black militia group. The NFAC was protesting in Lafayette because of the death on August 21, 2020 of Trayford Pellerin at …
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a 7-month old infant is recovering from a gunshot wound after being accidentally shot by a man who was playing with a gun. There is no indication of the relationship between the man and the infant. Sheriff Deputies say that the incident is being considered an accident at this time. The …
In Stokes County, North Carolina, a 6-year old found a gun at home this afternoon and shot themselves to death. The child’s name and gender were withheld as were the circumstances in which they got their hands on a gun. A parent was home at the time of the accident. “I couldn’t believe what had …
In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a 17-year old Native American girl is in critical condition after a gun was accidentally discharged. According to police, Artavius Gregerabdo was handling a gun when it went off and shot the girl in the head. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and reckless discharge. The girl who …
In Evansville, Indiana, 16-year old Rylan Conway was shot to death in an incident that occurred in a home where a group of kids were playing with a gun. The shooter, 19-year old Eriyon Gibson, says he unloaded the gun, then pointed it at Conway while they were joking around. He asserts he wouldn’t have …
In an accident reminiscent of the journal entry just two days ago on June 29, two men were showing each other their guns today when one of the guns went off. A 30-year old Macon, Georgia man, Westley Faulks, was killed. The shooter, 28-year old Tevin Pleas, “thought he’d cleared his weapon to show Faulks …
In Chesterfield, Virginia, two men were handling a firearm when it accidentally went off. The man who was inadvertently shot later died at the hospital. The second man, a 23-year old, was arrested and charged with “felony reckless handling of a firearm.” There is an ongoing investigation. Source: “Man Charged in Connection to Deadly Shooting …
In Campbell County, Virginia, the driver of a car accidentally fired a handgun. The round passed through the door of his car and through the passenger door of a nearby vehicle hitting a woman in the back. She is hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Officials say they determined that the shooting was accidental, but charged …
In Richmond, Virginia, 19-year-old Chynekqua Walker was arrested and charged with reckless handling of a firearm after shooting her 15-year old brother in the shoulder in their home. According to a report “she thought that she was handling a BB gun when she accidentally shot her brother… with a real gun.” It was the fourth …
In Maquoketa, Iowa, a 20-year old man falsely claimed that he was shot in the abdomen by an unknown assailant outside his home. Upon investigation, police learned that he accidentally shot himself. The wounded man, Thomas A. Detro, “admitted in an interview that he walked outside with a revolver and fired multiple ‘warning’ shots into …
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 …
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 …