Three People Hurt in Self-inflicted Gun Accidents A 55-year-old man shot himself in the leg in a parking lot in Colmar, Pennsylvania. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A vendor at an assisted living facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, came into the building to use the bathroom, and accidentally shot himself with his concealed handgun. He was …
Tag: Gun Fired When Dropped
Adult Arrested California Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Florida
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2024
Toddler Kills Self After Finding Unsecured Gun A two-year-old child died at the hospital, after finding an unsecured gun inside their home in Merced, California, and shooting themself in the face. The child’s father was arrested and charged with child endangerment resulting in death. And in Miami, Florida, a 15-year-old girl is in stable condition …
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2024
Accidental Discharge From Stolen Gun Injures Woman A woman was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being accidentally shot in Huntsville, Alabama. Responding officers determined that a gun had unintentionally discharged when some furniture was moved. They later discovered that the gun used was stolen, and charged Rodrick Learnest Carson, 50, with receiving …
Adult Death Alcohol and Guns Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Louisiana Mississippi Utah
MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2024
Two People Killed, and One Injured in Unintentional Shootings In Baker, Louisiana, a 17-year-old male accidentally shot himself and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. He died later from his injuries. No other details have been reported. In Salt Lake City, Utah, a 33-year-old man fatally shot himself in the head while handling a gun that …
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
Innocent Bystander Wounded When Dropped Gun Fires In a convenience store in San Antonio, Texas, a 31-year-old man was injured when another customer dropped his backpack with a gun inside. The victim was struck in the upper arm when the gun fired, and was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Police are still looking …
Adult Injury Law Enforcement Action (At Time of Report) Nevada No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2024
Unintended Discharge From Officer’s Gun Injures Three A plainclothes officer was working a rodeo in Reno, Nevada, when his handgun fell to the ground and fired a single round resulting in debris that injured three people. The handgun fell when the officer’s holster got caught on a fence he jumped while rushing to assist a …
Adult Death Adult Injury Alabama Arizona Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation Safe Storage in Cars Virginia
THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2024
Two Toddlers Find Guns in Vehicles, and Two Accidental Shootings Involving Law Enforcement Officers Two toddlers in Alabama shot themselves with guns they found in vehicles today. A 2-year-old boy shot himself with a gun he found in a vehicle in a Birmingham, Alabama trailer park. He was with his mother and another man, and was taken to the …
Adult Arrested Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Juvenile Arrested Louisiana Missouri No injuries North Carolina Ongoing Investigation
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2024
One Dead, Two Injured in Accidental Shootings; Coach Fired After Dropped Gun Fires During Youth Basketball Game In Shreveport, Louisiana, a teen in the backseat of a car fatally shot the front seat passenger. There were four males in the car. A 16-year-old was in the back handling an AR-style pistol that unintentionally fired, hitting …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Child Injury (18 and Under) Florida No Charges Filed Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee
MONDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2023
Christmas Day Gun Accidents In Nashville, Tennessee, 81-year-old Johnnie Thompson was showing a friend how his Derringer pistol worked. He was fatally struck when he dropped the gun on the floor causing it to unintentionally discharge. Police don’t anticipate any charges being filed. Diego Diaz-Martinez, 31, was a guest at a Christmas family gathering in …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Adult Injury Arizona Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Missouri North Carolina Ohio Ongoing Investigation Texas Washington
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023
One Person Dead, Five Wounded in Unintentional Shootings A 3-year-old boy is in critical condition after shooting himself in the head in Cincinnati, Ohio. Laronn Ellison 21, left a firearm unsecured enabling the child to gain access it. Both he and Antonia Barrow, 43 were arraigned on charges of child endangering and tampering with evidence. …
Adult Arrested Arizona Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Indiana No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation Tennessee
MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2023
8-year-old Killed; Two Teens Injured in Unintentional Shootings In St. David, Arizona, 8-year-old Bradley John Shockley was accidentally shot in the chest with an air rifle while riding on the back of a friends’s four-wheeler. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. The vehicle went through an area where people were …
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
Man is Grazed by Bullet After He Drops His Gun Inside a restaurant in Madisonville, Tennessee, a man was grazed by a bullet when he dropped his gun and it unintentionally discharged. His injuries were minor and no other injuries were reported. “We understand that incidents like these can be unsettling, but we want to …
Adult Arrested Adult Injury Alabama Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Juvenile Arrested No Charges Filed Oregon Texas
SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2023
Three People Hurt in Gun Accidents In Sutherlin, Oregon, a woman accidentally shot herself in the bathroom of a Burger King. She was transported to the hospital and treated for her wound. Gary Miller, 62, had falsely claimed that she was shot standing in the parking lot, and was later arrested and charged on suspicion …
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2023
Two-year-old in Critical Condition After Drop Fire Incident at Home A San Antonio, Texas two-year-old is in critical condition at the hospital after a drop fire accident. A witness told police that the two-year-old reached for something on a shelf and pulled down a loaded firearm. When the firearm hit the ground, the gun went …
Adult Injury Child Death (18 and Under) Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Kansas Kentucky Mississippi No Charges Filed Ongoing Investigation Texas
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2023
No Charges to be Filed After 10-year-old Dies in Gun Accident The sheriff in Calhoun County, Mississippi announced that no charges will be filed after Oaklee Brasher, a 10-year-old boy, died in an accidental shooting today. No other information about the circumstances of the incident have been released. Four other shootings resulting in injuries …
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2022
Two men were injured while attending a wine-tasting event at a restaurant in Miami, Florida. One of the men, a homeland security officer, dropped a gun during the event. The gun fired when it hit the floor and the round passed both through the officer’s leg and the leg of a friend. Neither man suffered …
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2022
A Caneyville, Kentucky man picking up a child from elementary school dropped a gun from his pocket while running with his child in the hallway. The 9mm gun fired a round when it hit the floor which struck the man in the leg. He was airlifted to the hospital for treatment. “Although no children were …
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 23-year old Kendrick Wilson was shot to death by 26-year old Deangelo Coleman while Coleman was allegedly playing with a gun. Coleman was arrested and charged with negligent homicide. The shooting was reportedly just one of three in Baton Rouge today. A Lexington, Kentucky firefighter who was chasing a “squatter who …
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022
In Opelika, Alabama, a loaded firearm discharged when it fell. The round struck and killed a 13-year old boy. “Our thoughts are with the family as they grieve the loss of their child,” said the Police Chief. “We encourage all individuals who own a firearm to ensure that it is stored safely and kept in a …
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022
An Anderson County, South Carolina 9-year old was shot today when his mother’s gun fell out of her purse, struck the floor and discharged. His injuries are not considered life-threatening. The sheriff’s office is investigating. Source: Anne Newman, “Child Shot at Anderson County Home, Deputies Say,” wyff4.com (February 10, 2022).
MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2021
There were at least four incidents of accidental gun violence today. Two of the incidents involved guns firing when they were dropped, a common gun defect. The other two incidents were accidental shooting in vehicles, which often occur because people attempt to store guns that they are carrying before entering a store or another public …
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 …
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021
15-year old Kamm VanGilder of Jeffersonville, Indiana was riding with a former Jeffersonville police officer when the man’s rifle accidentally discharged and VanGilder was killed. The former officer was not identified. An autopsy has confirmed that the shooting was accidental, but the investigation is ongoing. In an incident at a San Antonio, Texas mall, two …
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2021
A Natchez,
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021
Two children were injured today in gun accidents. In Chester, Pennsylvania, an 11-month old girl was struck in the head when a gun fell off a table and discharged. She is listed in fair condition at the hospital, but is expected to survive. The reporting did not include information about the gun involved in the …
Adult Arrested Adult Death Alcohol and Guns Child Injury (18 and Under) Michigan Ohio Pennsylvania Texas
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 2, 2021
In Moore, Oklahoma, a 19-month old baby was taken to a local trauma center with an accidental gunshot wound that occurred, according to his family, when a gun “fell off a dresser and discharged.” The baby was shot in the abdomen. The family is cooperating and no charges are contemplated. “It’s sad and our prayers …
Adult Injury Child Injury (18 and Under) Child Under 18 (as Shooter) Illinois Juvenile Arrested North Carolina Ongoing Investigation
FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021
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 …
TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
In Clendenin, West Virginia, Heather Marie Allen, age 30, was coyote hunting when she placed her loaded rifle up against her SUV. The rifle fell and discharged without a trigger pull, striking Allen in the leg. Her injuries are not expected to be life threatening. As a recent Violence Policy Center gun safety study noted, …
SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2021
A man’s gun fell out of his pocket today while exiting a vehicle in a parking lot on Tiny Town Road in Clarksville, Tennessee. It drop-fired and struck him in the leg. He was taken to the hospital in unknown condition. The potential for any gun to be dropped is, of course, foreseeable. Some guns …
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021
In Concord, Georgia, a 17-year old boy was shot and killed in a gun accident caused by a gun defect. The Sheriff’s Office preliminary investigation indicated that a person in an adjacent room dropped a firearm which discharged. The round passed through a wall and struck the victim. He was taken for medical treatment, but …
THE TAURUS PISTOL DEFECT
In 2017, the Brazilian company Forjas Taurus (“Taurus”)1 recalled nearly a million of its popular pistols2 in the United States as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit.3 The guns involved have a defect that sometimes causes them to fire even when the gun’s safety was in its “on” position and/or when the …
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020
A hunting accident in Hartford, Arkansas killed 14-year old Newt Hodge and wounded his 21-year old brother. While the boys were loading a deer they had killed into a truck, a rifle leaning on the truck fell and discharged. The bullet passed through Newt and struck his brother Kasey in the shoulder. Arkansas Fish and …
MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020
Two children were injured in gun accidents today. In Panama Beach City, Florida, a toddler found a gun in the family car and shot himself in the stomach. He is recovering at the hospital. In San Antonio, Texas, a 14-year old girl was shot in the chest and arm when she was grabbing something from …
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020
In Las Vegas, Nevada, a woman was shot and killed at an apartment complex when she and a man dropped a gun that they were looking at. According to police, the man said “that he and the woman both grabbed for the gun when it fell, and it accidentally went off, striking the woman.” A …
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020
In a variety of jurisdictions across the country today, accidental gunshot wounds sent people to the hospital, where staff are already struggling to find sufficient resources to manage the coronavirus epidemic. Among the accidents was one in Ormond Beach, Florida, where a 22-year old man was shot in the leg when a .22 caliber rifle …