Reports of Unintended Gun Violence Collected from Media Reports Across the United States
Three More Unintended Gun Injuries In Shreveport, Louisiana, a 6-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital after being hit by a stray bullet. Her condition is described as “life-threatening.” She was playing in her front yard when the occupants of two vehicles began shooting at each other as they traveled down her street. Describing it …
Five People Injured in Gun Accidents In Lebanon, Ohio, Daniel C. Wright, 22, accidentally shot himself and his 19-year-old female passenger while sitting in a vehicle in a Walmart parking lot. Wright apparently shot himself in the arm; the bullet went through him and into his passenger’s neck. Both were treated at the scene before …
Father Shoots Son in Gun Handling Accident; Three Other Children Injured are Innocent Bystanders In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while handling a gun in the living room, 29-year-old Nicholas Pagan unintentionally shot his five-year-old son in the pelvis. The boy is in the hospital in stable condition. The gun used has not been recovered and Pagan, who …
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 …
Man Accidentally Kills Self in Car Ponca City, Oklahoma police report that 23-year-old Cesar Lopez was handling a loaded firearm in a car when the firearm went off unintentionally and struck Lopez in the head. The driver stopped the car in a parking lot where Lopez died. “Tragedies such as this can commonly be avoided …
Gun Accident When Removing Sunglasses From Purse An Athens, Georgia woman accidentally shot herself in the stomach in the parking lot of a local supermarket when she was reaching for her sunglasses in her purse. The gun that was also in the purse fired unintentionally. She is likely to survive. Source: Joe Johnson, “Woman Shoots …
Child Injured When Assailants Open Fire on Vehicle A seven-year-old child in Mobile, Alabama was hospitalized with life threatening injuries when shots were fired at the car in which they were riding. An adult was also injured. Presumably, the seven-year-old was an innocent bystander to the violence, rather than the target. Source: Howard Koplowitz, “7-year-old …
Three Teens Unintentionally Injured in Shootings After a 13-year-old St Petersburg, Florida boy reported that he had been shot while riding his bike, investigating police concluded that he had accidentally shot himself instead. The boy’s injuries are not considered life threatening and police are investigating where the boy got the gun. In Alexandria, Louisiana, an …
Three Gun Accidents in Cars Leave One Dead and Two Wounded In Desloge, Missouri, Kyle Walters, 25, was arrested after his 9mm pistol accidentally discharged in the back seat of a vehicle while waiting for food ordered at the local Jack in the Box. The round passed through the seat and struck and killed the driver …
Two Kids Injured in Gun Accidents in the Same Texas County In Kaufman County, Texas, a 15-year-old was target shooting when he accidentally shot himself in the face. He was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. It is unclear if he was being supervised at the time of the accident. Early the next morning, …
Two More Teenagers Killed in Gun Accidents For the second day in a row, two teenagers died in preventable gun accidents. In New Orleans, Louisiana, 15-year-old Tyler Ellis was accidentally shot in his home by another 15-year-old. Less than three weeks ago, Kennedi Belton, a classmate of Ellis’s, was also killed in a preventable gun …
Man Appears to Have Shot Himself in Car While Driving In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a man died after a shooting and a car crash on a local highway. Police did not state, but rather implied, that the man had accidentally shot himself and then crashed his vehicle. There is an ongoing investigation. Source: Blakely McHugh, “Police …
Man Accidentally Shot and Killed While Moving a Shotgun To Make Room Inside His Vehicle In Bullhead City, Arizona, a 56-year old man who was moving his shotgun in order to make room for a passenger in his vehicle, accidentally fired the gun into his abdomen and killed himself. Another person was also shot and …
41-year-old Lizmanelle Lumpkin of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was shot and killed inside a vehicle by another occupant while they were handling a firearm. Oklahoma City police called the shooting “completely accidental” and have not made an arrest. Source: “OKCPD: Woman Killed After Getting Shot in a Car by Someone Handling a Firearm,” okcfox.com (January 17, …
A two-year-old and a 15-year-old were innocent bystanders to other people’s gun violence in Jackson, Mississippi today. The two children were in a car and were shot by bullets that passed through the trunk. The 15-year-old is expected to survive, but 2-year-old Kingston McClain will be paralyzed for the rest of his life after being …
A child in Springfield, Missouri died today in an unintentional shooting, but few details have been reported, including the circumstances of the accident. Not even the child’s age is available. A neighbor said, ”[m]y kids play with their kids, and I’m just glad my kids weren’t over there because an accident could happen to anybody.” …
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 …
Ahmad Gardner of North Charleston, South Carolina, accidentally shot and killed himself while driving. He was making a U-Turn at the time of the incident. His car traveled through a parking lot and struck an unoccupied vehicle, but no one else was hurt. Source: Jasmine Pack, “Coroner Identifies Man That Accidently Shot Himself and Crashed …
A Memphis, Tennessee school was placed on lockdown after a 15-year-old accidentally discharged a weapon that he had brought to school. According to the report, another student went to the school nurse with a gunshot wound to his leg. The 15-year-old was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment. Apparently, the incident did not result in …
William Harston, a Hendersonville, Kentucky man is dead after he accidentally shot himself in the chest outside a local pawn shop. According to the report, he was loading a gun in his truck when it went off. Also today, a Chicago, Illinois man shot a three-year-old boy in the shin while attempting to holster a …
In Jackson, Mississippi, a game of Russian Roulette resulted in the death of 12-year-old Markell Noah. He had been originally thought missing before authorities found his body in an abandoned home. Two minors face murder charges, while an adult is facing an accessory to murder charge, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing. A newly enacted …
19-year old Dax Goodwin was arrested and charged with manslaughter after an unintentional shooting today in Tonopah, Arizona. According to the report Goodwin shot another teenager in the head with a gun he believed to be unloaded. The two were on a hunting trip driving in separate pick-up trucks at the time of the incident. …
A Westminster, Colorado teenager involved in a high-speed chase in a stolen car unintentionally shot and killed himself when the vehicle crashed while making a turn at an excessive rate of speed. Police had identified the stolen car based on witness statements and were involved in a chase on local streets. They were aware that …
In Roanoke, Virginia, a “juvenile” was killed in a gun accident along a local street. Although circumstances of the accident have not been released, those involved are cooperating with the ongoing investigation. An Arkansas City, Kansas man shot himself in the leg while attempting to clean his 9 millimeter pistol. Such accidents often occur because …
Lindell Mays of New Orleans, Louisiana was arrested today after a four-year old boy was shot in the parking lot of a local store. Mays was charged by New Orleans police with mishandling a firearm “with respect to minors.” It is unclear if the boy got ahold of the gun in a car when he …
Three people accidentally shot and killed others in gun accidents today. Each accident was caused by the shooter’s own negligence but was likely facilitated by faulty gun design. Two of the incidents occurred in vehicles. In Raleigh North Carolina, Barri Rogers, 21, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his friend, Ahmad …
A Columbus, Georgia, five-year old was accidentally shot at a gas station today. The child is in stable condition at the hospital. No other information has been reported. Source: Jatavia O’Neal, “5-year-old in Stable Condition After Accidental Shooting in Columbus,” wtvm.com (September 7, 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 …
In Ruskin, Florida, a 17-year old brought a gun to high school in his car. When his friend, a former student, found the gun, he accidentally shot himself, but was then able to drive himself to the hospital. The 17-year old was arrested and charged with possession of a gun on school property. The school …
We recently posted on the likely impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in New York Rifle and Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen on gun safety. In Bruen, the Supreme Court ruled that all “law-abiding” Americans have a Second Amendment right to carry a gun outside the home for self-defense. Several states quickly responded by considering or …
Jordan Esteban, a 17-year old boy, died of a gunshot wound to the head in a Tulsa, Oklahoma parking lot today. 21-year old Oscar Zermeno was arrested after the incident. According to Zermeno and other witnesses, Esteban was shot accidentally as occupants of a parked vehicle passed a gun around inside the car. Source: Callie …
In Atlanta, Georgia, four-year old Kendall Lewis found a loaded gun in the back seat of her car while her mother was driving on the interstate. She shot and killed herself. Her mother, Kaelin Lewis, was charged with murder. The family remembered Kendall as a “boisterous and lively four-year-old.” She was excited about starting Pre-K. Source: …
Jesus Miguel Gamboa, age 24, of Chaparral, New Mexico was charged with child abuse after his three-year old daughter found a loaded handgun in his home and shot herself in the neck. Gamboa was reportedly in the bathroom at the time of the incident. The girl is in stable condition at the hospital. Police are …
In Charlotte, North Carolina, man “negligently discharged” his weapon inside his vehicle outside a local shooting range. He was transported to a hospital for treatment. In Mashpee, Massachusetts, a man negligently shot himself in the hand and was flown to a Rhode Island hospital for treatment. And in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a man who was …
A Kouts, Indiana two-year old died today after finding a loaded gun at home and shooting himself. The boy, Wyatt Luczak, died at the hospital. After a month-long investigation, no charges were filed. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” the prosecutor said. In Baldwin, County, Alabama, a four-year old faces surgery after he …
Lynzell Anderson of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, age 34, is facing negligent homicide charges after his four year old son found a loaded gun under the seat of the family car and shot himself in the face. The boy died at the scene. Anderson told police he had left his son momentarily unsupervised when he went …
The Supreme Court ruled today, in New York Rifle and Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen, that all “law-abiding” Americans have a right to carry a gun outside the home for self-defense. This will have very serious implications and, as its most near-term consequence, will likely eliminate existing gun license procedures in at least five states. Perhaps …
In Chicago, Illinois, Cecilia Thomas, a six-month old girl was shot and killed in her car seat when someone opened fire on her father’s car. According to the report, the shooter is believed to be a woman. Police are investigating. Source: “6-month-old Baby Girl Shot in the Head and Killed,” Chicago Journal (June 24, 2022).
A pair of three-year olds were injured as the unintended consequence of gun violence today. Both were shot when rounds were firing into cars in which they were traveling. In Chicago, Illinois, the toddler was shot in the leg and is in good condition. There are no suspects. In Goldsboro, North Carolina, Tyrik Joyner, age …
At least five children were killed or injured today as unintended consequences of other people’s gun violence. The grim toll: Mariyah Lacy, age 5, of Jackson, Mississippi, was killed when her mother’s ex-boyfriend shot into her mother’s car in an argument over money. Mariyah’s two siblings were uninjured, but her mother was grazed by a …
In a complicated scenario, a Houston, Texas teenager, Julio Arnoldo Orsorio Saca, age 18, is charged with murder and aggravated robbery after he accidentally shot his co-conspirator at the outset of a planned robbery. The report of the accident is as follows: Investigators were advised that the deceased male and Osorio Saca were in the …
Trent Byerly, a Des Allemands, Louisiana 19-year old, was handling a gun inside a car when it accidentally fired. The round struck him in the chest and killed him. Two of his co-passengers were arrested for obstruction of justice. An eight-year old Chicago, Illinois girl was accidentally shot by a 12-year old neighbor in her …
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 …
In what West Valley, Utah police are calling an accidental shooting, an unidentified 14-year old boy shot himself on Saturday. He died at the hospital the next day. Police are investigating various questions, including how the boy got a gun. A man also shot himself in the parking lot at an Orlando, Florida gun show …
In Palo Alto, California, two young men were shot and injured in a ghost gun accident. One was struck in the hand and the other in the leg in a local shopping center parking lot when a gun went off while they were smoking marijuana in a truck. A bloodied and loaded handgun with no …
Yovany Rodriguez, a 39-year old Los Angeles, California man, was shot while driving. He died at the scene after crashing into another vehicle. Police are investigating, but have not identified the shooter. Source: “Fatal Head-on Crash Turns Into Shooting Investigation in South LA,” Fox 11 LA (April 27, 2022).
In Denver, Colorado, police are investigating the shooting of a three-year old who was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle in critical condition. “Investigators said the shooting appears accidental and self-inflicted.” The boy died five days later. It became clear that the accident happened in a parked vehicle. The boy’s mother, Celina Duran, …
Several types of common American gun accidents were on display today in cities across the country. In Memphis, Tennessee, a man died in an apparent shooting range accident. Two children found loaded guns at home and shot themselves. Again, in Memphis, Tennessee, a toddler is in critical condition after a self-inflicted shooting. Memphis officials say …
In Johnston, Rhode Island, the local police chief announced that the gun death of a 15-year old boy was not a suicide and is being treated as an accident. No other details have been released. And in Siler City, North Carolina, Patricia Stanley, age 38, died in an apparent gun accident in an RV. A …
In Brackettville, Texas, a 19-year old Texas National Guard soldier died in a gun accident today. The soldier, Dajuan Lester Townes, was in a parked car with fellow guardsman when he handed his gun to a soldier sitting behind him. The gun went off, pierced the seat, and struck Townes in the back. Townes was …
A Toledo, Ohio man was charged with child endangerment and tampering with evidence after a toddler found a loaded gun in the man’s pocket and used it to shoot himself in the chest. The man was lying down in bed when the incident occurred. The toddler is in critical condition at the hospital. In Miami, …
Three children, age 2, age 4, and age 15, were shot and injured in gun accidents today. The two year-old, of Spring Lake, North Carolina, was shot with a semi-automatic pistol as he was sitting in his mother’s car, while she was speaking with someone through the window. Police have declined to say whether he …
In Dunwoody, Georgia, a man shot himself in his car while in the parking lot at a local Walmart. Although he first told police someone else shot him, he later acknowledged that he had shot himself while adjusting his own gun. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. This is the second …
A 20-year old New York City man driving a Tesla on First Avenue shot himself in the leg. He discarded the gun on the street before pulling over. Police then found him with a gunshot wound to the thigh. He is in stable condition at the hospital. Source: Dean Moses, “Man Shoots Himself in Leg …
In Columbus, Nebraska, two people were injured when a dog in a pick-up truck discharged a shotgun that had been left unattended in the back seat. The shotgun had previously jammed, according to authorities. Two people were struck as they exited a nearby business. Another vehicle was also damaged. In Oakwood, Georgia, a teenager accidentally …
In Atlanta, Georgia, a one-year old who was left alone with her pre-school age brother and a loaded gun was accidentally shot. She is in critical condition at the hospital. A police lieutenant said though it was “a tragic accident,” charges could be filed. “Please put guns away. This is now the second time in …
A six-year old and a nine-year old were killed as innocent bystanders in Columbus, Ohio when unidentified men opened fire on a car in which they were sitting. The 22-year old driver was also killed. “There is a mother now who will have to go on in her life with two young babies that she …
In Poughkeepsie, New York, two teenagers fired guns outside a Poughkeepsie High School. A 13-year old with a semiautomatic pistol and a 15-year old were later arrested after fleeing on foot. Several shell casings were found near the school and several vehicles were hit. A short time later, a 19-year old, apparently the victim of …
Jasper Wu, of Fremont, California, was just shy of his second birthday when he was struck and killed by a stray bullet while traveling with his family on Interstate 880 in Oakland. The round was part of an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles traveling in the other direction. No one besides Jasper was struck …
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 …
Two remarkably similar recent incidents in Port Arthur, Texas illustrate the fine line between shootings that police treat as accidental and those that are treated as intentional. When circumstances are murky, a shooter who is forthcoming about how an incident took place appears less likely to be treated as a deliberate actor. In the more …
In Murray, New York, a 50-year old man with an unholstered Ruger semiautomatic pistol in the pocket of his shorts accidentally shot himself in the thigh while repositioning trailers. The accident occurred when the man was putting on his seatbelt. Police took the man to the hospital for treatment. Source: “Orleans County: Man Accidentally Shot …
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 …
41-year old Brian McManemy of Blairstown, Iowa was shot in the leg when one of the guns in the vehicle in which he was riding discharged. He was transported to a Cedar Rapids hospital. Mr. McManemy was coyote hunting at the time of the accident. He was a passenger in a vehicle driving through a …
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 …
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 …