Another Gun Fail

Fri May 17, 2013 at 07:03 PM PDT

GunFAIL XVIII

by David WaldmanFollow

We're back, once again. The kids once again dominated the week, with seven kids under 16 years of age who either shot themselves or were shot by other kids under 16. The youngest victim of GunFAIL this week was just 13 months old, shot by her dad while cleaning his guns. A shocker, to be sure, but then again it was the second time in the space of as many months that a dad had done the same, in Tennessee alone.

Three concealed carry ninjas had accidental discharges this week, as did five cops. Two accidental discharges were in school settings, with one student injured. The first involved a cop on a school bus, whose weapon was discharged into the floor of the bus when a student grabbed at the trigger while his gun was still in his holster. But of course, that will never happen once we quadruple the number of officers in our schools, or whatever it is people are proposing these days. The other incident involved a school employee who's apparently not a teacher, but who holds a second job as a security guard elsewhere, and who gave a student a ride home after school, but accidentally shot him trying (unsuccessfully, evidently) to put the gun in the glove compartment. I never imagined that would prove so difficult a task, and very likely, neither did he. But life—and especially life around firearms—is always full of surprises. Though sometimes those lives are a little shorter than usual.

We also recorded two folks (the 109th and 110th of 2013) shot while cleaning loaded weapons, plus three more home invasion shootings. You're still not allowed to make a list of your neighbors who own guns, out of an abundance of concern for their privacy and liberty and such. But sometimes, they just can't help but make a public declaration of it, such is their pride.

Florida continues its dominance of the Derp Crown Sweepstakes this week, thanks to the woman in St. Petersburg who accidentally shot her friend while on a Starbucks run, with a gun she had forgotten was in her purse and which went off when she dropped her bag. The state's top run status was cemented when another concealed carry ninja in Jupiter shot himself in the leg while bowling with a loaded pistol in his pocket.

Finally, we note the passing of a young and relatively new gun enthusiast from Colorado, a 22-year-old woman killed this week with a newly purchased AK-47 style assault rifle that she apparently fumbled after sharing a few beers with friends. The very young kids are of course a special kind of tragedy, but it seems particularly sad when the victims are of an age when they're likely to have left behind Facebook photos of themselves posing with their guns, as was the case here.

Below you'll find this week's list.

1.     MAQUOKETA, IA, 4/25/13: Jerry Edwards was shot the night of April 25th. His daughter, Sara Desotel, says the 63-year-old is a diabetic amputee. She says he was at his Maquoketa home, 208 South Niagara Street, watching TV in his wheelchair when an intruder broke in and attacked. "He was able to get to his gun that was in the kitchen. They kind of struggled over it," said Sara. A shot rang out. Jerry was hit in the stomach.
2.     EATONTON, GA, 4/26/13: You can have my gun when you pick it up off the street because I put it on top of my car, forgot about it, and then drove away. Ernie Dorough turned over a loaded .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver, a gun case and a Social Security card. A check of the gun’s serial number showed it had not been reported missing or stolen. The owner of the gun, Huelon Franklin Thrift, 28, 788 Sparta Hwy., was asked to verify the whereabouts of his weapon, and he reported his .38 revolver missing. He told Lamon his wife had placed the gun, in its case, on top of the car before driving off that day.
3.     FLAGSTAFF, AZ, 4/27/13: Bagged another turkey... hunter! Two brothers from Surprise, AZ (making its second GunFAIL appearance) were hunting turkeys when one surprised the other with a blast of #6 shot, from a distance of 25 yards, which as we all know, is the distance at which humans mistake one another for turkeys.
4.     ONALASKA, WI, 5/03/13: Police responded to the Gander Mountain parking lot after a report that a 24-year-old Westby man accidentally discharged his .45 caliber handgun into the dash of his vehicle while he was unloading it before going inside to get a new holster for the gun.
5.     SALEM, OR, 5/08/13: The older brother of a young Salem woman has been arrested on assault and reckless endangerment charges after a shooting that sent her to the hospital. Nikki Apodaca, 18, was shot in the leg. She is expected to be OK, police said. Apodaca's older brother, Raymond Hernandez, had been drinking when he removed a handgun from his waistband, police said. Hernandez, 24, was in the process of unloading the gun when it went off, they added. A bullet hit Apodaca in the leg then got lodged in a bedroom door, they added. A juvenile was inside the bedroom.
6.     GOOD HOPE, GA, 5/08/13: On May 8 an accidental shooting complaint was filed at a High Shoals Road, Good Hope, location after a 24-year-old man reported that while he and a friend were cleaning their guns, a gun discharged and shot the man in the hand by a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol. The victim was transported to St. Mary’s hospital in Athens by a personal vehicle.
7.     SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 5/09/13: A man who apparently thought that a pistol wrapped in aluminum foil would be undetectable to airport X-ray machines is facing a federal criminal charge for allegedly trying to smuggle the loaded weapon on a flight from San Francisco to Europe.
8.     BOISE, ID, 5/10/13: Police say the victim of an accidental shooting on Friday has died and the man who killed him is in jail. Derick L. Sedivy, 23, of Boise is charged with felony involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Friday night shooting. Officers say it appears Sedivy accidentally shot a relative around 10:19 p.m. Friday night at a gathering in a home near South Orchard and Cassia Streets. In a previous release, police had described the victim as a "young man." The Boise Police Department says alcohol appears to be a factor in the shooting.
9.     DENTON, TX, 5/11/13: Stop me if you've heard this one before: 8-year-old boy shoots 5-year-old brother in the head. Denton police said an 8-year-old boy accidentally shot his 5-year-old friend in the head with a .22 caliber rifle on Saturday morning. It happened while the two boys were in a bedroom alone at a home in 2700 block of Stockton Street in Denton. Officers said two adults and one teenager were also inside the house when the shooting happened around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. UPDATE: He didn't make it.
10.     BRISTOL, TN, 5/11/13: They will greet our bullets as liberators! Tennessee Patriot shares Liberty Projectile with a neighboring apartment, which is his right under the Constitution. Jarred B. Horton, 25, 1270 Volunteer Parkway, was loading his Springfield XD .45-caliber handgun while intoxicated when it accidentally discharged at about 4 a.m., according to Bristol police. Police were dispatched to the scene on reports of shots fired and found Horton knocking on a neighbor’s door when they arrived.
11.     CHATSWORTH, GA, 5/11/13: Responsible Gun OwnerTM shoots a dog for stepping on his lawn. Read the Constitution, idiot dog! Now that he's been arrested, who's going to "shoot at opossums" and miss, hitting his neighbors' houses and cars? For freedom, of course.
12.     FAIRFIELD, CA, 5/11/13: Man knocks over a shotgun he "didn't know was loaded," finds out it was. A man inside a home on the 700 block of Nevada Street was moving some items, including a shotgun, at around 3:40 p.m. when the gun accidentally fell to the ground, discharged and shot the man in the abdomen.
13.     ST. PETERSBURG, FL, 5/11/13: Just out for a pleasant evening coffee at the mall Starbucks and... accidentally shot. Thanks, Florida! Gun in the purse, round chambered. Put the purse down on the floor, and BLAM! Hit her friend right in the leg. Don't worry, though, because... look over there! It's a woman with a swimming pool in her purse!
14.     ALBANY, GA, 5/11/13: 18 and 19-year-olds want in on the accidental sibling shooting bandwagon! One brother is facing charges while another is recovering from a gunshot wound after an accidental shooting. 19 year-old Efrin Morris told police he was playing with a gun around 3:30pm Saturday in the 900 block of West Lincoln when it went off.  It struck his brother, 18 year-old Erick Morris in the buttock. Erick was taken to Phoebe Putney for treatment.
15.     EUGENE, OR, 5/11/13: A University of Oregon grad student was arrested early Saturday morning after his neighbors reported hearing gunfire coming from inside his campus-area home. Eugene Police responded to McDowell's home at 1804 Columbia St. at around 3:20 a.m. Saturday. Police said they received four calls from neighbors who heard gunfire coming from the southeast campus home. A brief investigation found that McDowell was shooting guns into the ceiling of his home, police officials said. Investigators said they found at least 39 bullet holes in McDowell's ceiling, and later seized several firearms and other evidence from inside the house.
16.     SOLDOTNA, AK, 5/11/13: Troopers responded to an accidental shooting call about 3:15 p.m. on King Salmon Avenue. Investigation revealed that Zackary Moore, 23, “was attempting to disassemble his .45 caliber Springfield Armory semi-auto handgun in the front passenger seat of a Jeep Grand Cherokee when he fired one shot striking himself and his friend, Arnold Sipes, 22, who was seated in the driver’s seat.”
17.     SOLDOTNA, AK, 5/11/13: Bearing in mind that the population of Soldonta is just 4,231... A 16-year-old Soldotna resident shot himself in the leg Saturday at a large teen drinking party at a Tustumena Lake campground, Alaska State Troopers reported. Troopers reported that after the teen shot himself with the .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol “a mass exit ensued and everyone fled the scene.”
18.     AMARILLO, TX, 5/11/13: A 6-year-old Amarillo boy accidentally shot himself over the weekend at a relative’s home, police said. About 11:20 p.m. Saturday, officers arrived at the 9000 block of Orry Avenue and found the boy had suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen after accidentally shooting himself with a firearm, police said. The boy’s relatives were in the home at the time but did not witness the shooting, police said.
19.     ALBUQUERQUE, NM, 5/12/13: Someone fired a gun into the air, which as you know hardly ever results in a bullet coming down anywhere, but this time, it actually did. And it hit a 74-year-old woman on her way to church for Mother's Day. Good news: she's actually going to be OK.
20.     WILKES-BARRE, PA, 5/12/13:  Wilkes-Barre police are investigating what appears to be the accidental shooting of a young child Sunday evening. City police responded at 7 p.m. to a report of a child, possibly 3 years old, shot in the hand at 54 Wayne St. Detectives are still investigating, but the shooting is believed to be accidental, Wilkes-Barre police Lt. Marcella Lendacky said.
21.     BRONX, NY, 5/12/13: An assault suspect barricaded in a Bronx apartment was accidentally shot in the wrist Sunday night by a cop who got inside. When cops finally gained entry about 2 a.m., an Emergency Service Unit officer, a 15-year veteran of the NYPD, accidentally shot King in the right wrist, police sources said.
22.     IOWA CITY, IA, 5/12/13: A 61-year-old Iowa City man is accused of pulling a gun on 12-year-old boy who was looking for lawn mowing jobs Sunday afternoon.
23.     TULLAHOMA, TN, 5/12/13: A Tullahoma man is accused of shooting his 13-month-old baby girl Sunday night while cleaning a handgun at the family's home. Kevin Sayre, 26, faces a charge of aggravated assault after police said he was cleaning the 9mm gun at the East Gate Apartments when the weapon fired, striking the baby in the chest.
24.     SANTA ROSA, CA, 5/13/13: Anthony Alfredo Martinez Jr., 27, of Santa Rosa, was intoxicated and failed to cooperate with police, and was arrested, police said. Martinez had an empty handgun holster clipped to his belt, according to police. An investigation discovered that Martinez had been drinking at the bar, went outside and began firing shots into the air, police said. His brother, Marques Miles Martinez, 25, of Santa Rosa, attempted to stop his brother, but in the struggle, was struck with a bullet in the calf, according to police. There was no intent to shoot anyone, but was a result of intoxication and reckless behavior, police said.
25.     WINCHESTER, VA, 5/13/13: This is bad news, but luckily, it will never happen. Except for those times when it does. So let's all just do what the nice NRA people tell us to and not try to predict anything or collect facts that might help. Police say a school official reported there was a disorderly juvenile on the special needs school bus. They say an officer responded to the scene, calmed down the student and remained with the student as the bus continued its route. Officers say while on their way to the school, the student sitting next to the officer reached his finger into the officer's holster and caused the weapon to accidentally go off into the floor of the bus.
26.     AURORA, CO, 5/13/13: About an hour after school let out for the day, the student was getting a ride home from a school employee who also works a second job as an armed security officer, according to police. The employee was trying to put his gun into the glove box of the car when the weapon fired, hitting the student in the leg.
27.     LAKE CITY, FL, 5/13/13: Police say an 11-year-old boy is in critical condition after getting shot by a 4-year-old child. The Lake City Police Department called the shooting an accident. UPDATE: He didn't make it, either. UPDATE: Once again, the two kids turn out to be siblings.
28.     CHARLESTON, WV, 5/13/13: A 13-year-old boy was shot accidentally in a West Side home where Charleston officers also found several stolen guns. Abbott said the witnesses told officers multiple stories when they arrived, including that the boy had been shot on Magic Island, but officers determined the shooting occurred in the house. He said the shooting appeared accidental. "(The boy and his friend) were playing around with the gun," Abbott said. "We don't know if he accidentally shot himself or if his friend shot him."
29.     LEHIGH, IA, 5/13/13: 33-year-old Chris Degan was unloading his 9mm handgun at the Brushy Creek shooting range just after 5:00 p.m. when the weapon discharged into his left hand.
30.     BEAVERTON, OR, 5/13/13: Home invasion shooting! Responsible Gun OwnerTM, questioned by police when his neighbor complains of a loud bang and a bullet hole, tells the cops he was cleaning his gun, but "did not think it went off." His inability to explain the matching hole in his own wall and the spent shell casing on the floor surely didn't help.
31.     STANLEY, WI, 5/14/13: A 42-year-old Stanley man is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the neck at 1:27 a.m. today. Stanley Police Chief Russell Kollmansberger said the incident occurred in a residence at 503 Madison St. in Stanley. The man’s wife called authorities to report the incident. The man was conscious and alert when an ambulance arrived and was transported to Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. "It was an accidental discharge of a weapon," Kollmansberger said. "We found no (malicious) intent."
32.     CROSS PLAINS, TN, 5/14/13: A bullet, believed to have come from a hunting rifle, struck a baseball field dugout roof Monday afternoon behind East Robertson High School where students were at, according to Cross Plains Interim Police Chief James Yates. Just shortly after 1 p.m., officers responded to the scene to find that a bullet had penetrated the dugout roof and bounced off of a dry erase board, just within feet of students, Yates said. A bullet was recovered, and it is believed to have come from a hunting rifle, according to Yates. A second report was made of someone hearing a round hit in the general area of the rear parking lot at the high school. But police can’t confirm a second shot ever hit, according to Yates, as no evidence has been found.
33.     DELANCO, NJ, 5/14/13: Delanco Police received a call around 3:45 a.m. for the report of a man causing a disturbance in the street along the 400 block of Delaware Avenue in Delanco, N.J., officials say. Burlington County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Joel Bewley said Patrolman Francisco Ambrifi arrived on scene and found the unidentified 21-year-old man in the middle of the tree-lined street facing the Delaware River. Patrolman Ambrifi and the man then got into a struggle after the suspect failed to comply with the officer's orders, Bewley said. During the struggle, Patrolman Ambrifi shot the man "more than once," according to Bewley. The officer also accidentally shot himself in his left leg.
34.     HOUSTON, TX, 5/14/13: A 15-year-old is dead after a gun went off inside a car carrying several teens this evening.  It happened around 6:30pm, and as many as five teens were in the car when the gun went off, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say the group drove the injured teen to Texas Children's Hospital in Katy but the teen didn't make it. Detectives say so far, it appears that the gun accidentally fired as it was in the hands of one of the teens. The bullet struck the teen sitting in the front passenger seat.
35.     JUPITER, FL, 5/14/13: Concealed carry ninja shoots himself while bowling. Several witnesses told NewsChannel 5 that the gun was in the bowler's pocket when it went off, terrifying other bowlers. The man will not face any charges, according to police.
36.     SAXONBURG, PA, 5/14/13: A Saxonburg man, who is not permitted to possess a firearm because of his criminal history, faces charges after he shot himself in the hand.
37.     GRAVETTE, AR, 5/14/13: Home invasion! The guy came out of nowhere and shot him! Lock down the local schools! Call out the SWAT team! Oh, wait. Never mind. He accidentally shot himself and was lying. Deputy Keshia Guyll, spokeswoman for the Benton County Sheriff's Office, said the man who was shot had actually stolen a gun and accidentally shot himself trying to hide the gun. He then concocted a story about a home invasion to try to cover up the incident, Guyll said.
38.     SIMPSONVILLE, SC, 5/14/13: Another home invasion! And this time, our Responsible Gun OwnerTM leaves for work without even bothering to check on the downstairs neighbors after firing into their apartment. When police arrived, they were unable to locate the suspect, identified as Michael Patrick Howell, 24, in the apartment above. After the property manager finally was able to locate the man, he told police he was cleaning his 9mm handgun and accidentally fired the weapon when he was putting it away, the report said. The man claimed that after the gun fired, he went outside to see if his neighbors below came outside. When they didn't, "he thought it was OK to leave so Howell left for work," the report stated. "When asked, Howell stated that he did not even think to call the police or even personally check on [his neighbors] until after he had already gotten to work." Dude, if they don't come out, might it not mean that they got shot?
39.     FEDERAL HEIGHTS, CO, 5/14/13: Police in Federal Heights are investigating the shooting death of a woman who was killed by a bullet from her recently purchased assault rifle. Adair and her husband, Dana "Shane" Adair, 40, were drinking beer in the garage with three other people — described as housemates — when Anastasia went into the home to get her recently purchased rifle to show it off, Toldness said. Witnesses told investigators Anastasia Adair was coming downstairs back into the garage and was handing the rifle to Dana Adair when she slipped or stumbled. The rifle discharged and she was hit in the head. Dana Adair was close enough to his wife that he caught her as she fell.
40.     PONTIAC, MI, 5/14/13: Loved ones of Makayla Lance prayed and hung onto hope that the 17-year-old would survive after being shot in the face. But Wednesday afternoon Makayla was pronounced dead, leaving relatives to wonder what really happened. Makayla's aunt returned home late Tuesday afternoon to find Makayla bleeding and the teen's boyfriend on the phone with a 911 dispatcher. Makayla's boyfriend told her aunt that he had no idea what had happened because he just arrived for a visit. But investigators say he later told them that he had been playing with the gun and it was an accident. Sources tell 7 Action News the young man bought the 38 caliber revolver on the street for $150. Deputies found the gun in a garbage can in the backyard.
41.     MEMPHIS, TN, 5/14/13: TSA officers discover two loaded guns at airports in Tennessee, including one at Memphis International Airport. Tuesday night officials found a loaded pistol in a passenger`s carry-on bag at Memphis International Airport. A loaded gun was also found in a carry-on bag at McGhee Tyson Airport. So far this year, TSA officers have found ten guns at Memphis International Airport.
42.     PONTIAC, MI, 5/14/13: A man who accidentally shot himself in the thigh Tuesday was taken to McLaren Oakland Hospital after his pistol — which was tucked in his waistband — discharged while he was adjusting his pants. Deputies were called to the 6000 block of Woodward Avenue around 2 p.m. The man — a 54-year-old resident of Davisburg who is also a business manager in the Pontiac area — told responding officials that his Glock had fired, hitting him in the left leg. Witnesses at the manager’s business confirmed that there was no foul play, and the man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
43.     TUSCON, AZ, 5/15/13: Two 16-year-old boys were in the desert near the 9800 block of East Bainbridge Street, near East Rita and South Houghton roads, said Sgt. Chris Widmer, a Tucson Police Department spokesman. One teen had a gun and the gun accidentally went off, a bullet striking the other teen in the head, Widmer said.
44.     CHARLOTTE, NC, 5/15/13:  An off-duty police detective accidentally shot himself at a SouthPark-area movie theater Wednesday night. The incident happened at the Phillips Place movie theater near Fairview and Colony Roads just after 9 p.m. Police have not said whether the detective was inside or outside of the theater when the gun went off.
45.     DAYTONA BEACH, FL, 5/15/13: A 19-year-old with a loaded gun he says he inherited from his grandfather was stopped by Transportation Safety Administration officers at Daytona Beach International Airport. The incident happened Wednesday morning as Thomas Suddard tried to bring a .32-caliber Colt pistol through a checkpoint. The Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/... ) reports Suddard told authorities he had forgotten the gun was in his bag. It contained nine live rounds.
46.     AZTEC, NM, 5/15/13: First, Andrew Kvech heard a gunshot. Then the Farmington man heard his friend say, "Oh crap, I shot you." Alec Thomas, a 35-year-old Farmington man, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of shooting Kvech, 42, in the leg. Though investigators believe the shooting was accidental, Thomas was intoxicated at the time of the shooting, and he is a convicted felon who cannot possess guns, said San Juan County Sheriff's Office Lt. Cory Tanner. The shooting took place at about 3 p.m. Wednesday outside a residence on Tranquility Court in Crouch Mesa. Kvech, his brother and Thomas were working on a truck, and there were two handguns at the scene. Kvech told police Thomas was "messing" around with one of the guns when it discharged, according to court documents. Kvech was shot just below his right kneecap.
47.     CHICAGO, IL, 5/15/13: A 16-year-old Chicago high school student whose friend had been killed earlier, accidentally shot a female student on Wednesday as he was gunning for a rival gang member, prosecutors said today.
48.     NEW BEDFORD, MA, 5/16/13: A 49-year-old city man accidentally shot himself in the leg today while he was cleaning his derringer, police said. The shooting occurred shortly before noon inside a building in the 300-block of Bedford Street, according to Detective Capt. Steven Vicente, head of the Major Crimes Unit. Vicente said the victim is properly licensed to carry a handgun. Congrats to what I believe is the 110th person to have an accidental discharge while cleaning a gun so far this year!
49.     PHILADELPHIA, PA, 5/16/13: Police searched for a subject this morning after an off-duty officer's gun accidentally went off while he was chasing a burglary suspect. Two off-duty officers who live in the area of Palmetto and Robbins Streets in the Lawncrest section of Philadelphia, Pa. were woken up around 4 a.m. after a neighbor saw someone breaking into the shed behind one of the officer's Palmetto Street home. Northeast Detectives confirmed that the two off-duty officers gave chase to at least one person who took off running down Robbins Street. During the chase one of the officer's guns went off, police sources with direct knowledge of the investigation told NBC10. Neither officer was hurt and it wasn't clear if the suspect was hit.
50.     ROSEBURG, OR, 5/16/13: Daniel Karnes, 20, took his uncle David Boyd, 49, target shooting. Uncle David had a nice shot, apparently, and Danny went to give him a terrorist fist jab. And that's when Dave let his gun spin down with his finger still in the trigger guard, and shot himself in the stomach. Nice shot, though! The first one, I mean.
51.     BOSSIER CITY, LA, 5/17/13: SS, DD. 13-year-old finds the family gun, accidentally shoots 11-year-old. Two boys aged 11 and 13 were at the teenager’s home on Clover Lane around 4 p.m. Friday when the teen accidentally shot the 11-year-old in the abdomen with a .22 handgun revolver. The weapon belongs to a family member of the teenager.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Fri May 17, 2013 at 07:03 PM PDT.