Gun Fail

SAT JUN 29, 2013 AT 09:30 AM PDT
GunFAIL XXIV
byDavid Waldman

Another standard week of GunFAIL.

The TSA reports 44 firearms discovered at airports this week, 35 of which were loaded. And as usual, almost everyone said they'd "forgotten" or didn't realize they were carrying weapons. Remember folks, an armed society can only be a polite society if everyone knows whether or not they're armed. In other news, five Polite Patriots offered Liberty Projectiles to their neighbors free of charge, and one kept it in-house, installing a Freedom Hole in his friend's neck from down in the basement, while his pal was upstairs puttering around in the kitchen. In addition, a new intersport outreach program instituted in Virginia introduced the bicycling community to shooting sports this week, when a passing cyclist took advantage of the opportunity to get closer to the gun-owning community as he pedaled by the home of a friendly gent in the middle of loading his pistol inside.
Four of our friends shot themselves cleaning loaded guns this week, two of whom soon afterward departed this life. Two law enforcement officers were involved in GunFAIL episodes. Three people were injured in two accidents while target shooting, and one gent was fatally shot by his lady friend whom he was teaching to use firearms safely, which in hindsight might have been better accomplished without the assistance of alcohol and marijuana, but Freedom being what it is these days, I really shouldn't judge.

This week also brought us news of this year's second gunshot injury sustained during an unsuccessful attempt to shoot a raccoon, though it's true that as a matter of policy I do not report on how many raccoons have been successfully shot.

On a more somber note, the minor victims of GunFAIL this week included three 5-year-olds, one 9-year-old, two 12-year-olds, two 13-year-olds, two 16-year-olds, one 17-year-old, one teen of unknown age, and one young boy of unknown age. One of the 12-year-olds and the 9-year-old were the victims of the recent homicide-suicide tragedy in which the older boy is believed to have killed himself after possibly accidentally shooting his younger brother.

Below please find this week's report.

1. OSSINING, NY, 6/08/13: An Ossining man who was practicing loading his gun accidentally fired a shot through his ceiling and into the apartment of a woman who was home upstairs, police said. Jovan Barnes, 28, of 16 James St., was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of second-degree reckless endangerment, village police Detective Lt. William Sullivan said. No one was injured in the incident. Barnes turned himself in the next morning to police, who confiscated his shotgun, a rifle and a legally registered handgun.
2. BLYTHE, CA, 6/14/13: Sammy Thronton, 42, admitted to possessing the gun that accidentally went off and hit him in his leg on June 14. He admitted to disposing of the weapon where it was later found. Blythe Police Department responded to the alleyway south of the 100 block of W. Hobsonway, in reference to a subject who had been shot on June 14 just after 11 p.m. At the time, the victim did not provide any suspect information. A handgun was found in the 100 block of S. Spring Street, and turned over to police on June 16. After examining the weapon and surveillance video from the area, the victim, who had been released from the hospital, was interviewed by a police detective. Charges for unlawful possession of a weapon, filing a false report, and other possible charges, will be sought through the District Attorneys office.
3. LINCOLN, NE, 6/19/13: Hey, I'd like to buy your gun. Can I see it? Is it loaded? No? OK, great, I just—BLAM! Uh, thanks. I changed my mind, though. Bye. Lincoln police found and questioned the 18-year-old man they think shot a 17-year-old girl during a gun-deal-gone-wrong last week, but they didn’t arrest him. Police have not found the gun used in Wednesday’s shooting, in which a bullet fired from the back seat of a Honda Accord went through the front passenger seat and into the back of Treneyce Renae Thompson.
4. JEROME, ID, 6/21/13: Jerome County Sheriff Doug McFall said deputy Anthony Gratzer did not need hospital treatment when shrapnel hit him. A friend of Gratzer's brought a new gun to the deputy's home to show it off Friday, McFall said. Gratzer cleared the gun and gave it back to his friend, but at some point the gun was reloaded, McFall said. McFall said Gratzer's friend shot himself in the knee, and shrapnel from the bullet hit Gratzer in the side of his abdomen. Gratzer was shaken up and now won't allow anyone to bring weapons to his house, McFall said. Jerome police investigated and concluded the shooting was accidental. Gratzer is a cautious person, McFall said, and isn't sure how the gun went off.
5. MARIETTA, GA, 6/21/13: Marietta man is accused of accidentally shooting his neighbor’s house while attempting to shoot birds in his garden. John Leckie reportedly shot his neighbor’s house with a .22-caliber rifle from his house, resulting in damage to his neighbor’s vinyl siding.
6. PORTLAND, TX, 6/21/13: Mixed news here. Some punk attacked an older woman and stabbed her, but she fought him off! Then look what happened: Police say a 15-year old boy broke into her home on Terlingua Drive where she fought off her attacker and managed to injure him. A blood trail led police to the teen who was accidentally shot in the leg by an officer as he was being arrested.
7. RENTON, WA, 6/21/13: Police responded to a location on the 2100 block of NE 9th Place at 6:11 p.m. for an accidental gun shot wound. Two men, including one who was shot in the leg, told police they were looking at a handgun when he accidentally shot himself. No dispute was involved. He was treated by Renton Fire for his injury.
8. HERNDON, VA, 6/22/13: A man's gun discharged while he was loading it inside of his home, striking a passing bike rider, police said. According to officials, the incident was reported at 7 p.m. in the 1200 block of Summerfield Drive in Herdon, Va. John Albers, 49, was inside of his home loading his firearm, when it discharged and struck a passing bicycle rider, police said. Albers was arrested and charged with willfully discharging a firearm in a public place resulting in bodily injury.
9. MEMPHIS, TN, 6/22/13: By 5 o'clock Saturday morning, 54 year-old Patrick Spencer was in custody in connection with his wife's shooting death. He told police she was accidentally shot in the chest during an argument over insurance inside their Berclair neighborhood home. Police say Spencer called 911 and was trying to stop the bleeding when officers arrived.
10. HANSON CO., SD, 6/22/13: A Plankinton teenager was accidentally shot and wounded Saturday morning, according to authorities. Hanson County Deputy Sheriff Casey Tegethoff said a car with four teenagers was driving eastbound on Interstate 90, near mile marker 337, around 11 a.m. Saturday. Tegethoff said the driver of the vehicle, Logan Evans, 18, of Plankinton, pointed a 9 mm pistol at the victim, who was in the backseat. Thinking the gun was not loaded, Evans allegedly pulled the trigger and shot the victim, Tegethoff said. “He didn’t intend to shoot him,” Tegethoff said. UPDATE: Why did he think the gun wasn't loaded? Because he'd removed the magazine. Giving it to him as a graduation present is perhaps looking a bit foolish, in hindsight.
11. WARREN, OH, 6/22/13: A Warren man was hospitalized during the weekend after he was accidentally shot. Reports said a 29-year-old man told police he was with several other people at about 7 p.m. Saturday when someone accidentally shot him at a home in the 2400 block of Kenwood Dr. S.W. The man told police he was unsure who was holding the .38-caliber semiautomatic handgun when it discharged.
12. MODOC, IN, 6/22/13: A 12-year-old boy was killed Saturday after he was accidentally shot with a gun. Randolph County Sheriff’s Department officials say around 10 p.m., Mitchell Gilliland, 36, said he was placing a rifle in a gun cabinet when it discharged, striking the boy in the chest. He then called 911. Police responded to the home, which is in the 4900 block of South 500 West in rural Modoc.
13. DAVENPORT, IA, 6/22/13: Albert “A.J” Coats was arrested Saturday in Milan, and is charged with second degree murder in the death of Amanda Abbott, 25. Afterwards, friends of both Coats and the victim contend it was an accidental shooting. “There was a bullet stuck in the chamber and he was trying to get it loose and it went off”, said one woman after court. “It was a freak accident. Lives are ruined and lost and I know he feels bad and he’s scared”, said Nancy Hoffman. “Everyone was intoxicated, he didn’t know how to handle it properly and she got shot.” she said.
14. NEW ORLEANS, LA, 6/23/13: A 5-year-old girl in New Orleans died Sunday after, police believe, she accidentally shot herself in the head. Officers responded to a report of a child shot late Sunday morning. They found the girl in a bedroom, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was transferred to a hospital but later died from her injury. "A preliminary investigation indicates the child was home alone and had somehow come into contact with a .38-caliber revolver and accidentally shot herself in the head," police said in their statement. They said the mother told them she locked her daughter in the home while she went to the store. Upon her return, she found the girl in the bedroom with the gunshot wound.
15. PHOENIX, AZ, 6/23/13: A man accidentally shot himself in the leg in west Phoenix Sunday after he and three friends committed robbery during a “business transaction,” police said. Three men and a woman drove to the victims’ home near 67th Avenue and Thomas Road, police said. “During the transaction, the suspects proceeded to rob the victims,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Steve Martos said Sunday. Three children under 7 were home at the time, Martos said. As the four fled, one accidentally shot himself in the leg, Martos said. “The other suspects left him behind and fled in a vehicle,” Martos said.
16. CORRECTIONVILLE, IA, 6/23/13: Authorities say a 45-year-old northwest Iowa man who was trying to shoot a caged raccoon accidentally shot himself. The Sioux City Journal reports the accident occurred a little before 10 a.m. Sunday at Copeland Park in Correctionville. Woodbury County Sheriff's Maj. Greg Stallman says Tim McCormick had set out traps at his home in Correctionville and caught a raccoon. Stallman says McCormick took the caged raccoon to the park to shoot it, but instead accidentally fired his .38 caliber revolver into his left leg. He was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City. The uninjured raccoon was released back into the woods.
17. KNOXVILLE, TN, 6/23/13: A man was accidentally shot in the leg Sunday when a gun went off in a West Knox County apartment. According to the Knox County Sheriff's Office, Robert Gibson, 19, was handling a gun in an apartment at the Reserve at Westland, 920 Ashbrooke Way, when the gun went off. Thomas Montgomery, 18, was struck by a bullet in the lower leg. Gibson and a witness, Justin Gore, 18, fled after the gun discharged but later returned to the scene.
18. RUTHERFORD CO., NC, 6/23/13: A Rutherford County teenager is recovering, after she was shot by her cousin. It was a brand new handgun, bought just hours before, and tonight family members and authorities are calling it a horrible accident. 13-year old Ashley Williams is just in middle school, and with tears in their eyes her loved ones say she's just had her fifth surgery. Tonight she's in critical, but stable condition. Officials say volunteer fireman Ray Ponder was showing his thirteen-year-old cousin Ashley Williams his brand new .45 handgun, bought just hours before, putting it back in it's case when he fired.
19. JERSEY CITY, NJ, 6/23/13:  Residents of a Jersey City home where a 17-year-old was shot in the face early Sunday said tonight that a 16-year-old was showing a gun to other juveniles at the house when the weapon accidentally fired. A bullet blew through the 17-year-old’s cheek, according to residents at the two-family home on Danforth Avenue near Old Bergen Road.
20. FAYETTEVILLE, NC, 6/23/13: A North Carolina woman is hospitalized after being struck in the head by a stray bullet that ripped through the wall of her apartment. Fayetteville police said Monday they're looking for someone who goes by the nickname "Champ" known to hang around the neighborhood where 57-year-old Lillian Alcala lives. She was sitting at a computer in her living room Sunday night when she was shot. Police say the woman told officers she felt something hit her head and thought she had been struck by lightning because it was storming. Alcala later found a bullet hole in the wall shared with a next door apartment.
21. KILN, MS, 6/23/13: A Kiln man who was sleeping on his couch Sunday afternoon received a rude and frightening wake-up call when he was struck by a stray bullet that was fired from a mile away, authorities said Monday. Hancock County Sheriff's Chief investigator Glenn Grannan said Monday that Timothy Manuel was sleeping on his couch at his Standard-Dedeaux Road home Sunday, when several people down the road began "horse playing" with their firearms. "Some people down the road were shooting their guns into a pond and in the air," Grannan said. "One of the bullets must have went straight through to Mr. Manuel's home." Grannan said the bullet went through the side of Manuel's trailer and struck him in the chest a few inches below his left pectoral muscle.
22. SEATTLE, WA, 6/24/13: Police found a bullet, splintered wood, and a bloody washcloth at the scene of a bizarre incident at a South Lake Union hotel this morning. Just after 2 AM, a man and his family were startled awake by a loud bang in their fifth floor hotel room. After finding a bullet on the floor near his daughter’s bed, the man went down to the lobby to talk to the hotel’s manager, and called police. Officers searched around the victims’ room and found that the bullet had been fired through the wall of a neighboring room, rented out to a group of teenagers earlier in the evening. While the details are still a bit murky, it appears that at some point the gun went off inside the teens’ room, sending a bullet tearing through a bed and the wall of the hotel, into the neighboring family’s room. The teenage male with the handgun and the female fled shortly after the incident.
23. BANGOR, ME, 6/24/13: The city’s new police chief was cleaning his weapon Monday night and apparently shot himself in the hand, a press release from the city issued Tuesday morning states. Chief Mark Hathaway, a 25-year veteran officer who was selected as the city’s new chief in April, had just returned from training with their new guns in Brewer when the shooting took place. “At approximately 5:15 p.m., while officers were cleaning their new guns at the Bangor police station, Chief Mark Hathaway sustained a non-life threatening injury to his left hand in what appears to be an accidental discharge of his duty weapon,” City Manager Cathy Conlow said in the statement.
24. NEW ORLEANS, LA, 6/24/13: Through their investigation, detectives determined that the 37-year-old man was in an argument with a 29-year-old man. The 29-year-old pulled a gun and shot the 37-year-old multiple times. In the process, the 29-year-old accidentally shot his girlfriend in the foot.
25. FESTUS, MO, 6/24/13: Jefferson County prosecutors charged Makenzie Halinski, 20, with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Cole Campbell, also 20. Campbell was shot to death about 11 p.m. Monday in his basement bedroom in the 400 block of South Fifth Street in Festus. Halinski, of the 1300 block of Meadow Brook Court in Festus, told Festus police in a recorded interview that Campbell had been showing her how to use guns and that he would always unload a gun and put the safety on before handing it to her, according to a probable cause statement. Halinski also said that she and Campbell had been drinking and smoking marijuana Monday evening when Campbell handed her a gun and told her it was unloaded and the safety was on, according to court documents. She said Campbell told her to point the gun toward him and said "shoot me." Halinski said she did because she thought the gun wouldn't fire, court documents say. It did fire, and the bullet hit Campbell in the forehead.
26. FLEMINGTON, NJ, 6/24/13: Frank Kern, 75, of Flemington, died early Tuesday following an accidental shooting. The victim had been cleaning and disassembling his .22 caliber rifle when a single round accidentally discharged into his abdomen, according to law enforcement officials. At 7:55 a.m. Monday, Flemington borough police officers Bradley Bullman and Brian McNally responded to the Prospect Hills Apartments for a report of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They found Kern lying in his garage with the stomach wound.
27. WILKES-BARRE, PA, 6/25/13: Police said Brandon Switzer, 22, accidentally shot Zachary Williams, who later died at the hospital after being shot in the head Tuesday afternoon. The arraignment happened just hours after Wilkes-Barre police were called to a home on North Sherman Street after police said Zachary Williams was found with a gunshot wound to the head. After talking to Switzer and a third man, Edward Berkowitz, detectives learned the three men were inside Berkowitz’s home, playing with a hand gun. Berkowitz told police he was in the bathroom when he heard a gunshot and saw Williams bleeding from the head. He called 911. Switzer told police he and Williams were taking the magazine in and out of the gun and working the slide action. Police said when Williams went to take the gun from Switzer, Switzer said they didn`t realize the gun was loaded and he accidentally released the trigger killing Williams.
28. ALTADENA, CA, 6/25/13: Altadena paramedics responded to a report of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday afternoon. The injury took place in the 1400 block of Morada Place when a man, age unknown, was cleaning his gun and it accidentally discharged and shot him in the fingers.
29. BRIDGEPORT, CA, 6/25/13: Two people were injured during an accidental discharge of a rifle (.223). According to Mono County Sheriff's Office, on Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at around 4:30pm, they found a father, 57, and son, 30, both out of county residents. MCSO says they were shooting at the range and had an accidental discharge of the rifle. The bullet from the rifle struck the son in his right leg. The bullet penetrated both legs and exited through the left foot. His father sustained shrapnel injuries.
30. MAHOPAC, NY, 6/25/13: Orser was cleaning weapons before going to a gun show in Rockland County and shot himself in the chest, Johnson said. Police have not determined if it was an accident or intentional but do not consider it suspicious, the chief said. They are awaiting a coroner’s report. Orser’s wife found him dead about 11:35 p.m. Tuesday in their home, police said. She had returned from a social engagement. “He cleans the guns and polishes them up (before the show),” Johnson said. “He was found on the floor, surrounded by rifles and shotguns.” “He is a survivalist. He deals with guns, he goes to gun shows,” Johnson said. “He supposedly was a firearms expert and a safety instructor also.”
31. SALTILLO, MS, 6/26/13: One person was injured from a gunshot in Saltillo this morning. Saltillo Police Chief Steve Brooks said around 9:30 a.m., police responded to reports of gunshots in a neighborhood near the Food Giant in downtown Saltillo. Brooks said one person was taken to the North Mississippi Medical Center with a non-life-threatening gun shot wound to the leg. Two people were taken into custody. Brooks said at this time it looks like the gunshot could have been an accident and no charges have been filed.
32. CALVIN TOWNSHIP, MI, 6/26/13: A 17-year-old Cassopolis man is in Elkhart General Hospital in stable condition after being shot by his cousin Wednesday night. The Cass County Sheriff's Department says the shooting was accidental and happened when 20-year-old Jeremy Faye was putting the weapon down after believing it was unloaded. Faye told officers he accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting Christopher Burhnam in the lower abdomen area. The shooting happened just before 9 p.m. at a home in the 66-thousand block of Tharp lake Road in Calvin Township.
33. BENTON CITY, WA, 6/26/13: Pro tip: point gun forward. Benton County Sheriff's Deputies are investigating what they believe to be an accidental shooting in Benton city. It happened around 7pm on Wednesday off of Ruppurt road. Deputies say a man described to be in his 50's went into a field behind his house to target practice with a hand gun. They say just shortly after he loaded the gun, it went off and hit him in his upper thigh. The neighbors next door said they could hear something was wrong. They said they were sitting in their house watching TV, when they heard their neighbor shooting his gun. Then they said they started hearing him yell for his wife and ran outside to help. The neighbors said at that point the victim had told them he shot himself.
34. WINSTON-SALEM, NC, 6/26/13: Investigators say Rountree shot Whitt in the leg after responding to a dangerous weapon call at 124 North Jackson Ave. around 1:30 p.m, after a 911 caller reported a man was standing on the porch with a large gun pointed at another person. Rountree and Officer Mohammed Khan, responded to the scene stationing themselves behind Khan’s vehicle. Whitt, who lives nearby, says her boxer dog “Lebrone” heard the officers and went down the driveway as she followed.  In a Winston-Salem Police Dept. news release investigators say the dog ran toward Rountree and Khan, acting in an “aggressive manner.” Rountree attempted to shoot the dog, but his bullet hit the pavement and struck Whitt.
35. LOS ANGELES, CA, 6/26/13: Officials say a 25-year-old man was shot in the neck Wednesday evening when his friend accidentally discharged a firearm from the downstairs of a townhouse. The unidentified victim was puttering around the kitchen of a second floor townhouse around 7:30 pm. when he was hit by the gunfire. The victim’s friend was downstairs when the weapon discharged, according to Los Angeles Police Officer Christopher No. The townhouse is located in the 200 block of West 47th Street, near Broadway, said police.
36. HURON, OH, 6/26/13: A Huron man needed assistance from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office after he accidentally shot himself in the hand, according to deputies. The man, who lives on Berlin Road, told deputies that he had been attempting to turn the safety on when the gun, a Cobra Enterprises .38 caliber handgun, went off in his hand, deputies said. The bullet had entered his palm below the ring finger and exited out the back of his hand below the index finger, deputies said.
37. DECATUR, AR, 6/26/13: The parents of the five-year-old Benton County boy who accidentally shot himself in the face earlier this week have been arrested and face several felony charges associated with the incident. Lawrence and Jessica Thompson were arrested Thursday on suspicion of illegal possession of firearms, endangering the welfare of minors and tampering with evidence. The young special-needs child who accidentally shot himself and was transported to a Siloam Springs hospital at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
38. JACKSON, OH, 6/26/13: The Jackson County coroner says an autopsy shows two half-brothers were fatally shot as a result of an apparent homicide-suicide on Wednesday morning in Jackson, Ohio. Jackson officials say 12-year-old Austin Wiseman put a .44 caliber handgun to his chin and shot himself in the head after accidentally shooting 9-year-old Blake Campbell.
39. HOUSTON, TX, 6/27/13: A man died early Thursday morning after he shot himself in the head while playing with with what he thought was an unloaded gun, Houston police said. The shooting was reported at an auto repair business on Beechnut Street near Tanglewilde Street around 3 a.m., according to the Houston Police Department. The man was already dead when police arrived. Witnesses told police the man had been drinking, and he pulled out a gun he claimed had no bullets. He then put it to his head and pulled the trigger once, and nothing happened. When he pulled the trigger a second time, however, it went off.
40. CLEARFIELD, UT, 6/27/13: Police have been dispatched to a residence where they say a 13-year-old girl was accidentally shot by her brother. The girl was shot in the back of the shoulder and the bullet exited from the front arm. She was conscious, breathing and able to communicate with responders before being flown by Air-med to Primary Children's Hospital. Police say the 15-year-old brother accidentally fired a .22 caliber handgun. The two teens notified their parents, who were home at the time. At that point they called 911, according to Chief of Clearfield Police Greg Krusi. It is unknown what the boy was doing with the gun when it was discharged, according to police.
41. SAN ANTONIO, TX, 6/27/13:A boy was accidentally shot by a young family member Thursday evening in Balcones Heights, police said. The shooting happened just after 5 p.m. in the 200 block of Crestview Drive. Police said both boys live at the home, but investigators were looking into how they found the gun. The injured boy is said to be recovering. Balcones Heights police did not release the ages of both boys.
42. GRANTS PASS, OR, 6/27/13: A 5-year-old girl was shot and killed Thursday night at a northwest Grants Pass home. A second gunshot victim, a woman, was being treated late Thursday night at Three Rivers Medical Center, after being shot in the torso. A man is in custody. The shooting was reported at about 9 p.m., in the 1000 block of Northwest C Street. Another neighbor, Pia D’Ambrosio, said the man who eventually was detained by police said the gun “fell down and went off.” She said she heard him speaking on a cellphone, apparently to police. “He said it was an accident and it fell down the stairs and shot everybody,” she said.
43. OUCHITA PARISH, LA, 6/28/13: Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s depuities responded Friday morning to an accidental shooting involving a teenager at 5173 Highway 34. According to OPSO officials, a 16-year-old male has been airlifted by an emergency medical helicopter from West Ouachita High School to an undisclosed hospital.
44. CHICAGO, IL, 6/28/13: A Hyde Park High School basketball player was shot dead Friday morning when a gun accidentally discharged inside a South Shore home, authorities said. The 16-year-old boy was shot at least one time inside a home in the 7500 block of South Kingston Avenue about 9:45 a.m., police said.

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO DAVID WALDMAN ON SAT JUN 29, 2013 AT 09:30 AM PDT.