Gun Fail

Sat Oct 19, 2013 at 06:16 PM PDT

GunFAIL XL

by David Waldman

Denver's airport alone saw five passengers attempt to board flights with handguns during the federal government shutdown.

 

Moderate to heavy overall volume this week, with big numbers in loaded gun-cleaning and hunting accidents, with five each. There were three "home invasion" shootings (plus one "bar invasion" shooting), and likewise three men who accidentally shot their wives or girlfriends. Two people dropped their guns and shot themselves this week, one of whom was a sheriff's deputy. And, as is almost always the case, at least one person shot themselves putting a gun in their waistband.

 

With the government shutdown over, we've got new numbers in from the TSA. During the period from September 27th through October 17th, encompassing the shutdown and the few days prior to it, the TSA found a whopping 99 guns on passengers attempting to board flights at airports around the country, five of which were found at the Denver airport, and are pictured above. But Denver wasn't actually the single biggest source of guns discovered during this period. That dubious honor belongs to Atlanta, where the TSA turned up nine of them. There was also a celebrity sighting among the TSA's haul: former Boston Celtics star Bill Russell was caught with a loaded .38 on his way to a flight out of Seattle.

Two especially noteworthy stories this week. First, the woman in Fort Richey, FL who was shot in the leg by a bullet fired by a neighborhood man who'd just committed suicide with it (and no, this is not the first time this has happened this year). And second, a couple in Austin, TX who, engaged in a domestic dispute (to put it mildly), were wrestling over an assault rifle when they accidentally fired it, shooting a neighbor who was outside working on his fence at the time. But the story doesn't end there. When the Austin police showed up, the man had won control of the rifle, but failed to drop it when officers ordered him to do so, and was himself shot.

I do have a few other stories worth sharing, though they pertain to incidents not included in this week's compilation. The first involves a GunFAIL episode from last year, before we began our count, but which provides interesting perspective on the many accidents we read about which aren't fatal, and reports of which indicate that victims "are expected to recover." The Cumberland County (NC) Sheriff's Office chief jailer, Maj. John R. McRainey, was wounded in late October of last year, when his gun accidentally discharged. "Although it is always a tragedy anytime that anyone suffers a gunshot wound, we are just thankful that it was no worse than it was," Sheriff Moose Butler said at the time. But this week comes news that Maj. McRainey—after eight surgeries, 129 days in the hospital, and thrice-weekly dialysis due to damage to his kidneys—has died.

Another is a follow-up on an incident we covered in GunFAIL XXXIII, in Chardon, OH, from which video footage has now emerged. This story is hard to summarize succinctly, and really is such an EverythingFAIL, it really has to be seen to be believed. So here it is.

Lastly, the counts of the child victims of GunFAIL, and the guns found in schools. Mercifully, just five kids accidentally shot this week, ages 5, 8, 14, 15 and 15. Guns turned up in schools this week in Monroe, LA, Louisville, KY, Berkeley, IL, Norfolk, VA, Black Mountain, NC, and St. Albans, VT.
Below the fold, this week's list.

1. BRIDGETON, MO, 9/02/13: Police say a 28-year-old woman remains in critical condition after her boyfriend accidentally shot her while under the influence of drugs and alcohol in Bridgeton. Daniel Miller, 28, was charged with second-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action. According to court documents, Miller on Sept. 2 drank eight beers and took a Vicodin pill before “playing” with a 9mm pistol in his apartment on Brittany Circle. Police say Miller admitted to pointing the weapon toward his girlfriend and recklessly shooting her. Officials say the victim suffered life-threatening injuries that will affect her for the rest of her life. She is currently listed in critical condition.
2. WEWAHITCHTKA, FL, 9/22/13: A Wewahitchka man was arrested this week on charges stemming from a shooting last month. Dakota Floyd Ake, 21, of Wewahitchka was arrested by investigators with the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office, according to Sheriff Mike Harrison. Ake’s arrest follows the shooting of Peter Keukelaar, 28, of Bay County during a social gathering at Ake’s residence Sept. 22. Keukelaar suffered a gunshot wound to the chest with life-threatening injuries. Investigators learned Keukelaar was shot with a shotgun by Ake. Based on witness accounts at the time, Ake accidentally shot Keukelaar and no criminal charges were filed, pending additional investigation. That investigation, including the interview of numerous witnesses, determined that prior to the shooting Ake committed several weapons violations that led to Keukelaar being shot. Witnesses said Ake discharged the shotgun into the air several times and pointed the shotgun at an individual in a threatening manner. While making that threat, which is considered felony assault, Ake discharged the weapon accidently shooting Keukalaar.
3. MIDDLESEX COUNTY, VA, 10/05/13: A father is charged with several crimes after investigators said he took aim and fired at his daughter's friends. Carlton Walker Jr. is charged with two counts of abduction, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and two counts of firing into an occupied vehicle in connection to the Oct. 5 shooting. Walker, investigators said, held two teenagers at gunpoint with a shotgun when they dropped his daughter off at his home. Walker was upset, investigators said, because the friends brought his daughter home late — after 12:30 a.m. When the friends tried to leave, Walker blocked the driveway, according to investigator. He then pulled out a shotgun and ordered his wife to call police. He wanted the friends charged with abduction. But when deputies arrived, it was the father charged with the crimes.
4. FLORENCE, AZ, 10/11/13: A Florence man died following an accidental shooting during a night of heavy drinking, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. Robert DeArman III, 27, was shot Friday night while he and three other friends were at a home in the 10200 block of North Highway 79. According to the sheriff's office, one of the friends had removed a Springfield Armory .40-caliber handgun from his backpack to show it to the others. As DeArman was handing it back to the owner, one of the men accidentally pulled the trigger and DeArman was shot once in the chest.  Deputies and medics arrived at about 11:30 p.m. and DeArman was pronounced dead at the scene.
5. TACOMA, WA, 10/11/13: A Tacoma man says he was 'playing around' when he pointed his revolver at a friend and pulled the trigger, killing him. Tanielu Lotovaivai, 19, says he didn't realize it was still loaded. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter Tuesday afternoon for the death of Jalon Bea. Prosecutors say on Oct. 11 Bea, 17, was sitting in a parked car when Lotovaivai pointed a .38 caliber revolver towards him, eventually shooting him in the chest. It happened in a parked car outside a home near South G and South 45th Street. According to court documents, Lotovaivai helped take Bea to the hospital but then took off because, he told prosecutors, he was scared. He turned himself in to police on Monday.
6. MADISON CO., GA, 10/11/13: MAN SHOT: On Oct. 11, deputies were dispatched to Madison Street, where a man said he was cleaning his .32-caliber pistol and accidentally shot himself in the abdomen. The shooting did not appear suspicious.
7. DUMMER, NH, 10/12/13: A 55-year-old hunter was struck by bird shot on his right side when his son fired a shotgun on a hunting trip in Dummer on Saturday. David Osgood of Berlin, N.H., was hunting with his son, Cory Osgood, 24, in an overgrown apple orchard off Hill Road. Cory Osgood was shooting at a woodcock when the accident happened. David Osgood drove himself to the Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin where he was treated and released for approximately seven puncture wounds, authorities said.
8. ORANGE CO., FL, 10/12/13: A man who fatally shot his girlfriend early Saturday morning is not facing charges and the incident has been determined to be accidental, investigators said. The deadly shooting happened at a home on Villa Drive around 3 a.m. When deputies arrived at the scene, 33-year-old Tanya Alvarado was found deceased in front of the home, deputies said. "There was a victim lying on the grass in the front yard and there was a shotgun nearby," Lt. Sheri Chehutski with the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. The shooter, identified as Jorge Hernandez, was taken into custody at the home but told investigators the incident was an accident. Officials said Hernandez is the boyfriend of the victim. After investigating, authorities said the shooting did appear to be accidental and Hernandez was not going to face charges. No further details regarding the incident were released.
9. DELTONA, FL, 10/12/13: A 27-year-old Deltona man was accidentally shot in the groin by a friend who was disassembling a handgun, investigating Volusia deputies said. Christopher Hanson was found with a gunshot at a Wiggley Farms Road in Deltona at 5 p.m. Saturday. Hanson was airlifted to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach with injuries not considered life-threatening, investigators said. According to an investigation, Hanson had just purchased a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun and had never fired it. He took the firearm to his friend, James Harris, 20, who started breaking down the gun before trying it out at target practice, deputies said. Harris pulled the slide of the gun without looking to see if the gun was loaded and then pulled the trigger to remove the slide and the gun discharged, investigators said. The jacketed hollowpoint bullet went through Harris left hand, shattering it, and hit Hanson in the groin, deputies said.
10. AIKEN, SC, 10/12/13: An Aiken man, who lives on Partridge Bend Road, injured his left thigh and left hand when he accidentally shot himself on Saturday. The responding officer reported that the victim pulled the trigger on a Glock 9 millimeter pistol that he thought was unloaded. Aiken County EMS transported the man to a hospital.
11. GREAT FALLS, MT, 10/12/13: Great Falls emergency personnel were called to the 1700 block of Meadowlark Drive late Saturday, responding to a call of a person suffering from a gunshot wound. Dispatchers said a 43-year-old male was cleaning a weapon and was shot in the stomach. The call came in about 10:40 p.m. On Sunday, Great Falls Police Department said it was the victim’s wife cleaning the gun and he was helping when the weapon was accidentally discharged. The bullet entered his right abdomen, exited his left abdomen and struck his tricep.
12. GREENFIELD, WI, 10/12/13: Police are investigating an accidental shooting that occurred in the 4900 block of South 36th Streetat about 9 a.m. Oct. 12. The resident reportedly injured himself while cleaning his gun.
13. WEST POINT, GA, 10/13/13: Police in West Point, Ga., say a teen accidentally shot himself in the head Sunday. In a report, police said the 18-year-old male was in his bedroom playing with a .22 caliber revolver when the gun went off. Police were called to the scene at 11:51 a.m. The wound was to the right temple. The teen was conscious and alert and was able to provide details to officers. He was transported to Midtown Medical Center in Columbus. He was in stable condition.
14. AVON, OH, 10/12/13: Police are investigating a overnight shooting early Saturday that killed a 29-year-old man. According to police, Brandon Smith was shot once in the head by a roommate, identified as Ryan Raider, 25. Smith was rushed to the EMH Avon Emergency Care Center by Avon Fire Department paramedics. He was later flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, where he was pronounced dead, Police Chief Richard Bosley said. Raider was taken into custody on charges of reckless homicide and having weapons while intoxicated. He is being held at the Lorain County Jail pending arraignment Tuesday in Avon Lake Municipal Court, according to Bosley. Preliminary investigation has led police to conclude the shooting was an accident. “Everything we have so far points to this not being intentional,” Bosley said.
15. MILTON, OK, 10/13/13: A 59-year-old LeFlore County woman is dead after being shot in the abdomen Sunday night (Oct. 13). The gunshot wound appears to be accidental, according to LeFlore County Sheriff Rob Seale. “At this point, I don’t believe there was any foul play in her death,” Seale said. “It looks like maybe the gun hit the floor and just went off or that sort of thing.”
16. GREENWOOD, IN, 10/13/13: The Johnson County Sheriff's Department is investigating an accidental shooting that took place Sunday evening just before 6:30 p.m. Deputies responded to 5414 Old Smith Valley Road on the report of someone accidentally shot at a residence. A man, who identified himself as Martin Smith, had accidentally shot himself in the lower right leg and toe. Deputies report that Smith appeared to be Intoxicated. Relatives at the scene indicated that Smith received news over the phone indicating that a close friend in Louisville had been shot and killed. They say that Smith went to his room to get a gun to search for the person he believed was responsible for his friend's death. Relatives reported that when Smith placed the gun in his waistband, it accidentally fired.
17. NASHVILLE, TN, 10/13/13: A woman at an apartment complex in Hermitage was accidentally shot by her neighbor late Sunday night while he was playing with his gun. The incident occurred at 11 p.m. at the Pine Brook Apartments located at 1005 Hickory Hill Lane. According to authorities, David White, 22, admitted he was playing with his gun inside his bedroom when the weapon discharged. The bullet reportedly went through the ceiling of the apartment below, striking a sleeping woman below her left shoulder. News 2 spoke with the victim's husband, Vincent Goutremont, who was home at the time of the accident along with their two children, a six-year-old and one-year-old. He reported he woke to his wife screaming.  She was sleeping just six feet from the baby's crib where the child was also sleeping.
18. FALLSBURG, NY, 10/13/13: A woman was fatally shot Sunday night at a home on a sleepy residential street in the hamlet of Mountaindale and police have arrested a man on two felony gun charges. Authorities were called to the home before 9 p.m. According to a first responders report, the woman was shot in the head by her husband. The man claimed the gun discharged accidentally. Fallsburg Chief Simmie Williams said Kevin Oefelein Sr., 57, was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Williams would not specify why Oefelein was charged or what guns were recovered. He was arraigned and sent to the Sullivan County Jail on no bail.
19. MUSKINGUM CO., OH, 10/13/13: Officials have identified the hunter who died after he accidentally shot himself. Ohio Department of Natural Resources Spokesman Mark Bruce says 61-year-old Charles Terrill of Zanesville was riding his all terrain vehicle on private property near Wolfe Run Road in Muskingum County when his shotgun accidentally discharged. Bruce says Terrill was not actively hunting at the time.
20. ELWOOD, NE, 10/13/13: One man was injured in an accidental shooting Sunday in Gosper County. According to the Gosper County Sheriff’s Office, Eric Fischer, 22, of McCook was sitting on an ATV in a pasture in the southwest portion of Gosper County when a relative who was sitting on another ATV accidentally discharged a loaded .234 rifle. The bullet entered Fischer’s right hip, and he was taken to the Cambridge Memorial Hospital for treatment at approximately 11:40 a.m.
21. COLUMBIA, SC, 10/13/13:  Two high school friends reunited for the weekend, with one, now a USC freshman, showing off her new campus to her out-of-town guest. But the night ended tragically for the young women, when the freshman was struck by a random bullet while waiting for a taxi near the iconic fountain in Five Points. Martha Childress, 18, is paralyzed from the hips down, after a .40-caliber bullet lodged in her spine. Columbia police have arrested 20-year-old Michael Juan Smith on five charges, including assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. He is being held without bond at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Smith allegedly was arguing with another man when he pulled a .40-caliber Glock handgun and fired at least two shots, according to police reports. One bullet struck Childress, who was an estimated 30-40 yards away from the shooter, said Jennifer Timmons, the Columbia Police Department spokeswoman.
22. DETROIT, MI, 10/13/13: A second man has been charged in the fatal Sunday shooting of a 16-year-old girl. Devin Brown, 21, of Detroit, was arraigned earlier Wednesday on manslaughter charges in the shooting, which, the charges indicate, may have been accidental. The Wayne County Prosecutor's office later announced charges against 18-year-old Kermil Smith, who is accused of lying to police at the scene hide the handgun used in the shooting.
23. KANSAS CITY, MO, 10/14/13: Police are investigating after a child — believed to be around 3 years old — accidentally shot themselves in Kansas City, Mo. Police said the shooting happened around 7 p.m. Monday in the 3300 block of Moulton. The child was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle. The injuries are not considered life threatening.
24. MONROE, LA, 10/14/13: A 13-year-old male student was taken into custody after a handgun was fired inside a bathroom at a junior high school in Monroe. The gunshot was fired Monday morning at Carroll Junior High. Monroe Police spokesman Mark Johnson said police believe four students were in the bathroom when the gun was fired once into the ceiling, causing minor damage. Police told KNOE television that the gun had been taken from the home of the boy's grandparent, without the grandparent's knowledge. No students were injured in the incident.
25. RED ROCK, AZ, 10/14/13: A Red Rock man is under arrest after Pinal County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of an accidental shooting Monday night that left a 19-year old woman dead. Deputies were called to Red Rock Feeding on East Sasco Circle in Red Rock just before 7 p.m. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. 20-year old Ramiro Delcid of Red Rock told PCSO Homicide Detectives he was sitting in his company work truck with his girlfriend. He unloaded his .38 caliber pistol and then pointed it at her in an attempt to scare her. He pulled the trigger thinking the gun was unloaded, but one bullet was still in the gun. The bullet struck his girlfriend in the chest and killed her. After shooting her, Delcid called 9-1-1.
26. KENT, OH, 10/14/13: The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office and the Kent Police Department are investigating the death of Donald Pigg, a 56 year old man from Beverly Hills, Florida. On October 14th Mr. Pigg was hunting in Portage County when he reportedly was involved in a hunting accident, suffering a gunshot wound. He was transported to Akron City Hospital where he underwent surgery and was later pronounced dead at 1:13 am on October 16th.
27. WEST FORK, AR, 10/15/13: A Washington County shooting left a 15-year-old boy dead late Tuesday afternoon, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded shortly after 4 p.m. near the intersection of Bethlehem Road and Landelious Road just west of West Fork in reference to what was reported as an accidental shooting. Investigators found Michael Dillon Brawley dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. A neighbor told 5NEWS Brawley and a young man were using the guns in a field, when Brawley was accidentally shot in the chest.
28. EL MONTE, CA, 10/15/13: Detectives were looking into the possibility an El Monte man accidentally shot his daughter Tuesday before intentionally shooting her girlfriend to death and committing suicide, officials said. Harry Maldonado, 65, is believed to be the gunman who fatally shot his daughter, 32-year-old Evie Maldonado, and her girlfriend, 38-year-old Diana Amaya, about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday before turning the handgun on himself, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials. The three, who lived together in a condominium in the 9900 block of Marshal Street, became involved in an argument inside the home’s garage when the shooting took place, Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. Detectives suspected the triple-fatal shooting may have started as an accident when Harry Maldonado brandished a semi-automatic handgun during an argument. The first person shot was his daughter. “It could have been an accidental discharge,” Hernandez said. But the shots that rang out next were not believed to be accidental. “He definitely intentionally shot (Amaya) and himself,” the lieutenant said.
29. BERKELEY, IL, 10/15/13: A 12-year-old is facing juvenile charges after authorities say he fired a gun inside a bathroom at his suburban Chicago middle school. Police say the 9 mm gun may have been accidentally fired into a toilet at MacArthur Middle School in Berkeley on Tuesday afternoon. Police Chief Dale Gustafson says authorities believe the boy tucked the loaded gun into his waistband and had it with him for the entire school day. Superintendent Eva Smith says in a statement that the boy never threatened anyone with the weapon. When administrators asked him why he had the gun, he said: "I don't know." It's not clear where he got the weapon.
30. SHREVEPORT, LA, 10/16/13: A man is behind bars after he was stopped for speeding while driving himself to the hospital to get treatment for a gunshot wound. At around 3:15 p.m., Wednesday, a Shreveport officer stopped James McCullough, 28, near the intersection of Southern and St. Vincent Avenues. The officer found McCullough suffering from a gunshot wound to the lower leg. He was transported to University Medical Center. McCullough was found to have an outstanding warrant for his arrest for an unrelated incident and will be booked into the Shreveport City Jail upon release from the hospital. The investigation revealed that McCullough was parked and while repositioning a handgun inside the vehicle, accidentally shot himself in the leg. No charges were filed in connection with the shooting.
31. WICHITA, KS, 10/16/13: Wednesday 11:00 a.m. 600 E. 47th South. 20-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the right hand while cleaning his .44 caliber handgun. The man suffered a minor wound.
32. GREENSBORO, NC, 10/16/13: A teen was charged after he fired bullets into a Greensboro apartment late Wednesday night. Police responded to 1903 Cedar Fork Drive, in reference to gunshots being heard in the apartment around 11:30 p.m. Wilder Monterosa, 44, and Andrea Mota,  27, were inside with Mota’s 8-year-old child, when they heard gunshots and noticed that a bullet had passed through an interior wall into their apartment. The investigation revealed that a round was fired from inside of an adjacent apartment. The round passed though the adjoining wall into the victims’ apartment. Isaiah B. Jackson, 17, of 1905 Cedar Fork, Apt. H, was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm in city, shooting into an occupied dwelling and possession of a firearm by a person under 21. Jackson had the weapon hidden in a nearby wooded area before police arrived. A GPD K9 unit searched the wooded area and located the firearm. No one was injured during the incident.
33. DYSART, PA, 10/16/13: A Coalport man was struck in the hip by a bullet that zipped through a wall while he was standing inside a bar along Route 53, police said. Robert J. Edgar Jr., 30,  received what police termed “moderate” injuries when someone fired a gun from outside George’s Tavern in Dean Township late Wednesday, state police in Ebensburg said. The matter is deemed an attempted homicide, Trooper Kenneth Durbin said in a brief news release. Authorities released few details in the case. Troopers said the incident occurred about 11:30 p.m. and that whoever pulled the trigger fled.
34. PORT RICHEY, FL, 10/16/13: It was a school night. Yvonne Diaz invited her cousin Jeane Sams to her condo at the New America complex Wednesday to visit with her children and fiancee. The family gathered in the living room and ate pizza rolls while watching Monsters Inc. Sams stepped outside the front door to take a phone call. They heard a blast outside that sounded like a firecracker over the TV. Then pounding on the door. Sams spilled into the foyer, blood gushing from her leg. "I got shot," she told them, Diaz said. Diaz's fiancee, Brandon Parker, rushed the children upstairs. Diaz put pressure on the wounds, like she'd seen in episodes of CSI. There were three wounds: entry and exit holes just above her right knee and a bruise on her other leg where the bullet finally stopped. What she didn't know was that the bullet had first traveled through a man's head. A few minutes earlier, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Michael Bruty, 28, was arguing with his girlfriend several yards north on Frontier Trail — loud enough to draw a crowd between the rows of white two-story condos. Bruty threatened to kill himself, sheriff's spokeswoman Melanie Snow said. His girlfriend told him not to do it. He put the gun to his head.
35. SEATTLE, WA, 10/16/13: Celtics legend Bill Russell was briefly detained and cited for bringing a loaded handgun into a Seattle airport in his carry-on bag on Wednesday night, officials said. Perry Cooper, a spokesman for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, said Russell was cited for having a weapon in a prohibited area, and he was released to continue his travels after being detained for about 30 minutes. The gun was confiscated, Cooper said. A spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration said the loaded .38 caliber Smith & Wesson was detected during routine screening of carry-on luggage. Russell was scheduled to fly to Boston. It was not clear if he boarded his intended flight or a later one.
36. WINDSOR LOCKS, CT, 10/17/13: A South Windsor woman trying to pass through a security checkpoint at Bradley International Airport was arrested after TSA agents found a loaded pistol in her bag. Marie Westbrook, 56, was charged with circumventing airport security. State police say Westbrook did have a valid pistol permit. The gun was seized by police. Westbrook was released on a $2,500 bond. She is scheduled to appear in Enfield Superior Court on Oct. 30.
37. CHESTER, PA< 10/17/13: An accidental shooting left an 8-year-old city boy hospitalized with a buttocks injury and a 19-year-old family member facing criminal charges Thursday night, authorities said. Police were dispatched to the 500 block of Norris Street for a child-involved shooting, at 5:14 p.m., according to a press release issued by city police Capt. Anita Amaro. On arrival, officers were directed to a second-floor bedroom where they found the young boy, suffering from a gunshot wound to the left buttock. “The investigation finds this shooting to be an accidental discharge while handling a weapon. All parties involved are cooperating with police,” the release states.
38. VENTURA, CA, 10/17/13: Ventura police said a 28-year-old man was critically injured Thursday night in an accidental shooting at his home. Police said they received a report at 7:05 p.m. of a shooting victim in the 9600 block of Telephone Road. Officers and Ventura Fire Department crews responded and found the victim, who had suffered a gunshot wound inside his residence, police said. The victim was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition, police said. Witnesses told officers the victim had been handling a loaded firearm when it discharged and injured him. UPDATE: He didn't make it.
39. FRANKLIN, IN, 10/17/13: The Johnson County Sheriff's Department is investigating an accidental shooting that took place Thursday morning. Sheriff Doug Cox says a Franklin man, 55-year-old Glenn Johnson, had accidentally shot himself in the finger while trying to take a gun apart to clean. Johnson told authorities that when he started to take the gun apart, he took the magazine out of the gun and then went to separate the slide from the frame. When he did this, he did not check to see if the chamber was empty. Johnson pulled the trigger and the gun went off striking him in the left index finger.
40. COVELO, CA, 10/17/13: A hunter accidentally shot and killed a fellow hunter in the Mendocino National Forest near Covelo on Thursday, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. Edgardo A. Godoy, 52, of Rodeo, died of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, according to the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office did not release the name of the shooter. The hunter was aiming at a wild pig about 70 yards uphill and across a ravine when the accident occurred, according to the Sheriff's Office. Not seeing the victim, the hunter pulled the trigger, sheriff's officials said. The man discovered he'd shot Godoy when he went to the location where he'd last seen the pig.
41. CAYUGA, IN, 10/17/13: A Vermillion County man is at the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound. The Vermillion County Sheriff's Department says William Simonton, 20, of Newport, was shot accidentally. It happened in the parking lot of Darrel's Custom Firearms in Cayuga just before 7 p.m. Thursday. Police say Simonton's father, Charles, had just purchased a 22 caliber handgun from the store and was leaning into a pickup truck when the gun discharged and shot William in the leg just above his knee.
42. JACKSONVILLE, FL, 10/18/13: Investigators with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office continue to look into what appears to be an accidental shooting. It happened just after 8:00 a.m. at the Landon Imperial Apartments. Detectives say when they arrived on scene they found Dejuhn Poole, 23, on the ground with at least one gun shot wound to the stomach. Poole was transported to the hospital where he underwent surgery. He is currently listed in stable condition. Investigators say Poole had a gun and accidentally shot himself.
43. RITZVILLE, WA, 10/18/13: Authorities said a man was recovering Friday after accidentally shooting himself in the stomach. The shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. Friday morning east of Ritzville, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the 52-year-old man went outside to retrieve items from a vehicle when he fell, and the .357 magnum revolver fired into his stomach. The Sheriff’s Office said the bullet missed all of the man’s vital organs. He was expected to survive.
44. AUSTIN, TX, 10/18/13: Officers shot a man at his North Austin home on Friday after he and his wife struggled over an assault rifle and a stray bullet struck a neighbor in the leg, Austin police officials said. Assistant Chief Raul Munguia said both men were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition. Munguia said authorities received a report of shots fired at 3:20 p.m. in the area near Cripple Creek Drive near Cook Elementary School. They were then told that a man had been shot on Quail Ridge Drive, he said. When they arrived, they heard a shot nearby, then learned from EMS that a man and a woman were fighting over a weapon on Cripple Creek. Once at the home, an officer ordered the man to drop the weapon, and instead he raised it and three officers fired, Munguia said. “He was hit somewhere in the upper torso,” Munguia said. A preliminary investigation shows that the neighbor was shot in the leg, apparently from a stray bullet fired from the assault rifle, while working on his fence, Muguia said.
45. CRESCENT CITY, CA, 10/18/13:  Authorities are investigating what they have deemed an accidental shooting that took place Friday around 2:30 p.m. at a residence at 145 Whaleview Court Drive. Kyle W. Anderson, 19, died at the scene. He resided at the house. His brother, Cameron D. Anderson, 21, was arrested later Friday afternoon on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment. The child endangerment charge stems from there being small children nearby when the shooting occurred, said sheriff’s Commander Bill Steven. Cameron Anderson, a Grants Pass, Ore., resident, will likely be booked and released at Del Norte County Jail, considering it was deemed an accident, Steven said. At the scene, several people were standing in the frontyard, including a small child. They were visibly distraught, crying at times. A male was vomiting.
46. DURANGO, CO, 10/18/13: Tom Cowing, investigator with the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, suffered a “non-life-threatening injury” Friday after being accidentally shot in the leg during a search related to Dylan Redwine north of Vallecito Reservoir. The handgun fell out of his car and bounced on the ground, said La Plata County Sheriff’s spokesman Dan Bender. “When the weapon hit the ground on its hammer, it discharged once and struck him in the leg,” Bender said. The gun fell out when Cowing was retrieving some items from the back of the car about 7:20 a.m. on Middle Mountain Road north of Lake Vallecito Road.
47. WHITEMARSH TOWNSHIP, PA, 10/18/13: A teen was accidentally shot in the head after attempting to show off a gun to a teenaged friend on the 2300 block of Mulberry Lane in Lafayette Hill on Friday afternoon. According to a press release from the Whitemarsh police department, at approximately 5:30 p.m. the 15-year-old juvenile brought the weapon into the kitchen of his residence and over the course of showing the gun off, it discharged, grazing the victim’s head.
48. PIERCE CO., WA, 10/18/13: A teenage hunter was injured Friday in a hunting accident in Pierce County and was flown to Harborview Medical Center for his injuries. Captain Mike Smith from Greenwater Fire Department said the accident occured in the Bridge Camp area. It was unknown whether the victim, a 14 or 15 year old, was out alone or accompanied by an adult at the time of the accident.  Smith couldn't confirm his condition, but said he suffered "serious injuries."

Originally posted to David Waldman on Sat Oct 19, 2013 at 06:16 PM PDT.