Thursday, January 09, 2014

Gun Fail

Four of 27 guns discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country last week.
Four of 27 guns discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country last week.
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We have an extraordinarily long list this time around, and it took extra time to compile it and sort through it, which accounts for its late publication. New Year's Eve, like July 4th, is like Black Friday for GunFAIL. Brand-new guns are given as gifts for Christmas (at least one of which went off and shot the gift giver this week), a little extra drinking is going on, the kids are home from school for days or even weeks at a stretch, hunting season is in full swing, and of course, there's the "traditional" New Year's celebratory gunfire. (Respect the culture, please.) As a result, we saw a whopping 23 kids accidentally shot last week, including eight preteens. Just two of them were hit by New Year's Eve random gunfire, however. It was a busy week for the kids, even without that.
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New Year's Eve, of course, is in a class all by itself. As near as I could tell from available reports, five people were shot by random, celebratory gunfire in Los Angeles, CA; San Antonio, TX; Hebbronville, TX; Newport News, VA; and Gadsden, AL. New Year's Eve revelers also blasted into at least 15 homes this week and two cars (not including four more homes fired into under other circumstances), in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia. Three people involved in celebratory gunfire incidents accidentally shot themselves, and two were accidentally shot at parties.
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Six hunting GunFAIL incidents were counted, plus three recreational or target shooting accidents. Two defensive gun users accidentally wounded themselves, as well, as sometimes happens during the excitement and confusion. Two people also accidentally shot themselves while cleaning their weapons, which should never happen. And three gun owners out and about, shopping and dining with the rest of us accidentally lost some bullets this week. One who shot himself in a Walmart parking lot in Mississippi, one who accidentally fired a pistol in his pocket in a restaurant in Georgia, and a third who dropped her gun and shot another shopper in a Lowe's in Cheyenne, WY. And lastly, we had one more family member allegedly mistaken for an intruder and shot this week.
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All in all, a hell of a week, and the first one I can recall pushing the total number of accidents over 80. Without further ado, then, this week's list, below the fold.
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  1. AUSTIN, TX, 11/11/13: On Nov. 11, Officer Dustin Turner was completing his pre-shift inspection at APD's south substation. While clearing his shotgun, he accidentally fired a round into the parking lot pavement. [Ed. note: if that sounds familiar to you, it's because the last installment of GunFAIL noted that two other Austin officers had just been suspended for doing the same thing, on Nov. 12 and Nov. 18.]
  2. PANAMA CITY, FL, 12/21/13: On Saturday, Dec. 21, a 33-year-old St. Marks man reported being the victim of an accidental shooting in Panama City. The complainant reported that he was at a Panama City club and then attended a party at a nearby residence. During the course of the party a firearm was passed around which went off and struck the victim in the foot. Wakulla EMS responded to St. Marks and transported the victim to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office was notified about the incident. Deputy David Pienta, Sgt. Danny Harrell and Detective Clint Beam investigated.
  3. SAN ANTONIO, TX, exact date unknown: An elderly woman died after a bullet went through a wall at her East San Antonio home and hit her while she sat in a wheelchair. Officers found the body of Ruth Bateman Clay, 90, in her home on Como near Spriggsdale Thursday. Authorities say they're looking for anyone who may have fired a gun in the area sometime before Christmas Eve. Clay was last seen alive on the December 23. It's believed the bullet that killed Clay came from behind her home, through her bedroom wall. [Ed. note: This actually ran under the headline, "Elderly woman killed in bizarre shooting."]
  4. DOLTON, IL, 12/25/13: The pregnant teen felled by a bullet to the back of her head on Christmas day was shot by her 16-year-old boyfriend and his two brothers during a botched drug deal, authorities said. Eva Casara, 17—whose baby girl survived and remained in critical condition Monday—was not the intended target, but was accidentally shot when the drug deal spiraled out of control, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The mother-to-be was “just in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong company,” Dolton Police Chief John Franklin told the newspaper.  Doctors managed to save the unborn baby, who was named “Baby Doe” as she continues to fight for her life at a nearby hospital.
  5. NEWARK, NJ, 12/25/13: The Christmas night killing of two Newark teenagers involved a dispute over a girl between the teenage shooter and one of the victims, sources told theStar-Ledger today. The suspected shooter, identified only as a 15-year-old boy, was apparently angry with either 15-year-old Kasson Morman or 14-year-old Abdul "Scooter" Frazier after one of the two victims supposedly "hit on" a girl he was dating, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. The teen suspect felt "disrespected" by one of the male teen victims, the sources said. The suspect was arrested either late last night or early this morning, the sources said. Zainee Hailey, the 13-year-old girl who was shot while taking out the trash outside her family's home on Schley Street during the altercation, was hit by a stray bullet, the sources said. Kasson, Zainee and Abdul were all shot around 10 on Christmas night after the gunman opened fire on Schley Street. Zainee, whose funeral was held this morning, and Kasson died of their injuries that night, police have said. Abdul was shot in the neck and seriously injured, according to police.
  6. ALBEMARLE, NC, 12/26/13: Albemarle police are conducting a death investigation. Chief William Halliburton said Thursday night’s fatal shooting appears to be a self-inflicted accident. The victim, who was home alone at the time, shot himself in the leg, Halliburton said. The body has been taken to the medical examiner’s office for further investigation, Halliburton said.
  7. BROWNFIELD, TX, 12/26/13: One local resident was left injured after an accidental firearm discharge occurred while inspecting a handgun. At about 7:28 p.m. on Thursday Dec. 26, police were dispatched to Brownfield Regional Medical after it was reported that a 19-year-old female had sustained an injury that appeared to be a gunshot wound to the left foot. After an inquiry, it was found that the female was injured after her boyfriend, a 19-year-old male, was inspecting his 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun when the gun accidentally discharged. No charges were filed.
  8. RIPLEY CO., IN, 12/27/13: A teenage boy was accidentally shot during a hunting trip with his friends in Ripley County on Friday night, December 27. The incident occurred near the town of Cross Plains. Indiana Conservation Officers say the victim was hunting with two other teenagers when one of the boys dropped a loaded .22 caliber rifle. The gun went off and struck the teen in the left leg. The bullet entered the front of the victim’s thigh, approximately 4 inches above his knee and stopped just before exiting the back of his leg approximately 1 inch above and to the right of his knee.
  9. GRENADA, MS, 12/27/13: A Cascilla man accidentally shot himself in the leg while sitting in his vehicle in the Walmart parking lot Friday, according to Grenada police. According to Capt. George Douglas with the Grenada Police Department, a man he identified as Steven Kendall, 29, accidentally discharged a .40 caliber handgun and injured himself around 10 a.m. “According to an eyewitness, a man heard one shot and went over to the vehicle to check on Kendall,” said Douglas. He was later airlifted to an unknown location, Douglas said. Douglas said that Kendall did not purchase the gun in Walmart, but already had it with him.
  10. MIAMI TOWNSHIP, OH, 12/28/13: One or more people face potential charges after lying to police Saturday, telling police a man was shot in the foot during a home invasion. Miami Twp. officers and medics responded at approximately 2 p.m. to a home in the 2200 block of Owendale Drive. They found a man in his early 20s suffering from a gunshot wound to his foot. He was taken to the hospital by life squad. His injury was not considered life-threatening. He was either "unintentionally or accidentally" shot inside the home and it did not happen during a home invasion, according to Miami Twp. Sgt. Rex Thompson. Before a person at the home admitted to lying on the 911 call, Miami Twp. police put out a request and Huber Heights police responded with a K-9 unit to search for the shooter. Thompson said thankfully the unnecessary track was never started.
  11. PERRIS, CA, 12/28/13: A target shooter accidentally shot and wounded someone in the chest Saturday during an event in Perris, authorities reported. The shooting occurred shortly after 1 p.m. at Christmas Tree Lane and Santa Rosa Mine Road, according to Deputy Mike Vasquez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The person injured was driven to a location near Washington Street to meet up with deputies and was then transported to a hospital. The person’s condition was not immediately known. MORE: A ricochet bullet at a target shoot in Good Hope hit a man in the chest, but he is expected by sheriff's deputies to have a short visit in a hospital, a sheriff's sergeant said today. The victim's name was withheld, but he was taken to a hospital Saturday for what Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. David Cardoza said was a non-life-threatening injury. Deputies learned that the victim was struck by gunfire that ricocheted, the sergeant said. It was not immediately known from what the gunshot rebounded or what kind of weapon was used.
  12. MIAMI, FL, 12/28/13:  When two men tried to rob Windell Haynes at gunpoint on the porch of his Liberty City home on Saturday, the 60-year-old Vietnam veteran fought back with a cane. In the ensuing confusion, one of the attackers apparently shot the other, sending the wounded man to Jackson Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The second robber ran away. The Haynes family and a neighbor were having lunch on the porch of his home in the 900 block of Northwest 47th Terrace in Liberty City when two men approached from the back yard and one of them pointed a gun at the Marine Corps veteran. According to a woman who identified herself as Haynes’ sister, the other man tried to snatch a chain from around the veteran’s neck. Haynes responded by hitting the man with a cane. That's when the man with the gun accidentally shot his accomplice in the stomach, according to Haynes’ sister.
  13. GOUVERNEUR, NY, 12/28/13: State police responded to the report of a 22-year-old man with a gunshot wound about 2 p.m. Saturday. Unconfirmed reports from radio traffic indicated the report was made from the Gouverneur Fire Department, though the gunshot may have been inflicted near Route 3. Dispatcher Jeremy Ward said he heard over the radio that a young man had dropped his gun and it fired and shot him in the ear.
  14. CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, 12/28/13: A man ended up at the University of Virginia Medical Center on Saturday night after he accidentally shot himself in the leg, according to Charlottesville police. It happened around 11:45 p.m. on Prospect Avenue in Charlottesville. Police taped off the 700-block of the street while they investigated. Police say the 20-year-old gunshot victim was in a car at the time of the accident. His injuries are not life-threatening.
  15. YOUNGSTOWN, OH, 12/28/13: A 26-year-old cab driver for Independent Radio Taxi Inc. shot himself in the leg with his own gun during a struggle with a female customer over fare money at 8:43 p.m. Saturday in the 800 block of East Philadelphia Avenue, police said. The driver said he picked up a woman on Jean Street in Campbell and took her to East Philadelphia, but the woman said she didn’t have any money. She said she would go in the house and get money for him. He asked her to leave her cellphone for collateral, but she refused, then grabbed the driver by the neck from behind. The driver pulled out a handgun from his shoulder holster, and the gun went off, shooting him the leg.
  16. HAMILTON, MT, 12/28/13: An argument fueled by alcohol at the Stanker home in Hamilton allegedly led to gunplay and eventually an arrest of Garry R. Stanker, 64, of Custer, S.D. Stanker appeared in Ravalli County Justice Court on a felony assault with a weapon charge and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, obstructing an officer and disorderly conduct. Court records said Stanker and his cousin, James Stanker, were arguing at James’ home at 204 Geneva Ave. at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday. James Stanker told officers later the men had been quarreling over some fiddles his recently deceased father had owned. Apparently during the argument, James Stanker grabbed his single-action .22-caliber pistol and started twirling it in his left hand when his cousin told him that “my gun has nine more rounds.” James Stanker told officers that when he stopped twirling the pistol, his thumb accidently hit the hammer and the gun discharged into the floor.
  17. FORT WALTON BEACH, FL, 12/29/13: A man who appeared to be in his mid-30s was flown to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola Sunday evening with a gunshot wound to his abdomen, according to Michele Nicholson, spokeswoman for the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. A call to the Sheriff's Office came in at 5:45 from the 200 block of Racetrack Road. When deputies and rescue workers arrived, they found the man, who said he shot himself by accident.
  18. NAPA, CA, 12/29/13: A 16-year-old boy was hurt Sunday in Napa by a gunshot wound to his leg, police said. Police said the call came in at 11:35 a.m. to report a possible drive-by shooting in the Browns Valley area of west Napa. When officers first arrived, they contacted a 16-year-old male who was suffering from a single gunshot wound to the right leg. The teen told the officers that he was the victim of a drive-by shooting. Upon further investigation, the officers learned that the teen was accidentally shot in the leg by a 16-year-old acquaintance while they were handling a .22-caliber rifle in the 100 block of Karen Drive in Napa.
  19. COOPER, TX, 12/29/13: Off duty Delta County Game Warden Chris Fried was shot in the shoulder while he was bow hunting Sunday evening on the Wildlife Management area of Cooper Lake State Park near CR 1035 in Cooper. "We are inclined to believe it was an accidental shooting, but we are not for sure at the moment," said Sheriff Ricky Smith. It took nearly two hours for authorities and emergency personal to locate Officer Fried and given the weather were unable to care flight him. He was taken by ambulance to Hopkins County Memorial Hospital in Sulphur Springs and was last stated to be in stable condition. He will be transported to Parkland. CLARIFICATION: Officials say off-duty Delta County Game Warden Chris Fried was struck in the upper right arm, with the bullet coming to a stop in his chest. It’s believed he was shot by another hunter, but in a release issued Monday morning Texas Parks & Wildlife Department officials say the incident is being investigated by TWPD Internal Affairs and game wardens.
  20. FOUNTAIN INN, SC, 12/29/13: A 15-year-old boy was being held by the state Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia after being charged Monday in the shooting death of a 12-year-old girl in Fountain Inn, authorities said. Hope Alexandria Fair, of 2041 Cowens Bridge Road, Gray Court, was shot once in the head, according to Laurens County Coroner Nick Nichols. She was pronounced dead at 7:32 p.m. Sunday at Greenville Memorial Hospital, he said. The 15-year-old was charged with involuntary manslaughter, according to Lt. J.D. Shelton of the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office. He won’t be tried as an adult, he said. Authorities were investigating whether a Colt .380 fired accidentally while a magazine was being put into the handgun, Shelton said.
  21. SPOKANE, WA, 12/30/13: Police said they responded to an accidental shooting Monday morning in Spokane. Two convicted felons were handling a gun when it went off near Lacey St. and Queen Ave., authorities said.  One of the men was shot in the hand. When officers responded, they discovered both men were felons and placed them in custody.  Police said they would be booked for being convicted felons in possession of a firearm.
  22. MOUNTAINLAKE TERRACE, WA, 12/30/13: A Mountlake Terrace woman was taken to the hospital Monday after her husband reportedly shot her by accident, police said. The woman, 20, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with injuries to her abdomen and leg. They weren't considered life threatening, Mountlake Terrace police Cmdr. Doug Hansen said. The bullet grazed the woman and was recovered from a chest drawer. Her husband, 22, recently received the handgun as a gift." He was trying to secure it to put it away into a small safe," Hansen said. The incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. at a home in the 6100 block of St. Albion Way.
  23. ANDERSON, SC, 12/30/31: A shooting that injured a 17-year-old girl in Anderson is being ruled accidental by the sheriff's office. Anderson Co. Sheriff's Office Lt. Sheila Cole told FOX Carolina that the girl is expected to survive after being shot at a home on Wren Way near Centerville Road. Cole said the 17-year-old victim was in the home with a friend when she was accidentally shot in the back. Cole said the girl's friend had the gun out and at some point it went off and struck the girl. UPDATE: She may be paralyzed.
  24. HARRISON TOWNSHIP, MI, 12/30/13: A Macomb County woman is in serious condition following an apparent accidental shooting in her home. Lt. John Michalke said the shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. Monday at a home in the 39700 block of Mazuchet Drive, in a neighborhood just south of the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township. Michalke said the 60-year-old homeowner, his 50-year-old wife and several other couples had just returned home from visiting an indoor shooting range in Roseville earlier in the day. “They were sitting around the kitchen table and the homeowner was cleaning his gun, it’s a .45 caliber Desert Eagle semi-automatic handgun. While he was sitting at the kitchen table, he was showing the other persons in attendance how to clean the gun,” Michalke told WWJ’s Zahra Huber. “At one point, he was trying to clear the gun, make sure the gun was clear of all ammunition, and it in fact had a round in it. He pulled the trigger, the gun discharged and a single round went across the room and struck his wife in the abdomen,” Michalke said. “She had a through-and-through gunshot wound through her abdomen, her mid-section. The round then went through her and into the window blinds behind her.” UPDATE:  The gunshot victim in this week's Harrison Township kitchen table incident is 50-year-old photographer Monica Morgan, a well-known photographer who covered Nelson Mandela's funeral two weeks ago. She's in serious condition at McLaren Macomb Hospital in Mount Clemens, where she had surgery, reports Zahra Huber of WWJ. The shot was fired by General Holiefield, a national UAW vice-president who married Morgan in Venice, Italy, on Sept. 30, 2012.
  25. BEAUREGARD, AL, 12/30/13: An accidental shooting has taken the life of one boy in Lee County. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris confirms an accidental shooting has tragically caused the death of a 10 year old boy. The shooting happened around 7:05 p.m. Monday inside a home in the 1300 block of Highway 51 in the Beauregard community. The coroner says a preliminary investigation indicates three juveniles were handling the gun when it went off and killed the boy.
  26. SUSSEX CO., VA, 12/30/13: Between Waverly and Wakefield on a 40-acre plot of land, a hunt club frequently uses dogs to scare deer out of the dense brush. Monday, a club member was shot in the head during that exercise. Police say a 61-year-old man was shot in the head during what’s called running the dogs, a hunting method where dogs are released to chase deer out of dense brush. “A group of men conducting an organized hunt on the property were running deer with chasing dogs,” said Sgt. Tim Worrell.  “Another hunter was shot.” Game and Inland Fisheries tells CBS-6, 19 hunting accidents have been reported statewide since the beginning of hunting season in September. In eight of those, hunters were shot accidentally.
  27. CINCINNATI, OH, 12/31/13: A 14-year-old boy is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the leg in East Price Hill. Police responded to the scene along McPherson Avenue Monday night. Police said at first the boy threw the gun out the back window, trying to hide the injury from his mom. The teen was taken to Children's Hospital. The extent of his injuries are unknown.
  28. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 12/31/13: Police say a 20-year-old was shot in the arm when an 18-year-old friend accidentally fired his dad's gun as he was showing it off. Police say the bullet went through the victim's forearm and hit a window frame in the bedroom. The victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover. The incident happened just after 1:00 p.m. Tuesday on the 3000 block of Deep Haven Drive. That is near Rangewood and Woodmen.
  29. CAMDEN, NJ, 12/31/13: A 2-year-old boy is recovering from a gunshot wound after his father accidentally shot him on New Year's eve. While driving in Camden around 11 p.m. Tuesday, 38-year-old Sergio Rivera attempted to conceal a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun in the car's center console when the weapon discharged, according to police. Authorities say his son suffered gunshot wounds to his left arm and left leg. The child is expected to survive.
  30. CHESTERFIELD, VA, 12/31/13: A stray bullet narrowly misses a young boy while he's sleeping in his Chesterfield home! Police responded to a call for "shots fired" shortly before 11:00 Tuesday night, in the 9700 block of West Providence Road in Chesterfield. Police are looking into whether a Chesterfield man's home was intentionally targeted, or a bullet that hit an hour before midnight, is a result of celebratory gunfire. The homeowner, who didn't want to be identified says, he had just put his son in bed when he heard a loud popping sound. The child ran out of his room, screaming but was not hurt. The Chesterfield homeowner says he found that a 22-caliber bullet struck the side of his home - and lodged directly beneath his sleeping son's bed. Just six months ago on the Fourth of July, 7-year-old Brendon Mackey was killed by a stray bullet in Brandermill. "I was worried because of the Fourth of July case and that was right underneath my son's bedroom," the homeowner said. "It's very dangerous to fire up in the air, especially having this case and seeing the shell hit the side of the house now." The homeowner says, when officers came out to investigate - they urged that he stand under a tree because of the gunfire that was going off at that time.
  31. KEALAKEKUA, HI, 12/31/13: A stray bullet fired during New Year's Eve celebrations fell and pierced the roof of a home on the Big Island, police and the homeowner said. Farzad Fazeli of Kealakekua said the bullet left a 1-inch diameter hole in the ceiling of his dining room, then hit the wood floor near a table and bounced toward a window. West Hawaii Today reported that no one was in the room at the time the bullet struck between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Tuesday. Police confiscated the .44-caliber bullet. He says police said it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly who shot the bullet, Fazeli said. Fazeli said the incident left him and his family feeling "freaked out and insecure." He was sitting about 10 feet away from where the bullet came in through the ceiling and was thankful his son was there, he said. "No one expects a bullet to come through their roof like that. That bullet could have injured or killed someone," Fazeli said. "What if it was a full round of bullets? What's it going to take for people to stop this? A death?" [Ed. note: No, that won't do it, either. We've already had that.]
  32. RIO RANCHO, NM, 12/31/13: A 22-year-old Rio Rancho man was fatally shot at a New Year’s Eve party in North Hills after he reportedly told a friend to pull the trigger. According to Rio Rancho Police, officers were called to 1629 Evelyn Drive about 10:40 p.m. when a 911 caller said someone had been shot. Police found Carlos Rueda, a resident there, with severe head trauma. Rueda was immediately taken to the hospital, but pronounced dead there. Investigation led police to arrest 20-year-old Ryan Wathen of Rio Rancho on a charge of second-degree murder about two hours after the 911 call. He was booked into Sandoval County Detention Center without incident. When police spoke to Wathen’s father and a woman at his house, they said Wathen arrived hysterical and told them he accidentally shot his friend. According to the complaint, Wathen said Rueda told him to check out the pistol lying next to the computer were Wathen was sitting. Rueda insisted the gun wasn’t loaded and asked Wathen, “Don’t you trust me?” Wathen said Rueda then told Wathen to put the gun to his head and pull the trigger because it wasn’t loaded. According to the complaint, Wathen told Rueda he trusted him and pulled the trigger. The gun went off, and Wathen dropped it and ran out of the house because he was scared, according to the complaint.
  33. COVINGTON, GA, 12/31/13: At least three Newton County residents reported their homes had been hit by bullets on New Year’s Day. A family in the Overlook Pass subdivision reported to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office that they left their home around noon Wednesday, and when they returned home just before 8 p.m., they discovered an air mattress had apparently been struck by a bullet. The resident said she noticed her daughter’s air mattress in her bedroom was deflated and there was a hole in it. “After she further investigated, she discovered another hole located at the foot of the air mattress and at the bottom,” the incident report completed by NCSO Deputy Joseph Lightsey states. “She then noticed a bullet that lay on the floor near the air mattress.” The complainant then found a hole in the top of the wall in her daughter’s bedroom and another hole outside in the house siding, the report states. Later in the evening, another homeowner reported to the Sheriff’s Office that sometime between 11:40 and 11:50 p.m. they heard a gun being discharged at the residence and a bullet went through a wall and into a bedroom. Also on Jan. 1, between 10:30 and 11 p.m., a resident in the Country Woods subdivision reported that someone fired a shot that went through her garage window.
  34. EAST PALO ALTO, CA, 12/31/13: A 26-year-old man who East Palo Alto police say was drinking and handling his loaded firearm shot himself in the head on New Year's Eve. Sgt. Jeff Liu said the man was taken to the hospital in critical condition after shooting himself just after 9 p.m. in the 900 block of Bay Road. Police said they learned the man had been "consuming alcoholic beverages in addition to handling his loaded firearm," and that the shooting appeared to be an accident.
  35. COLLETON CO., SC, 12/31/13: An elderly Varnville man was accidentally shot and killed Tuesday morning while hunting in a wooded area off Mount Carmel Road. William Heape, Sr., 67, of Varnville, was with of a group of people hunting deer when another hunter accidentally shot Heape, killing him. Members of Colleton County Fire-Rescue and the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office were called to a wooded area Tuesday at approximately 12:30 p.m. The deceased man was a member of a group of people hunting deer. One of the other hunters accidentally shot the man. The as yet unidentified man was reportedly struck in the chest.
  36. OLANTA, SC, 1/01/14: An 8-year-old boy was accidentally shot by his father while hunting off of Highway 301 in the Olanta community of Florence County around 5 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, according to the SC Department of Natural Resources (DNR). First Sergeant Benjamin Byers with SC DNR says the child is in stable condition at an area hospital.
  37. HORRY CO., SC, 1/01/14: Horry County police were summoned by a couple on Tattlesbury Drive, who told them that someone had shot into their residence at about 6:30 on a recent evening. The victims told police a bullet entered their home through a window and barely missed the male resident before passing through an interior wall and penetrating a second wall. They said they heard multiple shots before the bullet came into their home, according to an Horry County police report. While the policeman was at the site, he heard gunfire himself. He went to the area where he thought the shots had come from and found lights on and movement inside the residence. The policeman says he asked the resident who was shooting in the area and he said it was he. He told the policeman that he occasionally shoots in his backyard for recreation. The policeman reported that the man’s backyard faced the area where the couple had reported the shot. The man was charged with discharging firearms into dwellings and malicious damage.
  38. HORRY CO., SC, 1/01/14: Horry County police were called to Conway Medical Center to check on a report of a Hemingway man having been shot in his hip, according to an Horry County police report. The victim’s girlfriend told police that the victim came to her house at about 7 a.m. on a recent morning saying he was shot as he was walking out of a club, drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. He told police he heard cursing and thought two groups of people were arguing before he felt a sharp pain. When he realized he had been shot, he got into his car and went to his girlfriend’s house, the report says. The girlfriend told police she tried to get him to go to the hospital, but he didn’t want to. He told police he didn’t know why he didn’t want to go the hospital, but said he has “a lot of enemies” and has been in “a lot of fights and stuff,” according to the Horry County police report. He said he was intoxicated when the shooting happened and thought he might have been hit accidentally, according to the report. He told the policeman he didn’t fire back because he didn’t have a gun, but said he probably would have if he had had one, the report says. The victim tried to tell police where the club was, but when the police report was written police weren’t sure. The victim also told police that he tries to stay out of Bucksport because there is always shooting or other incidents occurring. He said he was talked into going to Bucksport, and he was at the club alone, the report says.
  39. LOS ANGELES, CA, 1/01/14: A Southland man was hospitalized Wednesday with gunshot wounds to the head after being struck by bullet fragments that police say were the remnants of New Year’s celebratory gunfire. The unidentified 30-year-old man suffered injuries to the left side of his face shortly after midnight as he stood in the front yard of a residence on the 6800 block of North Figueroa Street, according to police. Investigators say the injuries were caused by fragments from local gunfire after x-rays showed bullet fragments lodged inside the man’s scalp.
  40. GLENDALE, CA, 1/01/14: A 48-year-old Glendale man accidentally shot his wife in her upper torso Wednesday while he was getting ready to clear the barrel of a handgun for safety concerns, police said. The man’s wife, whose name wasn’t released, was in stable condition at Huntington Memorial Hospital, where she is being treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to her shoulder, Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot said. The man’s 43-year-old wife was standing in the kitchen about 5:30 p.m. while he was seated on a couch in their home in the 2600 block of Sleepy Hollow Drive in Glendale. The woman’s husband opened a case, which contained a .22 caliber handgun that belonged to her brother, who was moving out of their home, she said. He was going to clear the gun for safety reasons when it suddenly discharged and struck his wife, Lightfoot added. The bullet missed several vital organs and reportedly struck her scapula. While detectives have initially ruled the shooting to be accidental, they will plan to ask the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office to review the incident, Lightfoot said.
  41. HARRISON CO., KY, 1/01/14: A passenger in a truck shot the driver in the back early Wednesday morning in Harrison County. Deputies say the driver and three passengers were in a truck driving along US-62 east of Cynthiana around midnight. Investigators say they aren't sure how it happened at this point, but a gun held by a back seat passenger went off. The bullet struck the driver in the back. The victim was airlifted to UK Hospital. Officials described the wound as serious, but said they expect the man to survive. Deputies say they took the three passengers in for questioning. "It sounds like an accidental shooting, but at this point, we don't know for sure. We need to interview all these people," Deputy Tuan Kreer said.
  42. JACKSONVILLE, FL, 1/01/14: A man celebrating the New Year while playing with a gun is fighting for his life. An unidentified man was celebrating New Year's Eve with his family at the Bay Club apartments in the 9000 block of Western Lake Drive, according to Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Sgt. Brian Shore. The man was playing with a gun around midnight, when he accidentally fired it and shot himself in the head. The victim was transported to UF Health Jacksonville where he is currently in serious condition. UPDATE:Police have released the identity of a Jacksonville man who had been drinking before accidentally shooting himself in the head celebrating the incoming New Year. Gregory Allen Amole, 46, was at home with his wife and daughter when he went outside with a .380-caliber handgun and fired about three shots into a retention pond at the Bay Club apartments, 9009 Western Lake Drive. Police who arrived shortly after midnight were told he went back inside, placed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Family members said they didn’t know why he aimed the weapon at his head, but there was no indication he thought it was still loaded. The bullet was found in the apartment. Police were told Amole had been drinking alcohol for several hours prior to what appeared to be an accidental shooting. He was hospitalized at UF Health Jacksonville in critical condition.
  43. SEFFNER, FL, 1/01/14: Hillsborough County deputies warned residents Wednesday about the dangers of celebratory gunfire after a bullet pierced the bathroom ceiling of a Seffner mobile home during New Year’s Eve. At 9:21 a.m. Wednesday, a woman called the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reporting there was a small hole in her bathroom ceiling. The woman, who was not identified, said she believed the hole had been caused by either fireworks or a stray bullet. A deputy found a .45-caliber shell casing in the bathroom. No one was injured during the incident. Deputies said the damage was apparently caused by a bullet that was shot into the air and was not intentional. The mobile home is located at 321 Magnolia Lane in Seffner within the Davpam mobile home community.
  44. PORT ARTHUR, TX, 1/01/14: Police say a man is recovering after shooting himself while celebrating on New Year's Day. Officers were called to Christus Hospital Saint Mary around 1:30 am, after the 39-year-old Port Arthur man arrived to the emergency room with a gun shot wound on his right foot. The man told officers that while ringing in the new year, he fired several shots from a pistol and accidentally shot himself. According to the Port Arthur Police Department, the man was intoxicated. Police say the man has not been charged with any crime and his injuries are not life-threatening.
  45. SAN ANTONIO, TX, 1/01/14: What is by far the dumbest, most moronic New Year's celebration ever designed landed a nine year old girl in the hospital early today, 1200 WOAI news reports. Police say the girl was hit in the butt by a stray bullet as she stood outside her home in the 9200 block of West Alametos watching the downtown fireworks display. She was rushed to University Hospital with wounds which are not considered life threatening. Firing guns into the air to celebrate the New Year has been roundly discredited by police and community leaders, ever since a young child was killed by a stray bullet fired on New Year's back in the early 1990s. This is the first incident of somebody being struck by a stray bullet fired on New Year's in some time. [Ed. note: Ha.] Police are investigating, and the person who fired the shot will face serious felony charges. [Ed. note: Ha ha.]
  46. HEBBRONVILLE, TX, 1/01/14: A Hebbronville woman is in serious condition at the hospital after a bullet grazed the back of her head. She was hit by a stray bullet, the incident happening shortly after midnight, in the 400 block of East Amada.
  47. NEWPORT NEWS, VA, 1/01/14: A 6-year-old child was shot by a stray bullet on New Year’s Day in Newport News police tell NewsChannel 3. Police responded to the scene at 12:22 a.m. They say the shooting happened in the 1100 block of 27th Street. When they arrived on the scene, they say the child had been shot in the foot. The 6-year-old was then taken to the hospital with what appeared to be a non life-threatening injury. The mother told police that the child was hit by a stray bullet.
  48. CHESAPEAKE, VA, 1/01/14: Rehoboth Church packed with people for watch night to remember the Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves in the South 151 years ago to the day. “We celebrate freedom from slavery but with a christian spin where we’re celebrating our freedom from sin,” The Reverend Milton Greene said. As the clock struck midnight, the service was wrapping up. Reverend Greene’s son went to the balcony to turn off the audio system, that’s when he saw a stray bullet go through the church’s roof. It took a minute for everyone to collect themselves and realize what had happened. “They don’t really think a bullet goes up, it’s gonna come back down,” Greene said. No one was hurt and once the church’s collective heart rate went back to normal, they felt especially blessed.
  49. RICHMOND, VA, 1/01/14: According to a police report in Church Hill, a stray bullet struck a car near Chimborazo Park on New Year's Eve.
  50. ST. LOUIS, MO, 1/01/14: New Year's gunshots lead to a bullet landing on a police squad car in south St. Louis. The bullet hit the top of the police officer's squad car while patrolling near Wyoming and Michigan. The officer believes someone fired a gun in the air to celebrate New Year. No one was hurt.
  51. SPRINGFIELD, MO, 1/01/14: Marcus Andrews, 33, and Iver L. Anthony, 35, each are charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon in relation to the alleged shooting, according to a news release from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Cathy Ussery, public relations coordinator for the office, said the charges stem from guns being fired as part of a New Year’s Eve celebration. The release said deputies talked with residents near the 3900 block of South Western Avenue and the 3300 block West Riverside in Springfield who found damage from bullets that had hit their homes. “No one was struck by any of the shots fired by the party-goers,” the release said. “However, a bullet had entered the bedroom wall of an infant and (was) located in close proximity to the crib.”
  52. SPRINGFIELD, MO, 1/01/14: Crime scene tape surrounded a family's home after a child was hurt in an apparent accidental shooting Wednesday night. A 6-year-old girl was shot and rushed from the Beverly Hills and Temple home to a hospital, according to detectives. Details about the severity of the child's injuries were not immediately available. Investigators believe the child was shot by a 12-year-old relative with a shotgun. One other child was also inside the home, along with the victim's mother, at the time of the shooting. Deputies don't know what the 12-year-old was doing with the shotgun at this time.
  53. WICHITA, KS, 1/01/14: Wichita Police believe a shooting that left a man critically wounded was an accident. Officers were called to the scene near I-135 and Pawnee around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police said a 32-year-old woman was at a party with her 34-year-old boyfriend. She was handling a gun when it accidentally fired. The bullet hit the man in the neck. Emergency medical workers took the man to Wesley Medical Center in critical condition. The name of the shooting victim hasn't been released.
  54. ANCHORAGE, AK, 1/01/13: A man was shot and seriously wounded inside an Anchorage home early Wednesday, and another man has been arrested and charged, Anchorage police said. Police received a call at 12:56 a.m. reporting an accidental shooting inside a residence in the 7300 block of Woburn Circle, police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro said in an email. The area is in the area of Northwood Drive and Strawberry Road in southwest Anchorage. The victim, who was only identified by police as an adult male, was taken to a hospital in stable but serious condition, Castro said. Chad Andrew Vansickle, 23, was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and misconduct involving a weapon, Castro said.
  55. HURRICANE, UT, 1/01/14: A Hurricane City man was transported to the Dixie Regional Medical Center today after he accidentally shot himself in the hand with a .40-caliber pistol. The injuries were not life-threatening. Hurricane City Police officers responded to a residence in the area of 2500 S. 3900 W. at 11:54 Wednesday morning on a report of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the hand, Hurricane City Police Sgt. Brandon Buell said.The investigating officers determined that the man was trying to disassemble the handgun when it accidentally discharged, striking him in the hand, Buell said.
  56. TOLEDO, OH, 1/01/14: A man injured by gunfire early today appears to have accidentally shot himself, police said. Jerome Benton, whose age was not available, was shot in a leg at about 5 a.m. in the unit block of East Oakland Street, near Franklin Avenue in North Toledo, Toledo police Sgt. Bill Wauford said. He was taken to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center for treatment. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
  57. COLUMBUS, OH, 1/01/14: A Columbus family said they must repair their home because their neighbors started 2014 with a bang. Despite the city's campaign to stop celebratory gunfire on New Year's Eve, officers received hundreds of reports about people shooting guns into the air. The calls came from across the city, including Marion Village, the Hilltop and near Bexley. One couple said they heard a storm of bullets being shot just past their backdoor, not far from where their six-month-old daughter was sleeping. "It really freaked me out because there were so many, I mean hundreds, of gunshots," Dan Petty said. He said he was worried a bullet would come through the window and into the child's bedroom. While that fear was not realized, a bullet did go through the kitchen. "I came straight over here and said, 'Honey, our coffee pot is busted,'" Petty said. The bullet apparently flew across the kitchen and into an interior wall.
  58. DENVER, CO, 1/01/14: A 22-year-old man has been arrested for investigation of aggravated assault after he allegedly shot a girl in the hand shortly after midnight Wednesday on a Denver street, authorities say. The girl, described as being around 15, was treated at a hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, said Sonny Jackson, Denver police spokesman. Walter Moore has been arrested in the shooting, Jackson said. "It could have been New Year's Eve revelry," he said. "But it doesn't make a difference to us. It's still aggravated assault." The circumstances of the shooting on the 4200 block of Cook Street are under investigation, Jackson said. "We don't know why the gun went off," he said. It could have been an accident, he added. "I don't think he tried to shoot her," Jackson said.
  59. INDIANAPOLIS, IN, 1/01/14: A woman on the east side of Indianapolis says she thanks God for protecting her from harm after a stray bullet crashed through her window and struck her in the back. Rachel Stevenson, 39, had just returned home to her apartment near East 38th Street and Franklin Road after attending a late New Year’s Eve church service. She had just closed her bible and was sitting on the edge of her bed praying before going to sleep. “The next thing you know, I just hear a big pow,” Stevenson said. The noise was a bullet, crashing through her bedroom window. It ricocheted off her ceiling and hit her in the middle of her back, bouncing off without leaving a scrape or bruise. She says police who responded to her 911 call examined the bullet, then said she should hold on to the “good luck bullet.” But Rachel thinks it was more than luck. “Maybe some people may not believe it but, I know for myself that that was nothing but God,” she said.
  60. ATLANTA, GA, 1/01/14: Celebratory gunfire on New Year's Eve created some scary moments for families across Metro Atlanta. One homeowner on the Northwest side on Habershal Drive said he heard several shots as the clock struck midnight. Wednesday morning, he found a bullet lodged in the roof directly over his bed. "Where it was coming down was aimed right at my wife and I," said Alex Lilley. Lilley said his wife and 2-year-old son were fine, but he joined the chorus of people who are calling for celebratory gunfire to stop. A resident in the Kirkwood area captured audio on a cellphone of someone letting off around 16 shots. "Obviously whatever goes up, must come down and it comes down into our house," said Lilley.
  61. THUNDERBOLT, GA, 1/01/14: Ronnie Ellis of Thunderbolt may appreciate 2014 more than he thought. That's because he says he lived through it when a bullet that came through his ceiling around midnight on New Year's Eve might have killed him. "I heard that what comes up must come down and I can now attest that it's true," he told us. Ellis says he was outside close to midnight on New Year's Eve hoping to catch a glimpse of fireworks when he heard several gunshots. "They seemed kind of far away, too," he says. But Ellis says when he came inside, he saw a puff smoke coming from his ceiling and debris falling. "That's when I knew a bullet had really come through my roof," he said. He called police and made a report. And then this morning Ellis said his son came over and actually found the bullet some 20 feet away in his home. "It traveled pretty far and there's no telling what would have happened if I had been inside," he says.
  62. ATHENS, GA, 1/01/14: A customer accidentally discharged his pistol inside Fatz Cafe on Wednesday, Athens-Clarke County police said. A 22-year-old Loganville man was reaching into his pocket to get money to pay for his meal when one of his fingers got caught in the .45-caliber pistol’s trigger guard and caused the weapon to fire, police said. The bullet passed through his seat then ricocheted off the floor and landed on top of the chair, police said. He paid his bill and left, but returned to the scene while officers were there “to make sure everyone knew he was the one who had the accidental discharge,” according to a police incident report. The gun was not in a holster, but was wedged between his belt and pants, police said. An officer told the man, who had a carry permit, that his method of carrying the gun was “not the best way for safety,” according to the report. The man offered to pay the cost of repairing the damaged chair.
  63. HUNTSVILLE, AL, 1/01/14: Huntsville police are continuing to investigate an assault after two men entered the Huntsville Hospital ER with gunshot wounds early this morning. Police said one man came in with a gunshot to the leg while a 17-year-old boy came in with wounds to his groin and leg. The men told officers someone pulled a gun and began to shoot at them around 5:30 a.m. in the 4300 block of Patton Road. Police said the 17-year-old boy carried a gun in his waistband and attempted to return gunfire, accidentally shooting himself in the groin and leg.
  64. GADSDEN, AL, 1/01/14: A 73-year-old woman was wounded Tuesday night as she sat in her home working a crossword puzzle. According to police reports, Peggy Gilliland was sitting in a home in the 1400 block of Jackson Avenue when she heard the sound of glass breaking. She then realized she was bleeding. Her son, who was also in the home, heard several loud sounds and came into the room to investigate. He found his mother had been shot in her right leg close to the knee. Police investigating found a bullet hole in the front wall of the house near the front door. The bullet that wounded the woman traveled through the wall and an entertainment center. The woman was transported to Riverview Regional Medical Center for treatment.
  65. TULALIP, WA, 1/01/14: According to the Sheriff's Office, the 47-year-old victim and his brother were hunting ducks in a boat off Warm Beach around 5 p.m. when they heard a loud explosion. A bullet tore through the boat's hull and a duck decoy before striking the victim in the leg. Based on the distance and direction of the shot, investigators believe the bullet came from a high-powered rifle located on the shore, according to the Sheriff's Office.
  66. CAPE HORN, WA, 1/01/14: A 32-year-old Cape Horn woman was taken to a hospital with an accidental gunshot wound Wednesday evening. The woman told Skagit County deputies that a man in a black ski mask tried to get in through her bedroom window. She told deputies that she got a pistol, fired several rounds at the intruder and shot herself in the arm by accident. Deputies found a pistol outside the window and evidence of a shooting. Investigators searched with a K-9 unit but found no suspect nor any trail. The investigation is ongoing. UPDATE: A small Skagit County community is on edge after two women were sexually assaulted in a local park. The assaults happened less than a week apart in the Cape Horn neighborhood near the town of Concrete. One victim was so shaken after the assault that she ended up accidentally shooting herself in her arm while trying to shoot the attacker when she thought she saw him outside of her home one week later. That’s when she told police what happened to her. “She actually fired a weapon out her window, thinking the person was coming back to her house a week later,” said Clark. “She described a person she thought had a mask on. We responded to that and she actually shot herself in the arm, and we didn’t locate anyone at that time.”
  67. HAZLETON, PA, 1/01/14:  State police at Hazleton are looking for information from the public after a melee at a Hazle Township apartment complex involving gunfire early in the morning New Year's Day. Troopers said the incident happened between 1 and 4 a.m. Wednesday when a physical altercation ensued at the Hazleton Apartments, between buildings 600 and 800. At some point during the altercation someone fired a shot. The round traveled from west to east and entered apartment 302, troopers said. The bullet traveled through the exterior wall and a closet door and stopped in the closet.
  68. FORT DODGE, IA, 1/01/14: The Fort Dodge Police Department is investigating a shooting that happened on New Year's Day. At 9 p.m., officers responded to 2648 Fourth Ave. N. after receiving a report of shots fired. Officers arrived to discover the apartment had been hit by a bullet and entered apartment No. 3. Michelle Leith, 40, the unit's resident, said she heard shots fired and described a "projectile" coming through the west wall of her living room, passing through a second wall and finally stopping inside her microwave. Nobody was hurt in the shooting. In addition to the apartment, a 2007 Ford F-250 Super Duty truck, belonging to Blake Peterson, 20, was hit during the incident.
  69. RICHLAND PARISH, LA, 1/01/14: Bobby D. Rogers Jr., 17, of Monroe was accidentally shot in the chest at a relative’s residence south of Bee Bayou at 3:50 p.m. Wednesday. Rogers remains in critical but stable condition at St. Francis Medical Center. Rogers and a teenage relative were “tussling” with a .22-caliber rifle, Harrell said. When Rogers grabbed the barrel of the gun to pull it from the other teenager, the rifle shot him in the chest.
  70. RIO RICO, AZ, 1/01/14: At the Sheriff’s Office, however, a man called from Yave Court in Rio Rico at around 5:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day to report finding a bullet in his daughter’s bedroom that had come through the roof. The man said he was cleaning the blades of a ceiling fan when he noticed a hole in the ceiling. Looking down, he saw the .45-caliber bullet on the floor directly below the hole. “Nobody was in the room at the time the incident occurred, which was probably the night before,” Rodriguez said.
  71. MUSKEGON, MI, 1/01/14: Celebratory gunfire on Wednesday, New Year’s Day, resulted in at least one Muskegon home damaged by a stray bullet, police said. Nearly every year someone in the Muskegon area reports property damage or personal injury during that time, authorities say. This year, on Jan. 1 around 12:15 a.m. in the 300 block of Monroe Avenue in Muskegon, a woman reported that her second-story window of her home was shot out. Officers recovered a spent 9 millimeter bullet in the residence. Police said there was a “high volume” of gunshots fired at midnight in that area, so it was difficult to determine the source of that bullet. A bullet fired into the air can climb up to two miles. When it falls back to earth, it can reach a speed of 300 to 700 feet per second. A velocity of only 200 feet per second is sufficient to penetrate the human skull, according to the Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office.
  72. NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV, 1/01/14: North Las Vegas Police report at least two houses were hit by celebratory gunfire during the New Year's Eve celebrations. According to police, two homes were damaged by two falling bullets. No one was hurt in the incidents. Officers also responded to more than 30 reports of fireworks or shots fired during the holiday.
  73. CHEYENNE, WY, 1/02/14: An accidental shooting occurred at Lowe's in Cheyenne at approximately 2:30PM Thursday. Cheyenne police say a 22-year-old woman was shot in the arm after a handgun fell out of the holster on a 58-year-old woman. Neither names have been released. The 22-year-old woman was transported to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, her status is unknown. Lowe's remains open for business. The investigation is ongoing. UPDATE: Samantha Manago of Loveland Colorado is listed in good condition at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center after being accidentally shot in the arm. Cheyenne police  say the person who dropped the .22 caliber pistol wounding Manago is 58 year-old Dianne Darling of Cheyenne. Darling's pistol went off after it fell from it's holster around 2:30 Thursday afternoon. At this time no charges have been filed against Darling however, the investigation is still on going.
  74. RICHLAND, MI, 1/02/14: It was a scary afternoon for a family in Richland Thursday. Dispatchers confirmed to Newschannel 3 that a young boy came in from hunting, and accidentally shot himself in the leg. His mother then called an ambulance. Dispatchers say the boy only suffered minor injuries.
  75. MERRITT ISLAND, FL, 1/02/14: A 14-year-old girl was accidentally shot at a gun range in Merritt Island on Thursday afternoon. According to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, the girl was at The Gun Site Range with her father when her handgun accidentally fired one shot. Authorities were called to the gun range at 3:20 p.m. Billy Thompson said he was there to purchase ammunition when he saw the commotion. "She accidentally discharged her weapon into her femur. She actually hurt herself pretty bad," said Thompson. The girl was flown to Holmes Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
  76. GALVESTON, TX, 1/02/14: A man was rushed to the hospital Thursday after he accidentally shot himself in the leg, authorities said. Police responded to a call about the shooting shortly after 5 p.m., but officers found him shortly before 6 p.m. on 45th Street near Avenue Q 1/2 and called for an ambulance crew, Galveston police Lt. Michael Gray said.
  77. TAHLEQUAH, OK, exact date unknown: Cherokee County sheriff’s investigators filed a report this week on the accidental shooting of a 5-year-old boy. Deputy Dexter Scott spoke to the boy’s mother this week and learned her older son had gone hunting with a friend. When the two finished hunting, the boys left the rifle on a bed, where the 5-year-old later found it. The woman said she was working in her office when she heard her son yelling for help. She went to the boy, who told her the gun had “hit” him. She noticed a bullet hole in the boy’s leg and took him to a local hospital. Medical personnel told deputies the boy will make a full recovery, and the bullet had not caused serious damage.
  78. SURPRISE, AZ, 1/02/14: A 16-year-old boy who walked into a West Valley McDonald's restaurant for help with a gunshot wound actually shot himself, Surprise police said Friday morning. The teen admitted he accidentally shot himself in the leg while putting a handgun in his waistband, Surprise police Sgt. Bert Anzini said. Anzini said the boy originally gave police a false story about how he was shot, but admitted he lied to avoid arrest. The boy walked into the fast-food restaurant at Greenway and Reems roads just after 4:30 p.m. Thursday and was taken to a hospital.
  79. TAYLOR, TX, 1/02/14: A 12-year-old boy from Taylor is in the hospital after his cousin accidentally shot him. The shooting happened Thursday at approximately 11 p.m. in a home on Howard Street a few blocks west of the Taylor Public Library. Police say Ryan Reynaga, 22, was playing with a semi-automatic pistol but did not think it was loaded. Reynaga pointed it at his cousin and pulled the trigger. The boy was hit in his right arm and abdomen. He underwent surgery at Dell Children's Medical Center and is in stable condition, according to Taylor police.
  80. CHICKASAW CO., MS, 1/02/14: A teenage boy was shot in the head after his hunting partner’s rifle accidentally fired Thursday afternoon. Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy James Myers says it happened on County Road 190, between 12 and 1 PM. Myers says two 15-year-olds were walking out of the woods when the 30.06 discharged. The other youth ran to a nearby house to get help and call 911. The victim was taken to Trace Regional Medical Center and later airlifted to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo at about 1 p.m. His condition was unknown by Myers early Thursday afternoon. Emergency personnel at the hospital said the youth was in serious but stable condition when he was airlifted.
  81. BURIEN, WA, 1/02/14: Just after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 2, an older man was accidentally shot in the thigh in the parking lot of Elmer’s Pub, located at 15027 Ambaum Blvd SW in Burien. When deputies arrived they found a 66-year old Burien man inside the pub with a gunshot wound to his upper leg. Apparently the man had been outside smoking with a friend when the topic of guns came up. He then pulled a gun out of his car and accidentally shot himself. He was taken to Harborview and is expected to survive. A trusted source who was there said they didn’t hear a gunshot, and added “you wouldn’t know the victim was shot until he walked in.”
  82. SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ, 1/03/14: A San Tan Valley woman was arrested after authorities said she shot her husband. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call from Melisah Havens, 34, at approximately 8:30 p.m. Friday. She reported that she had just shot her husband because she thought he was an intruder breaking into their vehicle, which was parked outside of their residence. PCSO spokesman Tim Gaffney said deputies arrived and heard Havens screaming, "Help me, help me." She was kneeling over her 35-year-old husband, who was lying facedown in the driveway. He had been shot twice with a shotgun, once in the chest and once in his right hand. Deputies found three children, ages 12, 10 and 2, sitting on the couch inside the home. They also located a pump shotgun in the master bedroom closet. "Melisah told detectives she shot her husband because she thought he was going to burglarize her vehicle," Sheriff Paul Babeu said. "She also said that he had taken her keys and was going to get milk. Melisah declined to provide any additional information after making these statements."

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO DAVID WALDMAN ON WED JAN 08, 2014 AT 05:46 AM PST

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