Gun Fail 64

Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 09:07 PM PDT

TX town's mayor can't support concealed carry. By which I mean he dropped his gun. GunFAIL LXIV

by David Waldman

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attribution: The TSA Blog

Nine of 34 guns discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country last week.

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We're back up into the 40s in our total count in this latest GunFAIL installment, though a few of the items are considerably older than usual. Numbers held steady, if a bit on the low side, for those who accidentally shot themselves, with just 13 last week. Seven gun-wielding citizens accidentally Second Amendmented their neighbors' homes, for various reasons, while four accidentally fired their weapons while cleaning or repairing them while they were still loaded. 

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A fairly common occurrence which I haven't tracked all that closely happened three times this past week, that is, those who accidentally shoot themselves or others and then attempt to concoct cover stories for the police. Because responsible. But the cops know nobody's perfect. After all, just as many of them had their own GunFAIL episodes last week.
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Purported hunting accidents threw us some curveballs this time around. Two of them appear to be straightforward, except for the fact that they involved prominent locals. In one, the local chief of police shot and killed his best friend. In another, of indeterminate date, an Oklahoma state legislator shot a hunting partner. The third, which is the reason for referring to "purported" hunting accidents, seems rather dubious. See the report below out of Nesmith, SC, for what paltry "details" were available on that mess.
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Among our other usual categories, we had one gun range accident, one accidental shooting in a bar, one supposedly defensive gun use that went awry and hit a third person, one pocket discharge, and two sets of siblings who accidentally shot and killed another. That contributed to our total of eight kids accidentally shot during the week. There was some ambiguity in the reporting of their ages, with one said only to be a third grader, and another as being between 15 and 18 years of age. The other victims were aged 4, 9, 10, 11, 14, and 15.
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Stories of note include the year's third accidental discharge at a gun show, this time in Colorado Springs, and reports that the mayor of Pasadena, TX, accidentally dropped his concealed weapon during a council meeting. Exhibiting all the best qualities of the Responsible Gun Owner, the mayor claimed it was just a pellet gun (though one witnessed guessed it was more likely a Beretta 9mm), and that in the alternative, it wasn't really his and he was just holding it for a friend. During a council meeting. Because who among us hasn't stashed guns with the mayor before he heads off for official business (at which firearms are prohibited, by the way)?
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You'll find the rest of this week's installment below the fold.

1. YORK, PA, 1/13/14: Spring Garden Township Police have filed charges against the stepson of a Hellam Township man accused of staging a robbery so he could delay paying a gambling debt. Darren T. Haines, 26, of 326 Friendship Ave. in Hallam, helped stepfather Dennis Charles Schaller fake the robbery, police said. He will be charged with the third-degree misdemeanors of conspiracy to make a false report to law enforcement and criminal mischief, according to court records. When Schaller confessed to police, he initially told them he shot himself in the lower back before he and his stepson staged the robbery, according to police. But Swartz said investigators now believe Haines accidentally shot Schaller. While being questioned by detectives, Haines said that prior to arriving at the site of the faked robbery, he dropped his gun in Schaller's car and it went off accidentally, hitting Schaller in the back, according to the chief. "(Schaller) has not refuted Haines' statement that it was an accidental shooting," Swartz said, adding Haines at this point is not facing charges for the shooting. Schaller has fully recovered from his wound, according to his defense attorney, Brian Perry.
2. CONWAY, SC, 2/23/14: A Horry County Police officer is back on duty after police say she accidentally shot herself in the leg. Officers responded to a Conway home where Officer Tysheena May was staying around 3:45 a.m. on February 23. According to police, the home belonged to another woman, and the pair had been out all night. The woman told police she was in her own bed when she heard the fire alarm go off. She said she then went into the bedroom where Officer May was staying to check on her, and found her laying on the bed with no clothes on and blood splattered all over the room. According to the police report, Officer May told the other woman she was securing her firearm to place it in the closet. The responding officer noted what appeared to be gunshot wounds to Officer May's left hand and right thigh. Conway Police and Horry County Fire Rescue also responded to the scene. Officer May has since been cleared by medical staff and is now back on full duty.
3. PERRY, OK, exact date unknown: A state representative who has authored pro-gun legislation is taking the blame for the accidental shooting of a hunter a month ago in northern Oklahoma. “I just felt horrible about it. I just was sick,” said Rep. Steve Vaughan, who was shooting at a pheasant with a 12-gauge shotgun. Another hunter, Drew Ihrig, was hit in the side of the head by a single shotgun pellet about the size of a BB. “I was shot but it was a minor injury. I’m fine. It’s no big deal,” said Ihrig, an attorney with offices in Bartlesville and Blackwell. “This was a pure accident. It could have happened to anybody on any given day. I hold no ill will at all.” The pheasant hunt was at the Bluestem Hunting Reserve north of Perry. The reserve owner, Verl Brorsen, said Vaughan accepted blame even though others were also firing. “It wasn’t anything intentional. There’s really no proof that he was the one that fired the pellet that ended up there,” Brorsen said. “There was other people shooting, too....He’s a stand-up guy and took responsibility.”
4. ANDOVER, MN, 3/06/14: A 40-year-old man, in a home on Kerry Street NW., accidentally shot himself in the hand while cleaning the gun. He was taken to the hospital with a noncritical injury.
5. NORTHLAKE, IL, 3/07/14: No charges have been filed in the discharge of a weapon in Northlake. A resident of the first block of King Arthur apartments came home about 5 p.m. March 7 to find a bullet hole through her front window. On March 28, police found another bullet hole in a window in the apartment directly below. Police figured the bullet had split in half after being fired. They found a resident across the street had fired the gun. “Nothing led us to believe it was anything other than accidental,” Cmdr. Jay Miletello said.
6. WALLINGFORD, CT, 3/16/14: Police are investigating a March 16 incident in which three rifle rounds were fired near Gouveia Vineyards, one striking the residence of Joe Gouveia, owner of the winery on Whirlwind Hill Road. On Sunday, March 16, at about 8 p.m., police responded to a report of shots fired in the area, according to Lt. Marc Mikulski, a police spokesman. The vineyard, at 1339 Whirlwind Hill Road, was still open at the time. “The people from the vineyard kept everyone inside until we could figure out what was going on,” Mikulski said. Once police arrived, he said, they located a resident of Cooke Road who had been firing a rifle. The winery is between Cooke Road and East Center Street. Police are trying to determine if the resident fired the shot that hit Gouveia’s home, Mikulski said, adding that he could not release a name or address due to the pending investigation, which should be complete this week. Mikulski said the incident is not believed to have been a hunting accident. “We’re still interviewing, and we have a couple people we’ve already spoken to,” he said. Gouveia said Monday he contacted police after a bullet went through his home. Someone was inside the house when the bullet struck, he said. “That’s enough to scare anybody,” he said. The shots were fired by a neighbor and his son-and-law, said Gouveia, but he declined to provide the neighbor’s name. After police arrived, the neighbor apologized, he said. Gouveia said he won’t press any charges and will allow police to handle the incident. “I’m satisfied with an apology,” he said. “I just hope it doesn’t happen again.” Gouveia said the incident was “a fluke.”
7. CHARLEROI, PA, 3/16/14: In a dramatic scene that played out last month, two Charleroi Area High School students rang the doorbell to the local police station while one of them screamed for help, saying he had just been shot. Police treated Shane Michael Oravec, 18, who began to go into shock about 2:30 a.m. March 16 after an officer noticed wounds to Oravec’s chest and left arm and applied pressure to the chest wound, court records revealed. “Please don’t let me die Officer (Mike) Leasure,” Oravec said to police, who were initially told the teenager had been shot in a drive-by shooting, according to the criminal affidavit filed after the story fell apart, police said. Oravec, of North Charleroi, and his companion that morning, Demetirius Daquan Ward, 18, of Dunlevy, were arrested at their high school Wednesday and charged with making false reports to police and other offenses, and lodged in Washington County Jail, each on $50,000 bond set by District Judge Larry Hopkins. Police were initially told Oravec had been shot by a rear-seat passenger in a blue Buick that passed them as they knocked at the door of 412 Fallowfield Ave., a residence near the police station and under video surveillance. Later in the day, police received an anonymous tip that Ward had shot Oravec, who was being treated at Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, for a bullet wound that grazed his chest and the injury to his arm. Police then checked the video, didn’t see a blue Buick in the area at the time of the shooting and called Ward into the station. Police said Ward then told a different story, that he accidentally shot Oravec with a pistol after he “pulled the slide, no bullet ejected and then the gun went off,” police stated in the affidavit. Ward allegedly said someone threw the gun away in the 400 block of Long Alley. A search of the trash in that alley did not produce the weapon, police said. Ward also was charged Wednesday with two counts of aggravated assault and simple assault, while Oravec faces an additional charge of hindering apprehension, court records show.
8. STERLING, VA, 3/28/14: For the second time in a month, a bullet has been fired into a home in Sterling, Va. The incidents are miles apart, but residents are shaken. In the latest incident, a bullet was shot into the upper level of a townhome. Neighbor Nina Allen described hearing an unusual loud boom followed by a metallic click but didn’t realize what it was. The bullet passed through the bedroom wall and bathroom wall before shattering the glass shower door. That loud noise drew the resident's attention, investigators said. The homeowner didn't realize what caused the damage until finding a spent bullet in the toilet seat cover while cleaning up the damage, authorities said. When the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office responded, they went door to door but didn’t learn where the bullet came from. Earlier this month about six miles away, a Sterling resident was startled to see a bullet come through her dining room wall one Saturday afternoon and almost hit her dog. Investigators haven't solved that mystery but do not believe the two incidents are connected.
9. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 3/29/14: One person was charged Saturday after a firearm went off at a gun show. The incident happened at the Expo Center on the 3600 block of North Nevada in Colorado Springs. Officers were sent to the Expo Center around 8:30 a.m. after receiving reports of a shot fired there. Police spoke with event organizers and a vendor, and say they learned a shot was fired onto the floor by accident after the back of the gun was bumped. A vendor told police that the weapon had been returned to them as defective earlier that week, but during a test firing someone forgot to empty the chamber. The magazine had been removed. Police say the round shattered upon impact and neither caused any damage or injured anyone. The vendor was charged with prohibited use of a weapon and asked to leave the property by the event organizers.
10. SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 3/29/14: Investigators are searching for a man whose car door struck a police officer's arm Saturday morning as the cop approached the stolen vehicle in North Beach, causing the officer to accidentally fire a single shot. There were no reported injuries.
11. MOUNT AIRY, NC, 3/29/14: There are indications the fatal shooting of a Mount Airy woman over the weekend was accidental, but that is subject to further review by authorities. “We’re still conducting follow-up investigations,” city Police Chief Dale Watson said Monday regarding the death of Darlene Jeanette Combs Tate, 57, for which an autopsy was ordered. Tate suffered a single gunshot wound to the lower abdomen Saturday night at her home at 338 Austin Drive, according to information from the Mount Airy Police Department. The gun involved was a .22-caliber derringer, Watson said. A preliminary investigation suggests the shooting was accidental. It occurred while Tate was with family members. Police responded to the incident at 8:12 p.m. Saturday. The preliminary findings indicate that the shooting might have resulted from the gun being dropped to the floor in some manner, and it then discharged. A failure to ensure that the weapon was properly secured appears to be to blame at this point in the investigation, according to the police chief. “We’re reasonably confident it was an accident — accidental rather than intentional,” he said of the shooting.
12. TROY, MO, 3/29/14: The Troy Police Department is investigating a shooting which occurred Saturday at No. 47 The Plaza shopping center in Troy. According to the brief release of events, Troy Police and sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene after receiving the report of an accidental shooting. A 33-year-old male was shot in the abdomen at close range. He was transported to a St. Louis area hospital where he remains in stable condition as of Monday afternoon. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.
13. GLASGOW, MT, 3/29/14: Law enforcement responded in full force on Saturday, March 29, when a caller reported a bullet coming through a Glasgow area living room wall and lodging into the wall across the room. Valley County Sheriff Glen Meier said the Sheriff’s Office responded quickly to the location on Highway 2 West near the El Cor Del bowling lanes. Meier explained that they did a thorough sweep of the area and interviewed several people to find out where the shot came from. Later in the evening it was determined that a juvenile had been playing with a firearm and it traveled around two-fifths of a mile.
14. AVONDALE, OH, 3/29/14: A 14-year-old Tyan Adkins is dead after a shooting at Poinciana Apartments in Avondale on Reading Road near Hutchins Avenue Saturday afternoon. Police responded to the scene around 3:30 p.m and found the girl with at least one gunshot wound. They say when they entered the second floor apartment the girl was still alive and was then transported to Children's Hospital where she later died from her injuries. Police do have a suspect in custody. A woman, Shalena McPherson, claiming to be the suspect's aunt says her nephew and the girl were playing with the gun when she was accidentally shot, thinking it wasn't loaded. "He was playing with a gun, yes that is true but he didn't mean to do this," says McPherson. "He said he didn't know there was bullet in the chamber. There shouldn't even been a bullet in there. I don't know where he got the gun from, it's so easy today to get guns, kids to play with guns. I have no idea." This is the second time in eight days a 14-year-old has died from a gunshot wound. On March 21, Ja'Shawn Martin was also shot and killed.
15. HARLINGEN, TX, 3/30/14: A Harlingen man was arrested when his gun fired while he was cleaning it, according to a police press release. An officer was called at 5:43 p.m. on March 30 to the 200 block of North 26th Street on a report of shots fired, police said. After speaking with the person who called police, the officer found that a man identified as Jose Luis DeLuna, 47, had been cleaning his handgun while intoxicated, the release said. The handgun accidentally discharged with the shot traveling through the front door and across the street. DeLuna was arrested and later arraigned on a Class C misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct by discharging a firearm across a roadway, with a fine of $533.
16. NESMITH, SC, 3/30/14: An 18 year old and a juvenile have been charged with murder. Jessica Blair Jackson, 18, of Conway and a female juvenile have been charged with the murder of Joseph Brown, 87, of Greeleyville. Officers discovered Brown's body in the trunk of his Cadillac. According to a Williamsburg County Sheriff's incident report, around 1:00am Sunday morning law enforcement responded to Kindale Park Road in reference to a self-inflicted gunshot. Jackson had allegedly gone to an individual's residence seeking help for what she said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her hand. Before Jackson was transported to an area hospital she stated to police she had been hunting with a "Smoochy" in the Nesmith area when she accidently shot herself in the hand. At that time Jackson indicated to police that her vehicle was bogged down at a club. When officers arrived at the scene they did not find Jackson's vehicle at the prescribed location, however they discovered a green Cadillac across the field. According to law enforcement, the Cadillac appeared to have struck small trees. Officers also observed blood on the vehicle. At time of press, no further information was available.
17. CARLISLE, PA, 3/30/14: A convicted felon was arrested Sunday night in Carlisle after he accidentally discharged a handgun inside a car, according to police. Michael L. Woods Sr., 33, was charged with recklessly endangering another person, persons not to possess a firearm and carrying a firearm without a license. Woods was not allowed to carry a firearm due to a prior felony conviction, police said. Officers were called around 10:45 p.m. to the 100 block of East Louther Street for a report of shots fired. That’s where they said they learned Woods was in possession of the gun that discharged. He was questioned, arrested and then transported to the Cumberland County Prison, where he is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.
18. HOWLAND, OH, 3/30/14: Police are investigating a shooting this evening near Howland Springs Elementary School. Police were called about 9 p.m. to 1722 Stillwagon Road S.E. on a report that a 23-year-old man had been shot accidentally. Police and rescue crews found the victim was shot below the heart, but was awake and breathing, according to reports. Police noted that the circumstances around the incident are unclear. Investigators remain on the scene. UPDATE: Authorities say the 23-year-old shot himself in the chest and the bullet exited under his arm and lodged into his bicep. He's in stable condition.
19. CLEVELAND, OH, 3/30/14: One teen was injured and another arrested after an incident police described as an accidental shooting Sunday afternoon. Officers responded to a report of a shooting around 1:30 p.m. on the 3800 block of East 54th Street, police said, and found a 15-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the leg. An investigation revealed the teen was shot accidentally, police said, and the suspected shooter - another 15-year-old boy - was arrested in connection with the incident. A gun was confiscated from the scene, police said. The injured teen was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, police said. His current condition is unknown. The arrested teen was taken to the juvenile detention center, police said, and the incident is being investigated as a felonious assault.
20. CLEVELAND, OH, 3/30/14: Police say that a man killed in Cleveland on Sunday may have been shot by accident. Police say that two men were fighting inside a home in the 11900 block of Robertson on the city's East Side around 4 a.m. One of the men pulled a gun and fired. But instead of hitting his intended target, he hit another man in the room, 29-year-old Akeem Tidmore. Tidmore was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police did not release information about the suspected shooter but said that an arrest will be made. The shooting is being treated as a homicide.
21. CLEVELAND, OH, 3/31/14: Police Tuesday filed felony charges against a man they accuse of drunkenly firing a newly bought pistol inside his West Side home several times, narrowly missing a 2-year-old child sleeping next door. Anthony Tango, 23, is charged with felonious assault, improperly handling firearms and using weapons while intoxicated. Tango was taken into custody Sunday, after a man watching TV in the 3900 block of West 151st Street just after 9 p.m. heard “pops and bangs” coming from the back of his home, according to a police report. The man opened the door to his 2-year-old daughter’s bedroom, turned on the light and saw drywall dust on her face. About a foot above her bed, there were bullet holes in the wall, the report said. The man grabbed his daughter and his 7-month-old son and ran into the basement for cover, as bullets sailed just over his head, according to the report. Tango told police he had been out drinking that night, according to the report. When he got home, Tango explained, he decided to fire off his gun a few times because he bought it three weeks earlier and had not gotten a chance to shoot it yet, the report said.
22. ATTLEBORO, MA, 3/31/14: Police are investigating an apparently accidental self-inflicted shooting of a man at his home on South Main Street Monday night. The same bullet might also have injured the man's wife, when it passed through his body, and struck her in the foot, according to a neighbor. She was treated at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, then was released. Police and firefighters responded to 137 South Main St. around 7:05 p.m. for a report of an accidental self-inflicted shooting. When they arrived, they found a man suffering from a gun shot to his lower body. Brian Cook, a neighbor of the man and his wife, said he has known the couple for more than a year, and that both walked to his house immediately after the shooting. Cook said the man was in shock that he accidentally shot himself. According to Cook, the man told him he was walking to the bathroom with a handgun in a pants pocket when the gun accidentally discharged. The bullet passed through the man's groin area, then struck the wife's foot.
23. PARSONS, KS, 3/31/14: A former Joplin, Mo., resident is facing felony charges in Kansas after he and the 4-year-old son of a roommate were treated at a hospital Monday night for gunshot wounds to their hands. Labette County Sheriff Robert Sims said Keith D. Wellen, 31, and the boy arrived at Labette Health Hospital in Parsons shortly before 10:30 p.m. with wounds to their hands apparently suffered in an accidental shooting at 1845 24000 Road east of Parsons. The sheriff said a single shot from a handgun is believed to have caused Wellen’s and the boy’s wounds. The boy, whose name was being withheld by the sheriff’s office, was transferred to Mercy Children’s Hospital in Kansas City. After treatment, Wellen was arrested on some outstanding warrants issued in Missouri. The warrants pertain to a felony weapon charge that the former Joplin resident is facing in Jasper County. Sims said Wellen later was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, child endangerment and aggravated battery in connection with the accidental shooting.
24. WATERBURY, CT, 3/31/14: A felon accidentally shot himself in the leg Monday while sitting in a rented car whose driver had pulled to the side of the road to roll a marijuana cigar, according to police. After the gun went off, police say that Aaron Davis, 24, made up a story about being the target of a random street shooting.
25. STATEN ISLAND, NY, 4/01/14: Police on Friday picked up three men suspected in the murder of the Staten Island Chinese-deliveryman killed earlier this week – and the suspected shooter is just 16 years old, cops and police sources said. Richard Salvia was fatally shot during a robbery-gone-wrong as he tried to deliver $40 worth of sweet-and-sour chicken, mixed vegetables and General Tso chicken in Mariner’s Harbor on Tuesday night. Surveillance video from the crime scene shows a gunman and another man approaching Salvia near the delivery address before Salvia pushed the man with the gun – who then accidentally shot him, police source said. The video was “instrumental” in making the arrest, cops said Friday. The suspected shooter and his two accomplices were being questioned by investigators inside the 121st precinct Friday morning. There are no other suspects on the lam, cops said.
26. PASADENA, TX, 4/01/14: Pasadena Mayor Johnny Isbell was in the middle of conversing with council members Tuesday when his concealed sidearm suddenly fell to the ground. The rules of the council chambers state there are “no weapons allowed” inside, even for those who possess a valid concealed carry permit. But after Isbell accidentally dropped his concealed firearm, it was evident he was breaking the rules and some residents are irritated at the hypocrisy. Isbell claimed the weapon he was carrying “was only a pellet gun,” but according to Pasadena council member Don Harrison, a former Marine who saw the incident first hand, the firearm appeared to be real. “As a former Marine, I’ve been around a lot of weapons and this didn’t look like a pellet gun to me,” Harrison said. “From what I saw, it appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol; my guess would be a 9mm Berretta pistol. But, it certainly didn’t look like a pellet gun as far as I’m concerned.” Isbell insisted he was holding the weapon for a friend who gave it to him, claiming he “had it in my notebook” when it fell out.
27. BOKOSHE, OK, 4/02/14: A 9-year-old boy died from a gunshot wound Wednesday afternoon at a residence in Bokoshe. LeFlore County deputies arrived at the residence near Blue Goose and Buck Creek roads in Bokoshe about 1 p.m., according to Undersheriff Kendall Morgan. An investigation is underway to determine whether one of his siblings accidentally shot the boy. The 9-year-old, three siblings and their mother were home at the time of the shooting, Morgan said. Deputies recovered a shotgun at the scene. Officials with the Department of Human Services were called to review the case, Morgan said. The Sheriff’s Office is conducting interviews to determine what happened. No arrests had been made as of Wednesday evening. UPDATE: Leflore County Deputy Kendall Morgan said a 9-year old was found dead after being shot by a sibling in Bokoshe. Police said the boy’s mother told them her 11-year-old son accidentally shot the boy while playing outside with a shotgun. Authorities, however, said evidence found at the home doesn’t match up. Leflore County deputies are investigating and are at the scene of the home now.
28. YOUNGSTOWN, OH, 4/02/14: A third grade student at Williamson Elementary School is in the hospital after being shot inside her family's home early Wednesday. Kathryn Carter is listed in stable condition after a bullet struck her in the chest as she sat inside the home on East Judson Avenue around midnight. Carter's father tells police that he heard several gunshots as he and his son were laying on the living room floor, and his daughter was doing school homework at the dining room table. His daughter cried that she had been hit and was holding her chest. The father dragged his daughter into the living room to prevent her being hit again. Officers found two bullet holes through a dining room wall and window. The round that went through the window, struck the back of a chair and went through the girl's chest. Police searching the back yards of nearby homes found five spent rounds. Police have not named any suspects in the case.
29. KENT, OH, 4/02/14: A shot fired at Kent State University Wednesday that sent the campus into lockdown stemmed from a domestic dispute between the suspect and two women, Kent State Police said this morning. Kent police arrested 24-year-old Quavaugntay Tyler, a freshman, after they said he pulled out a gun and accidentally shot himself in the hand during an argument with two women. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and is expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon. After the gunshot was fired, both women fled in a vehicle unharmed and Tyler asked a friend in one of the residence halls to hide his backpack, which contained the weapon. He then sought treatment at Robinson Memorial Hospital. Tyler later told investigators where to find the gun. Kent Police Chief John Peach said Tyler was cooperative and somewhat remorseful. He's considered a person of interest in campus thefts. No other injuries were reported.
30. BRADENTON, FL, 4/02/13: An accidental shooting sent a Bradenton man to the hospital Wednesday for treatment of a self-inflicted wound. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office reported a 49-year-old man living in the 4500 block of Dover Street Circle East was home alone at 4:30 p.m. replacing the grip of his pistol when he accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself on the hand. The victim was treated at a local hospital and released, according to the news release.
31. CHICAGO, IL, 4/02/14: A man is facing several criminal charges after he accidentally shot a woman in the knee early Wednesday in an Englewood apartment. Shaquille Sankey, 20, was charged with one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, two misdemeanor counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and one misdemeanor count of possession of ammunition without a valid FOID, according to Chicago Police. Sankey accidentally shot a 21-year-old woman in the right knee about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday in an apartment in the 6400 block of South May Street, where he resides, police said. The woman was taken to Saint Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center, where she was treated and released, police said. Two other weapons were found on the scene, police said. Sankey is expected to appear in bond court Thursday.
32. MENOMONEE FALLS, WI, 4/03/14: A 61-year-old man is dead after officials say he accidentally shot himself in the chest in the parking lot of Bob Lanier Enterprises in Menomonee Falls on Thursday morning, April 3rd. Officers were dispatched to the scene just before 9 a.m. As a precautionary measure, officials advised businesses in the area to lock down and shelter in place. Traffic was also diverted from the area. “Came out here, there was a lot of cop presence. I was wondering what was going on,” said Nick Weitz who works at another business in the industrial park. “They had blocked up the road up there. It was blocked off down there, too.” Bob Lanier Enterprises was initially evacuated — but employees at the business were able to return less than an hour after the shooting. Officials say the victim, himself, was an employee of Bob Lanier. Two handguns were later recovered from the scene. There are no other injuries — and officials say the neighborhood is safe. “We treated it as an active shooter to ensure the safety of neighborhood around,” said Menomonee Falls Police Chief Anna Ruzinski. “This was an isolated incident. We have no reason to believe anything else.” FOX6 News reached out to Bob Lanier Enterprises but no calls have been returned.
33. ATHENS, GA, 4/03/14: A man was cleaning a .45 caliber pistol in a home at Spring Lake Apartments off Cedar Shoals Drive when it accidentally went off, Athens-Clarke County police said. A woman who lived downstairs heard the gunshot and went into her living room where she saw a hole in the ceiling an a bullet on a couch, according to police. The man said he thought the gun was unloaded, police said.
34. HAMILTON, OH, 4/03/14: Hamilton police were called to a bar early Thursday on reports that a male was shot in the foot. Around 2:20 a.m., police arrived to Doubles Bar, 1555 Main St., to find an “uncooperative and intoxicated” man with a small wound to his right heel, said Sgt. Ed Buns. Police believe the man may have shot himself in the foot based on the angle of the injury. “He was very uncooperative and would not talk with investigating officers,” Buns said. Buns said there was no gun found, and police couldn’t hold the man without any evidence. Buns said no one at the bar knew anything about the incident when questioned by police.
35. MARION CO., TN, 4/03/14: A turkey hunter was accidentally shot in Marion County on Thursday morning. ABC's Chattanooga affiliate WTVC reports that Stanley Whitman, 41, was shot just after 7 a.m. near South Pittsburg, Tenn. It was not immediately clear what caused the shooting, but Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency spokesman Dan Hicks told WTVC that the shooting is believed to be accidental. Whitman and the man who shot him were reportedly hunting with their children at the time of the shooting. Whitman was taken to Erlanger Medical Center and is still listed in critical condition. UPDATE: A hunting accident in Marion County Thursday involving Monteagle Police Chief Virgil McNeese has left one man dead. It happened in the Richard City community. According to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency McNeese accidentally shot his hunting partner, Stanley LaRansey "Ramsay" Whitten. Whitten was taken to Erlanger, but passed away Friday afternoon.
36. HOUSTON, TX, 4/04/14: A man was accidentally shot by his drug dealer who thought he was trying to break into his apartment, according to Houston police. HPD said a man had just purchased meth from a dealer at an apartment in the 5300 block of W. Gulf Bank at Steamside around 2 a.m. After doing the drugs inside the apartment, he left and was walking in the parking lot when an unknown male approached and pointed a gun. The man tried to run back to the apartment and broke the window trying to get inside and escape the gunman. The alleged dealer thought someone was breaking in, so he grabbed his gun and opened fire, shooting his customer in the back, police said. The alleged dealer then left the scene. Paramedics with the Houston Fire Department arrived and transported to victim to Ben Taub Hospital in serious, but stable condition.
37. PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL, 4/04/14: A Marietta, GA man was charged with filing a false report to law enforcement after shooting himself in the foot. According to the Panama City Beach Police Department, 18-year-old Paul Anthony Odom was charged after Beach Police responded to a call at the Edgewater Gulf Villas early this morning. Odom initially told officers that he was standing near some unknown people next to the tennis courts when he heard a loud noise and felt a pain in his foot. Odom was taken to Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart for treatment. Further investigation revealed that Odom had been playing with the firearm inside a unit at Edgewater and accidentally shot himself. He was taken into custody when he was released from the hospital and booked into the Bay County Jail.
38. LINCOLN, NE, 4/04/14: A man was shot and killed in Lincoln on Friday, but police think it was an accident. It happened in the Lions Gate apartment complex near 52nd and R around 7:30 p.m. Police say a man accidentally fired off a gun, hitting his friend in the chest. When paramedics arrived, the 21-year-old victim had no pulse and was later pronounced dead. Police haven't said what led up to the gun going off. "We were told accidental shooting and this does appear to be that. At this point and time, we do have one deceased person in an apartment, he's a male and I don't have any other information at this point in time," Capt. David Beggs, Lincoln Police Department, said at the scene. Officers are still investigating to make sure there wasn't any foul play. They're interviewing two people who were in the apartment at the time of the shooting. At this point, it looks like this was a very tragic accident.
39. JACKSONVILLE, FL, 4/04/14: A teenager was taken to UF Health Jacksonville Friday in non-life-threatening condition after a friend shot him in the leg with a shotgun while the two were “joyriding” with two other friends. The shooting happened about 6 p.m. in the intersection of Moncrief Road West and Soutel Drive in a Toyota Camry and the shooter got out of the car and left the scene, said Sgt. T.E. Mitchell. The shooter and victim are friends and were both in the back seat of the Camry. An officer located the vehicle in the 2400 block of Kings Road and the victim was taken to the hospital, Mitchell said. Police are looking for the shooter, who is 18 years old, but the shooting is being treated as an accidental discharge, Mitchell said. The victim is between 15 and 18 years old, Mitchell said. He said charges are pending.
40. TOMPKINS TOWNSHIP, MI, 4/04/14: A man looking to scare off a wild animal accidentally shot his wife Friday night, April 4, police say. The incident occurred in the 8000 block of Ford Road in Tompkins Township, when a 28-year-old woman was injured by a discharged semi-automatic handgun held by her 32-year-old husband. She was taken to Allegiance Health with a non-life threatening injury. Police were called at 11:21 p.m. The woman’s husband had taken a gun outside with the intent of scaring an animal that had been damaging the couple’s livestock. The weapon discharged, grazing the woman’s arm. Jackson County Sheriff’s officers say all information gathered thus far suggests the gun discharge was accidental. The incident remains under investigation.
41. SAVANNAH, GA, 4/04/14: An 11-year-old boy is dead after a shooting in West Savannah. His 12-year-old friend is under arrest. Metro police tell us the boys  were handling a gun at a house on Church Street when it fired around 9:00 Friday night. Montrez Burroughs was struck and died at Memorial University Medical Center. The 12-year-old has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and possession of a firearm by a person under 18 and was being held at the Regional Youth Detention Center. Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department Violent Crimes detectives continue to investigate.
42. WARE CO., GA, 4/04/14: A 10-year-old Waycross girl who died Friday from a shotgun blast was struck as a teenage relative was unloading the gun, Ware County Sheriff Randy Royal said. The 10-old-girl and a 15-year-old male relative were at a home in 4000 block of Jana Road north of Waycross when the fatal shooting occurred about 1:01 p.m., Royal said. The victim, Taylor Marie Jowers, wanted to hold a 12-gauge shotgun that was in the home, and the 15-year-old was unloading it to make it safe for her when a round accidentally discharged, Royal said. The boy ran to a neighbor’s house next door and someone there called 911, Royal said. Ware County deputies responded, found the girl lying in the floor and were rendering first aid when Ware County EMTs arrived, Royal said. Arrangements were made to have Taylor Jowers life-flighted to a trauma center, but she died moments later, he said. Ware County detectives investigated and determined the shooting was accidental, Royal said. UPDATE: Deputies say 10-year-old Taylor Jowers asked her brother to hold a 12-gauge shotgun. They say the brother was in the process of removing the ammunition when the gun fired, killing Taylor.
43. ALBUQUERQUE, NM, 4/04/14: Officials say an accidental discharge may have led to a death at the city of Albuquerque’s shooting range. Friday afternoon, a man’s body was discovered next to his car on the civilian side of the range. He had a gunshot wound to the chest. Before getting shot, the man had checked-in at the shooting range office, and then went back to his car. Police say they have not found anyone who witnessed the man being shot.
44. GREENEVILLE, TN, 4/04/14: A man accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday night while visiting at a house in the 400 block of East McKee Street, Greeneville police Lt. Alan Dotson said in a report. The victim, 62-year-old Donnie Franklin, of Houston Valley Road, picked up a .25 caliber pistol while in the house "and began messing with it," the report said. The gun discharged and a bullet struck Franklin in the left calf area, the report said.
45. CENTRAL POINT, OR, 4/04/14: A woman was sent to the hospital Friday night after a shooting on the 3000 block of Old Stage Rd. Jackson County Sheriff Deputies and the Oregon State Police responded. Deputies said a woman was shot in the calf accidentally. They said she was taken to the hospital and is now back home.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 09:07 PM PDT.