Saturday, April 19, 2014

Gun Fail 65

Thu Apr 17, 2014 at 07:14 PM PDT

Sometimes when I get nervous, I hold my gun & squeeze my fingers closed like this! BLAM! GunFAIL LXV

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Seven of 51 guns discovered by TSA agents in airports across the country last week.
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Another week heavy on the self-shootings. We have 40 total listings, and 21 of them involve people accidentally shooting themselves. 
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Seven of our listings involved law enforcement officers, active duty military, or security guards. Their seven accidents wounded three and killed two, including the astonishing death of a Marine guard posted at the entrance to Camp Lejeune, NC, accidentally shot by the other guard with whom he was standing duty.
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Speaking of astonishing stories, here's one I didn't include in the list, because it just doesn't fit the category:
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The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department acknowledged Thursday that its deputies mistakenly shot and killed an aspiring TV producer earlier this week while responding to a stabbing and hostage standoff in West Hollywood. Sheriff’s officials said deputies believed John Winkler, 30, was the attacker when they encountered him at a Palm Avenue apartment complex Monday night. In fact, he was one of three hostages being held inside an apartment by a man with a knife. Winkler was shot in the chest when he rushed out of the apartment with one of the other victims, sheriff's officials said in a statement.
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There were six child victims of GunFAIL in today's compilation, ages, 4, 8, 9, two 11 year olds, and 17. And two kids who accidentally shot their siblings, including a 2 year old who somehow managed to fire someone's (very manly) .357 with an 8-inch barrel. In our other standard categories, we find four target shooting accidents, three home invasion shootings, three gun cleaning accidents (and one gun "securing" accident, if you're not full-up on irony yet), plus one guy who accidentally shot himself at an NRA event. 
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Anyway, you get the gist. So without further ado, this week's dishonor roll, below the fold.
  1. HUNTINGTON, WV, 3/26/14: A shooting in Huntington Wednesday night has family and friends mourning a loss, while police put together pieces of evidence. It happened around 9:00 p.m. in the Highlawn neighborhood on Latulle Avenue. Huntington Police said it was an unintentional shooting. They said Lawrence and two other men passed a shotgun around while drinking. Officials said Lawrence was "manipulating the gun" when it fired into his chest, killing him. Huntington Police said Lawrence brought the shotgun from his home, just one street over on Guyan Avenue. "There were some issues with the individual and why he had the shotgun, we really don't want to go into it this point," said Huntington Police Lt. John Williams. Witnesses told police they believed the gun was unloaded and were shocked when it went off.
  2. MEADVILLE, PA, exact date unknown: Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accidental firing of a weapon by a trooper inside the Meadville area state police barracks on Murray Road in Vernon Township. “There was an accidental discharge and there were no injuries,” Sgt. Mark Zaleski, spokesman for Troop E headquarters in Erie, said of the discharge of a state-issued pistol inside the Meadville barracks recently. Troop E includes state police barracks at Erie, Girard, Corry, Meadville, Warren and Franklin. Zaleski said he was aware of the incident, but he didn’t have the exact date or time of the incident since there was no news release made on the incident. “There will be an internal investigation by the Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards,” he said. Asked if the report on the incident would be made public once it is completed, Zaleski said it would not because it was a personnel matter which is a closed record.
  3. BAYARD, NM, 4/02/14: Danny Paz, 36, of Bayard was shot in the face last week at a Bayard residence. According to Bayard Police Lt. Willie Kerin, the suspect, Duane Carrasco, 40, and an eye witness, Juan Molina, 56, both claim the shooting was accidental. But Paz's sister-in-law, Twyla Paz, said she believes it was intentional. Bayard police were called at about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday to a residence in the 300 block of Stewart Street, according to Kerin. The caller told police an accidental shooting had happened. The victim was Danny Paz. According to Kerin, he and another officer arrived at the house and a man, later identified as Carrasco, was standing on a side porch. He yelled out that Danny Paz was there. When police walked into the kitchen, they found Paz on all fours, bleeding profusely from the face and mouth area, according to Kerin. Paz was conscious, still alert, and moaning. According to Kerin, Paz was able to identify that Carrasco shot him before he was taken away. The bullet entered the right cheek and there was no exit wound, according to Kerin. Bayard police arrested Carrasco. According to Carrasco's statement, he had been drinking alcohol in the kitchen with Paz and Molina. Carrasco was proud of the fact that he had recently gotten a deer tag and he left the house, crossed the street, then came back with his new hunting rifle, according to Kerin. According to Molina's statement, Carrasco then returned the hunting rifle to the residence across the street and got into a vehicle with other people and drove off. Carrasco retuned with more alcohol to the kitchen where Paz and Molina were still drinking. When Carrasco returned, he allegedly brought with him a .22 caliber hand gun. According to Kerin, Bayard police found beer cans in the kitchen sink and on the floor and little liquor bottles on the floor. During the course of conversation, Carrasco allegedly went for the hand gun sitting on the kitchen counter and it went off in his hand, shooting Paz in the face. According to Molina's testimony, all three men have been friends for a long time. Kerin said Bayard police arrested Carrasco and charged him with negligent use of a firearm. Kerin said the Bayard police called the District Attorney's office for advise on charging Carrasco due to the severity of Paz's injury, but the D.A.'s office agreed with the charge since the shooting did not appear to be intentional.
  4. MILFORD, DE, 4/04/14: Officers responded to Milford Bayhealth Hospital after receiving a report of a victim entering the emergency room with multiple gunshot wounds. Police said the 20-year-old victim told detectives that he accidentally shot himself but only after initially stating that he had been shot by an unknown person somewhere on Montgomery Street. The victim was treated and later released.
  5. MONUMENT, CO, 4/05/14: Authorities are investigating whether a shooting in Monument Saturday morning was accidental. Monument police and El Paso County deputies were called to the 200 block of Saber Creek at 10:30 a.m. on reports that a 9-year-old had been shot in the hand. The boy was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. According to Monument Police Department spokesman Lt. Burke, authorities currently believe the incident was an accident, but are still investigating. Burke says they are looking into whether the boy accidentally shot himself. Police say the parents were home at the time of the incident.
  6. GRAND JUNCTION, CO, 4/05/14: A man fleeing a melee early Saturday on Orchard Mesa was accidentally shot in the back by a back-seat passenger riding in the man’s car, witnesses told Grand Junction police. Aaron Munoz, 20, of Clifton, was arrested Sunday on a police warrant for suspicion of second-degree assault, possession of a weapon by a prior offender, illegal discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment, all in connection with a shooting reported to police just before 3 a.m. Saturday. Officers responded just before 3 a.m. on a shots fired report at 138 Dorothy Ave., according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The victim was met by police in parking lot of True Value, 2868 U.S. Highway 50. There, they found a 16-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his back, but he was walking around. The boy told police he and Munoz, described in the affidavit as friends for the past seven years, got in a fight with another group at a party at the Dorothy Avenue home before they decided to leave in the boy’s car. Munoz was reportedly drunk. The boy said they were driving west on Highway 50 near 27 Road, when he was shot. “He said Aaron was the one who shot him, saying Aaron was sitting in the rear passenger seat behind him,” the affidavit said. “(Boy) said he didn’t see the gun that night and didn’t know Aaron had it with him. (Boy) said he believed the shooting was accidental.” Two others in the car described a similar scenario to detectives.
  7. PHILADELPHIA, PA, 4/05/14: Police say a 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 11-year-old sister in their Mantua home while their mother was just down the hall in the bathroom. Investigators say 11-year-old Jamara Stevens was killed when she and her three siblings, a 14-year-old boy, 7-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy, were playing with a .357 caliber handgun with an 8-inch barrel in their home on the 3800 block of Wallace Street just before 10 a.m. Saturday. Tiffany Goldwire and her four children were in her bedroom, when she went to use the bathroom, according to police. At that point, the kids located the loaded firearm, which was left on top of the refrigerator by the mother's boyfriend who visited the home earlier that morning, and the eldest child retrieved it, according to reports. While playing with the weapon, the 2-year-old boy pointed the loaded, cocked gun in the direction of his 11-year-old sister and it discharged, striking her in the arm, according to authorities. Investigators say the bullet then traveled through her chest, hitting her heart. The girl was taken to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m.
  8. DALMATIA, PA, 4/05/14: Antonio D. Croce, of New Market, Md., suffered injuries to his second and third toe on his foot after accidentally shooting himself with a 12 gauge shotgun about 6 p.m. Saturday at the Martz Game Farm in Lower Mahanoy Township, according to state police at Stonington.
  9. QUARRYVILLE, PA, 4/05/14: State police say a woman accidentally shot herself in the leg with a handgun in her Quarryville garage. Just after 9 p.m. on Saturday, officials received a report of an accidental shooting in the 900 block of Buck Road in East Drumore Township, Lancaster County. The 26-year-old victim told police she accidentally shot herself in the leg while moving a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun within her attached garage. The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening and no criminal activity is suspected.
  10. YAMHILL, OR, 4/10/14: A 20-year-old man was shot and killed in Yamhill and investigators said his friend was handling the gun at the time it was fired. Emergency crews responded to a 911 call about a shooting on East Azalea Street in Yamhill at 9 p.m. Saturday. The victim, Colby Duyn, was treated at the scene and taken to Willamette Valley Medical Center. He died later that night. The Yamhill County District Attorney's Office said the person handling the 9mm pistol at the time of the shooting was Chad Barton, 19. Investigators said Duyn and Barton were longtime friends and had been together for several hours before the shooting. It does not appear drugs or alcohol were factors, according to the district attorney's office. Investigators said it was an apparent accidental shooting, however no other details were revealed. The investigation is continuing.
  11. FORT DIX, NJ, 4/05/14: Military officials are investigating what is believed to be an accidental shooting at Fort Dix that sent one soldier to the hospital Saturday night, according to a report on 6abc.com. Officials told ABC 6 Action News Philadelphia that the shooting occurred on a range at the military base just after 6 p.m. The news site reported that the wounded soldier was flown to Capital Health System, and his condition is unknown at this time. Burlington County Central Communications confirmed it received a request for an ambulance to be sent to the base. Units reported that the soldier accidentally shot himself in the armpit, according to a BNN alert, a police monitoring service. Base officials were unavailable to confirm this report. This weekend, the base has been conducting artillery training sessions. UPDATE: A U.S. Marine was in stable condition this afternoon after the military said he was wounded Saturday night by a ricochet bullet during a live fire training exercise at a base in southern New Jersey.
  12. DAVIDSON CO., TN, 4/06/14: A woman was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center after shooting near the Davidson-Cheatham county line early Sunday. According to Metro police, the woman was shot accidentally by her husband at their home on Biggs Road. Police tell Channel 4 News that the man was trying to shoot an aggressive pit bull, fearing an attack. As the man handled the gun it went off, reportedly hitting his wife in the leg. Police say he will not face any charges.
  13. SANFORD, FL, 4/06/14: A Seminole County man is in critical condition after being shot in the head. The shooting happened around 2 a.m. at the Dunwoody Commons complex on the 5000 block of Hawkstone Drive. The male victim was rushed Orlando Regional Medical Center. He was with a small group of friends when the shooting occurred and Seminole County deputies believe the shooting was accidental. Seminole deputies believe he was accidentally shot by someone else. The teen was in a small group of friends when the shooting occurred. The shooting remains under investigation and charges could be filed in this case. UPDATE: The 20-year-old man shot in the head in Seminole County Sunday has died.
  14. MONROE, OR, 4/06/14: The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the weekend shooting of a 60-year-old woman wounded on her way to get the newspaper outside her Monroe area home. Capt. Greg Ridler with the BCSO said Monday Gale Fogelstrom was walking down a rural street for about half a mile to her newspaper box when she reported hearing about 40 rounds of ammunition being fired. Hearing shots in the area is fairly common, according to Ridler. As she continued down the road, Fogelstrom told deputies she was struck twice by bullets, entering both her lower left back and her left buttocks. Folgestrom was eventually picked up by a motorist and given a ride to her home, where her boyfriend called 911. Neither bullet exited Fogelstrom’s body, but her injuries did not appear to be life-threatening upon initial assessment, Ridler said. Two people, 47-year-old Jeffrey Field and 37-year-old Lena Potter, were named by Ridler Monday as being responsible potentially for Fogelstrom’s injury. Deputies spoke to Field and Potter, who live about 100 yards from the road where the incident occurred. Both Field and Potter admitted to conducting target practice on their property when Fogelstrom was shot. They were shooting down a heavily forested hill, according to Ridler, and were unaware anyone had been shot. Field and Potter were not arrested, but deputies did remove two handguns and ammunition from the home. Neither have been named suspects and the investigation is ongoing.
  15. COLUMBIA, MO, 4/06/14: A bullet flew through two Columbia homes and lodged in a kitchen cabinet on Sunday afternoon, according to Columbia police. Police told ABC 17 News a single bullet traveled through the back corner of one home in a duplex in the 400 block of Foxfire Drive around 12:30 p.m.  The bullet then went through the wall of the home attached in the duplex into the kitchen, where it lodged in a cabinet. According to police, one female resident was home at the time of the shooting and heard a loud noise but didn't realize what it was. It wasn't until her roommate came home later and found the bullet in the cabinet that they called police. ABC 17 News spoke to the resident of the home where the bullet first entered, Zeshan Peng.  He said he was home sleeping at the time of the shooting. "I didn't hear anything at all, so I was surprised when police told me there was a gunshot in my house," Peng said. Peng said he didn't think he was a target of the shooting, and didn't know if his female neighbors were. Other neighbors ABC 17 News talked to were surprised the shooting happened in a neighborhood they described as a "student neighborhood". "It's not uncommon to hear about them [shootings] but it's weird hearing it over here because it never happens over here," Alyssa Crawford said. Police told ABC 17 News they believe this shooting was accidental, even saying it could have been someone cleaning their gun. Right now, police do not have a suspect description.  They believe the bullet was from a pistol.
  16. EAST PALO ALTO, CA, 4/06/14: 2200 block of Terra Villa Avenue, 7:07 a.m. Sunday An intoxicated man who shot himself in the foot -- literally -- was treated at a hospital and arrested for negligent discharge of a firearm.
  17. FLORENCE, AZ, 4/06/14: A Florence Gardens man suffered a chest wound Sunday afternoon that police believe could have been fired by a man or his 12-year-old grandson who were shooting their guns in the desert west of the house. According to a police report, police responded to the house on N. Indiana Avenue just before 1 p.m. and found a man with a small red blood stain on his upper left chest area. The man told police he was lying on his garage floor working when he was struck by a bullet that came through the wall. The man provided the bullet, which appeared to be a .40 caliber round, to police. The man was transported to Banner Ironwood Medical Center for treatment. The officer responded to the desert west of Florence Gardens to attempt to locate any individuals who were shooting, and in approximately 20 to 30 minutes, located a man and his grandson. They were armed with a .22 caliber Ruger revolver, a .22 caliber Savage rifle and a .40 caliber Barretta model 96 semiauto handgun. The officer explained to the man that the officer would have to confiscate his Barretta for evidence, and that if the weapon fired the bullet that struck the Florence Gardens man, he could face criminal charges. The officer returned the man’s .22 caliber weapons and he was free to leave. The officer returned to the house, but later returned to the desert area approximately 15 to 20 yards west of the house to try to locate any spent shell casing. The officer did not find any. The incident is closed pending ballistic testing of the weapon and bullet located at the scene.
  18. FORT WAYNE, IN, 4/07/14: A man was injured when his firearm accidentally discharged in the locker room at the Renaissance YMCA Monday morning. Michael Joyner, public information officer for the Fort Wayne Police Department, said the man was in fair condition after the shooting. According to a statement from the YMCA, a man had a small handgun in his gym bag. The gun accidentally discharged and grazed his chin. The YMCA staff immediately called 911 and provided care. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to this man and his family and friends. We are sure you will join us in respecting their privacy during this difficult time,” the statement from the YMCA said. The YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne's current policies prohibit carrying or concealing a weapon or any object that may be used as a weapon in its facilities and on its grounds. The YMCA said it will evaluate its policies in order to ensure a continued safe environment and investigate the incident thoroughly. The organization is cooperating with authorities in their investigation.
  19. TULSA CO., OK, 4/07/14: Just after 3:30 p.m., deputies received a report of a shooting at the 7200 block of West Skyline Drive, police said. Dispatchers said the caller indicated a man was shot in the back from the attic while attempting to shoot a squirrel. Tulsa County Sheriff's Office spokesman Billy McKelvey said the homeowner told deputies he is renovating his gazebo and has been having problems with squirrels in the area while doing so. He said he has successfully caught a couple of squirrels in the past and knew where this particular squirrel was in the house, so he went to the attic to catch it, McKelvey said. "He shot at the squirrel, not realizing his directions got a little bit confused and not realizing he was shooting toward people that were working on his gazebo," he said. "And a .22 round went through the roof and hit one of the workers." The worker was transported by EMSA to a nearby hospital, but McKelvey said his injuries do not appear life-threatening. Deputies are waiting to learn more about the man's condition before deciding whether to take the homeowner into custody on a complaint of reckless use of a firearm, he said.
  20. CROSS LANES, WV, 4/07/14: The parents of the toddler who was shot in Cross Lanes has been charged in the incident. Kanawha County Sheriff's Deputies tell WSAZ.com John Seymour, 23, and Tabitha Bowen, 24, have been arrested and charged with child neglect resulting in injury. Deputies say Kasey Seymour, 4, was dropped off with her mother at Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston about 10:25 a.m. Deputies say they believe the girl's five-year-old brother shot her at a trailer along Hurley Drive. Investigators say the four-year-old was shot in the left arm, but her injuries are not life threatening. Officers tell WSAZ.com the girl was sitting up and watching TV in the hospital room shortly after she arrived. As of Monday afternoon, she was in stable condition. Deputies are still along Hurley Drive conducting a search warrant.
  21. WATERTOWN, NY, 4/07/14: A gun accidentally went off Monday afternoon at the Jefferson County Public Safety Building. That's according to Jefferson County Administrator Bob Hagemann. Hagemann said there were no injuries. He also said the incident happened in the part of the building which houses the Watertown City Police Department. Hagemann said the incident is under investigation.
  22. COLUMBUS, OH, 4/07/14: A 8-year-old boy apparently shot himself in the foot on Monday afternoon. The child was shot in a house on the 400 block of South Napoleon Avenue on the east side. Police say the boy found a gun that was hidden inside of a shoe at the home and accidently shot himself. He was transported to Nationwide Children's Hospital with minor injuries.
  23. LINCOLN, NE, 4/07/14: Lincoln police say a man who walked into a hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg may have accidentally shot himself. Officer Katie Flood said police believe the 27-year-old man was sitting in a car with a friend holding the gun when it fired. The bullet broke the man's Tibia, a bone in the lower leg. Police say he was intoxicated when he came to the hospital for treatment. Flood said the wound is not life threatening. Police say this is the second accidental shooting in a week.
  24. JACKSONVILLE, FL, 4/07/14: A 21-year-old former Jacksonville University student died Monday night of an accidental gunshot wound. Ray Mangiafico, who played on the JU Dolphins football team, left the school after the fall 2013 semester. Mangiafico is a graduate of Baker County High School. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responded about 9:30 p.m. Monday to Dahlia Road in Northwest Jacksonville. A man said he was asleep in a downstairs apartment when he was awoken by Mangiafico banging on his door, according to a police report. The man opened his door and Mangiafico told him to call 911 because he accidentally shot himself, according to the report. Mangiafico's parents said their son was on the computer on his desk and leaned back in his chair while cleaning his gun when it went off, hitting him in the stomach. Mangiafico's mother said her son had the gun for his job as a security guard. She said the gun had several safety features, which he had showed her in the past.
  25. CERES, CA, 4/07/14: Police say that a man shot himself in the leg while riding in a car down Whitmore Avenue Monday evening and tried to change his story when he realized that he wasn't supposed to possess a gun since he was on felony probation. At 11:50 p.m. police dispatchers received a call from a woman who was laughing hysterically and reporting that a male friend had shot himself in the upper thigh. She said she pulled over at the McDonald's at Whitmore Avenue and Morgan Road so that emergency personnel could attend to him. When paramedics arrived they found that the victim, Joel Gonzalez, 34, of Ceres, had tied fabric around his leg as a tourniquet to slow the bleeding. However, the pair changed their story when police arrived. Gonzalez told police that he was walking down the street when he was shot by some unknown person. He said because of the trauma that he forgot why he was walking, where he was walking and how he ended up in the car. The female companion also recanted her story and then said she didn't remember seeing the gun at all. Officers realized the pair was lying to cover for his possession of a gun. Police searched Whitmore Avenue and did not find the gun. Gonzalez was treated for the gunshot wound at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto. He apparently was not arrested, said Lt. Brent Smith.
  26. SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 4/07/14: A 21-year-old man was shot during a robbery as he walked to the BART station last night. The only thing is he was the one who shot himself--accidentally. According to police reports, the man was walking to the Powell Street BART station at about about 10:30 p.m. when an armed man approached him, carrying a semi-automatic gun. The gunman told the victim to "hand over all his stuff." As the victim was complying, he accidentally hit the gun, causing it to go off, says Officer Gordon Shyy. The gunman bolted in an unknown direction. The victim went home and went to sleep. He must have slept pretty well, because he didn't realize he had been shot in the thigh until he woke up this next morning. He got up and went to San Francisco General Hospital where he was treated for a non life-threatening leg wound.
  27. LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP, PA, 4/08/14: A New Jersey man participating in a program at the Steel City Gun Club was injured today when he accidentally shot his own leg, according to Bethlehem police Deputy Chief Todd Repsher. The man was at the Lower Saucon Township gun range as part of a program put on by the National Rifle Association and hosted in part by the Bethlehem Police Department, Repsher said. Medical crews were dispatched to the secluded gun range off of Riverside Drive at about 1:34 p.m., according to emergency dispatch reports. Since the man was wounded at the event, Repsher said city police handled the incident and sent him to St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill for treatment. The injury, Repsher siad, was not life-threatening. Several police and security agencies were taking part in the program, Repsher said, including two Bethlehem police officers.
  28. PHILADELPHIA, PA, 4/08/14: Young people playing with a gun landed a teenager in the hospital overnight, according to Philadelphia Police. Police were called to the 3500 block of Jasper Street in the city’s Kensington neighborhood around 11 p.m. Tuesday night to investigate a shooting. According to investigators, a 17-year-old and his friend were playing with a gun inside a home along that block when the firearm went off. The bullet struck the unidentified teen in the arm. He was rushed the Temple University Hospital where he remained in stable condition Wednesday morning. Police didn’t say if anyone would be charged in the case. This shooting comes just days after a series of other shootings of children in the city.
  29. CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, 4/08/14: A Marine sentry at Camp Lejeune's main gate might have accidentally fired his M4 service rifle Tuesday evening, when he killed a fellow guard, Marine Corps Times is reporting. The investigation into the incident at the sprawling North Carolina Marine Corps base continues, but authorities think the incident is the result of a "negligent discharge." The shooting happened inside the guard shack, which is underneath the canopy at the base entrance. The Marine was shot once in the chest in the 5:30 p.m., incident, and despite attempts to save him, he was pronounced dead a short while later as a hospital, according to the Marine Corps Times report. Neither Marine was identified. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating, according to the report.
  30. SAN ANTONIO, TX, 4/09/14: Police say a 19-year veteran of the force shot himself early Wednesday morning at the San Antonio Police Department helicopter hangar. The incident happened at the department's hangar located at Stinson Airport on the city's South Side. A police department spokesman says the officer was switching holsters when he shot himself in the hand. He was able to call for help. The officer was taken to University Hospital for treatment. He is expected to be okay. The officer works as a pilot for SAPD's eagle helicopter program. Police believe this was an accidental shooting, but it remains under investigation.
  31. HOUSTON, TX, 4/09/14: Two teens are accused in a violent robbery that backfired. Police said they caught the teens after one of them accidentally fired his gun, hitting his accomplice, as they tried to make their getaway. That robbery happened at a gas station Wednesday night at the Best Stop Valero store on West Little York and Langfield in northeast Houston. A surveillance video shows one of the boys stomping a clerk's head as the other points a gun at the cashier's head while taking money from the register. Police recovered about $800 taken from the gas station. The names of the suspected burglars have not been released.
  32. PROVIDENCE, RI, 4/09/14: Police responded to the scene of an accidental shooting on Wednesday morning. According to officials, a 26-year-old man mistakenly shot himself while cleaning his gun this morning at his Whittier Avenue home. After police responded to the scene, they reportedly removed five handguns and a shotgun from the home for safety reasons. The man’s condition is currently unknown.
  33. CHICAGO, IL, 4/09/14: A doctor who had nine unregistered guns in his Lincoln Park high-rise fired one into his neighbor’s condo and later told the police it was an accident caused by a “nervous tic,” Cook County prosecutors said Saturday. “Everything happened so fast,” 53-year-old Michael Olivieri told the police after his arrest, according to their report. He said he “had squeezed the trigger” — an act that was like a nervous tic, “like squeezing a tennis ball,” according to his arrest report. No one was hurt. Olivieri, who is on leave from work after going deaf, told officers he had placed one of his guns on his kitchen island on Wednesday and thought he had replaced his bullets with “dummy” rounds before he fired from his 14th -floor condminium, in the 2000 block of Lincoln Park West. Police said they found eight unregistered guns in Olivieri’s condo. Oliveri was charged with felony reckless discharge of a firearm and cited for each unregistered gun and ordered held Saturday on $10,000 bail.
  34. FAIRMONT, WV, 4/09/14: A boy remains in critical condition after being shot more than a week ago, and police officials are now saying the incident was accidental in nature. On Wednesday, April 9, at 7:52 p.m., police were dispatched to a Fairmont residence after an 11-year-old boy sustained a gunshot wound inside the home. Last week, Fairmont Police Chief Kelley Moran confirmed that another person was involved in the shooting, but officials are not releasing the name of either the boy or the other person involved. According to new information from Lt. Steve Shine, which was released to media at about 1 p.m. Thursday, the shooting looks as if it was an accident. "All information gained thus far in the Fairmont Police Department investigation of this shooting indicates that this was an unintentional and accidental discharge of a firearm,” Shine said. “There is no public safety issue. The general population's safety will not be enhanced by the release of further details regarding this case.”
  35. GLENDALE, CA, 4/10/14: A 24-year-old Glendale man accidentally shot his own leg early Thursday while he was securing a firearm before going to bed, police said. The man, whose identity wasn’t released, was taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital, where he underwent treatment for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his right leg, Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot said. He was reportedly trying to lock his Smith & Wesson handgun at about midnight inside his apartment in the 3300 block of Honolulu Avenue, when “his index finger accidentally pulled the trigger,” she said. He was alone at the time of the shooting, but still was able to call police for help. Officers arrived at his home and could smell alcohol on his breath, Lightfoot said. A field sobriety test was not performed at the scene. Soon after, they removed all firearms from his home and booked them for safekeeping, she added. A similar shooting occurred in January when a Glendale man accidently shot his wife in the shoulder as he was also securing a gun for safety. She was also taken to Huntington Memorial and treated for the non-life-threatening injury.
  36. LAWRENCE, KS, 4/10/14: A 47-year-old Lawrence man was flown by a LifeStar helicopter to Kansas University Hospital after a firearm he handled discharged and struck his leg just before noon Thursday. No one else was home when the gun went off in the man's home in the 2000 block of East 19th Street, according to Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence Police spokesman. McKinley described the injury as traumatic and said there were no signs of foul play. A LifeStar helicopter was called to land in a field across from the Lawrence Humane Society and near the Douglas County Fairgrounds. McKinley said the man reported the incident to emergency dispatchers around 11:54 a.m.
  37. LONG BEACH, CA, 4/10/14:  Long Beach police officer was in stable condition last Thursday after being accidentally shot when his gun discharged at the North Division sub-station. According to Megan Zabel of the Long Beach Police Department, the weapon unintentionally discharged around 6:10PM and the officer sustained an injury and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. "The circumstances as to how the unintentional discharge occurred is currently under investigation," Zabel said. It is unclear where the officer was hit.
  38. PONTIAC, MI, 4/10/14: A 22-year-old Pontiac man has been arrested following reports of shots fired in the city. Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the 100 block of Perkins around 3:45 p.m. Thursday, where they were told that a man who had been shot was placed inside a black vehicle and driven away. A witness told deputies that people at the rear of the home had been shooting at each other and the victim was shot while attempting to jump a fence. The victim was later found at McLaren Hospital. He told investigators that he may have shot himself in the leg while hopping the fence. He was unsure how he was shot.
  39. AUGUSTA, ME, 4/11/14: A man accidentally shot himself in the leg with a new handgun on Friday afternoon, police said. Lt. Christopher Massey of the Augusta Police Department said the 26-year-old man, who he didn’t identify, had friends over at his Riverside Drive home and the gun went off, just before police and rescue units were called there at 4:26 p.m. “He was showing them and somehow the thing went off, as they do when they’re new and you’re not familiar with them,” Massey said. Massey said the man was taken to the Alfond Center for Health in Augusta, but transferred quickly to Maine Medical Center in Portland, though Massey didn’t think the wound to his leg was life-threatening.
  40. PARKER CO., TX, 4/11/14: Parker County deputies say a shooting that injured a man in the 8500 block of FM Road 1886 shortly after 5 p.m. Friday was reported to be accidental. “A 90-year-old white male was reportedly cleaning his [.38-caliber] firearm and accidentally shot himself in the chest,” Parker County sheriff’s spokeswoman Deputy Danie Huffman said. “His wife was home at the time but did not witness it.” The man was taken by helicopter a Fort Worth hospital. His condition was not known Monday afternoon. He reportedly told deputies that “it just went off,” according to the sheriff’s office which is conducting an investigation, as is routine in shootings.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Thu Apr 17, 2014 at 07:14 PM PDT.

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