Gun Fail 76

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Thu Jul 10, 2014 at 04:28 PM PDT

If guns aren't a God-given right, why do bullets fall from the sky on July 4th? GunFAIL LXXVI

by David Waldman

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Six of 33 guns, each one a GunFAIL, discovered by TSA agents at airports around the country last week.

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A brief vacation in the hurricane-afflicted Outer Banks has delayed the rollout of the latest GunFAIL installment, and the lazy pace of summer has kept accident numbers relatively low. Low totals were tempered somewhat by the July 4th weekend, one of the two traditional high-water marks annually for "celebratory gunfire." Despite the efforts of local authorities to discourage it with public awareness campaigns, it hasn't yet been successfully wiped out. Reports are still coming in, but to date we have four five incidents. In Oakland, CA, celebratory gunfire brought down power lines that electrocuted two bystanders, one fatally. (But because he wasn't hit by gunfire, he's not included among the 10 fatalities counted in this week's list.) A man in Chicago received minor injuries from a falling bullet. A man in Tennessee was shot in the leg. A woman in Missouri was wounded more extensively by a bullet to the face, and a father of four in Charlotte, NC, was left paralyzed when he was struck through the top of the head. 

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For a week with fewer than 40 included incident reports, an awful lot of kids fell victim to GunFAIL: 16 in total, ages 3, 8, 9, 9, 11, 12, 13, 13, 15, 15, 15, 16, 16, 16, 17 and 17. Accidentally shooting yourself was once again among the most popular options, though, with 11 people going that route, including the three law enforcement personnel who experienced GunFAILs this time around. Next most dangerous, as usual, was being near a friend or family member handling a gun. Eight people accidentally shot their friends, a ninth accidentally shot a fellow gang member, and I'm not 100 percent certain that counts as a friend. Well, certainly not now, even if he was the forgiving type, since he's among our 10 fatalities. Two sets of siblings shared interfamilial GunFAILs as well, plus one set of cousins, one 15-year-old uncle and his 8-year-old nephew, and one boyfriend who accidentally shot his girlfriend.
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Rounding out our usual categories, we had two "home invasion shootings," including one in which the offending bullet escaped from a nearby shooting range, two hunting accidents, two accidental shootings while loading/unloading a gun, one dropped gun that discharged and wriggled a little freedom nugget through a 12-year-old girl's lung, and one accident while cleaning yet another still-loaded gun.
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The week's most remarkable GunFAIL cases are, I think, among those already described in brief, above. Do be sure to read the more clinical details in the full recounting, below the fold.

1. CONROE, TX, 5/27/14: A 3-year-old girl and daughter of a Conroe Police Department narcotics officer is expected to make a full recovery after suffering a gunshot wound to her chest May 27. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to St. Luke’s Hospital on Texas 242 and Interstate 45 in reference to the child being rushed to the emergency room from the family’s home in Conroe. Investigators with MCSO believe the child obtained the handgun from her mother’s purse and accidentally shot herself. The incident occurred on the first floor of the home, while the child’s mother was upstairs. MCSO is still investigating the incident with detectives reviewing evidence and conducting interviews. No charges have been filed. The child is expected to make a full recovery, according to MCSO officials.
2. VIRGIE, KY, 6/06/14: A Virgie man indicted this week in relation to a shooting which allegedly occurred earlier this month is claiming the shooting was an accident, a prosecutor said. Pike Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Bartley said 55-year-old Roger D. Johnson, of Orchard Branch Road, told police that the shooting and wounding of Anthony Chainey on June 6 was accidental in nature and not a malicious act. Johnson was arrested following the incident and charged with first-degree assault, court documents said, and a Pike grand jury indicted him on the charge Wednesday. Bartley said that although the victim is claiming the shooting occurred during a disagreement, Johnson told investigators the shooting was an accident. “The shooting did occur following a disagreement between the two, but Roger Johnson claimed that he was cleaning a gun at the time and it accidentally went off and shot Anthony Chainey,” Bartley said. Bartley said there was no indication that a physical altercation occurred between Johnson and Chainey, or that Chainey was armed at the time of the incident. He said the men were known to one another and that Chainey lived with Johnson at his Virgie residence. Kentucky State Police Trooper Kevin Thacker wrote in court documents that Chainey was apologizing to Johnson “for wrecking (Johnson’s) truck” when the incident occurred. Witnesses told the trooper that Johnson told Chainey to leave “multiple times” prior to getting the rifle and shooting him in the stomach, court documents said. Chainey was transported to Pikeville Medical Center for treatment following the incident, court documents said.
3. OMAHA, NE, 6/08/14: An Omaha man says he was shooting at a stop sign when the bullets accidentally wounded two teenagers. A police officer testified Tuesday at a preliminary hearing in Douglas County Court that 21-year-old Davonte Hill told him he did not fire his gun at the two 16-year-old boys during the June 8 incident. The officer said Hill first denied involvement in the shooting but later changed his story. The Omaha World-Herald reports (http://bit.ly/... ) one teen is recovering from a foot injury and another is recovering from a thigh wound. Authorities say Hill shot the teens as they were walking with friends. He faces two counts of felony assault and two counts of use of a weapon to commit a felony. Court records do not list an attorney.
4. GREENBURGH, NY, 6/12/14: Police are investigating a report that a bullet fragment from the Westchester County Police Revolver and Rifle League may have struck a woman standing in the back yard of a Birch Hill Road home. The woman, who lives on Ardsley Chase but was at a Birch Hill Road residence, reported that about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, a flat circular object struck her leg, scratching it, police said. Members of the Ardsley Volunteer Ambulance Corp. treated her injuries at the scene, officials said. The woman told police she believed the object was a bullet fragment that originated from the league's nearby shooting range at 693 Ardsley Road, police said. Greenburgh police are investigating the incident and have sent the fragment to a ballistics lab for testing. Operators of the league, a not-for-profit organization not affiliated with police, have agreed to suspend firearm operations until the investigation is completed, officials said.
5. AUSTIN, TX, 6/22/14: Two teenagers are charged in the shooting death of their 17-year-old friend. Patrick D. Molina, 18, is charged with manslaughter, accused of accidentally shooting Justice Presto in the neck with a stolen gun. Molina and 18-year-old Kent Haley are both charged with tampering with evidence. Police say the two moved the body, and are accused of dumping Presto’s body in the middle of the road in the 4500 block of Lareina Drive in Southwest Austin on June 22 about 10:30 PM. Police say the shooting occurred inside an apartment near William Cannon Drive and South 1st Street. When officers arrived on scene, they followed a trail of blood to the apartment, where they say they could see someone had tried to clean up a great deal of blood. Police are still piecing together exactly what happened. But they believe Molina is responsible for stealing a gun, ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and a baton out of a University of Texas police officer’s personal car in Pflugerville. Investigators believe the theft occurred two days before the shooting. The court documents say the teens were using a knife to try to penetrate the bulletproof vest on the night of June 22. When that did not work, the document says Molina got the gun and may have been attempting to unload it when it fired, hitting Presto in the neck. Other teens were allegedly in the apartment when this happened, but no one else has come forward. At that point, police believe Molina dragged Presto’s body out of the apartment, down the stairwell, leaving a trail of blood. A neighbor is quoted in the report as seeing Molina as the one dragging the body to a car in the parking lot. Later, a 911 call, believed to have been made by Molina, led detectives to the location of Presto’s body on Lareina Drive.
6. SWEETWATER, FL, 6/29/14: A Sweetwater police officer shot himself in the leg Sunday while attempting to catch robbery suspects. Police were notified by a Dolphin Mall security guard of four robbery suspects who ran outside of the mall after one of them attacked the guard. The security guard was attempting to stop the men from shoplifting at the Burlington Coat Factory located inside the mall. Police began a chase with the suspects after they fled the mall. One of the officers was attempting to holster his gun when it went off, striking his right leg. The officer was taken to Kendall Regional Hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. He was later released. One man, Darius Brown, 18, was arrested. He is charged with robbery, felony theft and resisting without violence. Police are searching for the other three men.
7. DONORA, PA, 6/29/14: A shotgun discharged early Sunday while a Donora man was attempting to unload it, spraying four people on his front porch with birdshot, borough police said. Three of the four victims were treated at Mon Valley Hospital for what police described as non-life-threatening injuries. Police did not identify the victims in court records filed in the arrest of Daniel K. Clark, the man accused of accidentally firing the 12-gauge shotgun. Clark, 26, allegedly was drunk while handling the weapon outside his residence about 12:50 AM. Police initially were summoned there for a report of a woman who was shot in the leg. Clark was charged with four counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count each of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct involving a hazardous offense. He was placed in Washington County Jail on $25,000 bond set Sunday morning by District Judge Larry Hopkins, and released later that afternoon after posting his bond.
8. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 6/29/14: A man accused of robbing a local convenience store Saturday was arrested early Monday morning after a brief standoff. Police and SWAT members swarmed King Street near Old Colorado City as they closed in on the suspect, identified as Ramon Dominguez, 29. Neighbors tell 11 News they woke up to the sound of flash bangs and the smell of tear gas as authorities persuaded Dominguez to surrender. The robbery happened shortly before 12:30 AM Sunday at the Kum and Go located near I-25 and W. Fillmore St. in Colorado Springs. Dominguez reportedly had a gun and demanded cash from the clerk. The clerk told police as the suspect left, he thought he heard a shot. At the time police didn't find any evidence of the shot, but Monday morning they said Dominguez did accidentally fire the gun and injured himself. Police dogs searched the area Saturday, but didn't find Dominguez. They did not specify what lead them to King Street Monday morning.
9. HARKER HEIGHTS, TX, 6/29/14: Police are currently investigating an accidental discharge of a firearm that left one person dead. Harker Heights police responded to a call of shots fired at 5:39 p.m. June 29 in the 400 block of Clore Road. Sgt. Roosevelt Wilson Jr., spokesperson for the Harker Heights Police Department, said when police arrived on the scene, a man was found inside the residence with a gunshot wound to his upper torso. The man was transported by ambulance to the Scott & White in Temple, where he later died from his injuries. The incident is currently under investigation and no names are being released are being release at this time.
10. GREEN TOWNSHIP, OH, 6/30/14: Officers responded to a shooting Monday afternoon in Green Township. It happened shortly after 2 PM in the 5500 block of Marie Avenue. The victim was a 13-year-old teenage boy. He was transported to the hospital from the scene but died. A family friend told Local 12 News a young man went into the home with the 13-year-old and had a gun. The step-mother of the boy told Local 12 she thought they were playing with the gun when the 13-year-old shot himself. She gave the boy CPR until paramedics arrived. UPDATE: Police say the teenager shot Hawken Hemmerle, 13, in the head as the two played with a loaded .357 revolver he brought to Hemmerle's house shortly after 2 PM Monday. Green Township police say the teen suspect, who is not identified because he is a juvenile, took the revolver from the apartment of another friend's grandfather. The theft occurred on Sunday night when the teen stayed at the home located on Herme Road , according to a Green Township police report. The grandfather told police he kept the Taurus .357 magnum revolver under his mattress. It wasn't until he heard reports of Hawken's shooting that the 67-year-old man thought to look for the gun and realized it was missing.
11. NORTH CHARLESTON, SC, 6/30/14: North Charleston Police say a teenager accidentally shot himself in the leg in an incident on Big Ben Court. Officers responded to the area of Big Ben Court on a report of a shooting, according to North Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor. Once on scene, officers determined a 15-year-old victim had a self-inflicted wound to the leg, Pryor said. Police say the victim is being treated for a non-life threatening injury. The weapon was located and the accidental shooting remains under investigation, Pryor said.
12. NASHVILLE, TN, 6/30/14: A man playing with his gun accidentally shot himself early Monday morning in Nashville. It happened before 6 AM near the intersection of Delta Avenue and Cheatham Place off Rosa L. Parks Boulevard. The victim was shot in the arm and is expected to recover. No charges were filed. Police recovered the pistol.
13. BUFFALO, TX, exact date unknown: Officer Mouton to Buffalo EMS station for accidental shooting. Upon arrival, officer found Leon County resident had accidentally shot himself while loading a handgun. Officer took report then subject was transported to Bryan for treatment of non-life threatening injury.
14. HARVARD, IL, 7/01/14: A 15-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the abdomen this morning by his younger brother in a home near Harvard, authorities said. The brothers found an unsecured .22 caliber rifle and were playing with it, thinking it was unloaded, according to a news release from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department. A 12-year-old boy pulled the trigger, shooting his brother in the abdomen, according to the release. The teen was listed in stable condition at Rockford Memorial Hospital, where he was undergoing surgery, the release said. McHenry County sheriff's officers responded to the home on the 9700 block of Wright Road at about 11 AM. The brothers had been staying there with adults while their parents were out of town, authorities said. The parents of the juveniles have been notified. There were adults in the home, but they were not near the boys at the time of the incident, Lt. James Popovits said. He said there is no indication that the gun was illegal and described it as “an unfortunate accident.” Authorities continue to investigate, the sheriff’s office said. No charges have been filed.
15. WISE CO., TX, 7/01/14: Deputies with the Wise County Sheriff's Office are investigating an apparent accidental shooting where a 13-year-old was shot in the abdomen Tuesday afternoon. Capt. Wes Wallace with the Wise County Sheriff's Office said four juveniles found a snake outside of a home on New Hope Road. Police said two of the boys then went inside the home to get a gun to shoot the snake. As the .22-caliber rifle was being removed from the gun case, the butt struck the wall causing the gun to fire. One of the boys standing in front of the weapon was shot in the stomach. The boy was flown to Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth in critical condition. His current condition is not known. No one else was injured.
16. URBANA, IL, 7/01/14: Police are investigating what they describe as an “accidental gunshot wound to the head” in east Urbana. Police received a report of a gun firing in the 800 block of Hawthorne Drive about 9:50 PM Wednesday [sic]. There was no information available on the condition of the person who had been shot. UPDATE: A 15-year-old Urbana teen accused of shooting his 8-year-old nephew in the head was released from detention Wednesday afternoon. Judge Harry Clem allowed the teen to return to the home of his mother, where hours earlier the teen told police a backpack fell from a table, causing a modified flare gun to accidentally discharge and hit the child. Urbana police Sgt. Dan Morgan said the shooting happened at the teen’s home in the 800 block of Hawthorne Drive about 9:50 PM. Officers found the boy with an obvious head wound. A great-aunt to the child told The News-Gazette after her other nephew’s detention hearing that the child is in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Carle Foundation Hospital, doing “way better than they expected.” She said doctors told the family they believe they removed all the skull fragments from his brain and that he was resting. It was too early to tell if he will make a full recovery. Morgan said the 15-year-old told police he knocked a backpack off a table, there was a loud sound, and then saw the younger boy hurt. After talking to the teen and finding inconsistencies between what he told them and what they saw in the home, police decided to arrest him. The backpack that had the flare gun, modified to fire a .410 gauge shotgun shell, was not damaged. There was also a Mason jar containing cannabis flakes and plastic bags in the bag.  In the same room, described as a storage area, police found a loaded Glock gun in a box without a lid. Scales with cannabis flakes were found in the teen's room, Rietz said.
17. LADY'S ISLAND, SC, 7/01/14: A Lady's Island man was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a stolen gun after a fight with his girlfriend Tuesday, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report. Malcolm Anthony Moore, 21, is accused of choking his live-in girlfriend, who then grabbed his gun to "scare him off." The gun accidentally fired, according to Sgt. Robin McIntosh. No one was injured. While being transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center, Moore said he was a "free man," knew his constitutional rights, and that his "people" were here before Columbus arrived in 1492, the report said.
18. TONOPAH, AZ, 7/02/14: A 9-year-old boy was fighting for his life Wednesday morning after he was struck by a ricocheted bullet while hunting in Tonopah. The boy suffered the wound in the desert near 368th Avenue just south of Buckeye Road, Maricopa County sheriff's Deputy Joaquin Enriquez said. The boy was hunting with four other people when he was struck in the upper body by the ricochet from a bullet fired by someone in the hunting party, Enriquez said. The shooting happened about two miles from the house at which the 911 call was made, Enriquez said. He was flown to Phoenix Children's Hospital with life-threatening injuries, the spokesman said. UPDATE: Authorities say a 9-year-old Tonopah boy has died after being wounded by what was described as a ricochet bullet as a group of family and friends were shooting in the desert. Maricopa County Sheriff's Officer Chris Hegstrom says the boy died Thursday at a Phoenix hospital.
19. DUBLIN, OH, 7/02/14: An 18-year Columbus Police Officer drove himself to the hospital after accidentally shooting himself Wednesday morning. Police say the officer was struck in the leg by a bullet around 6 AM in northwest Columbus, near I-270 and 33. “He was on his way to work, was in  uniform and the way our duty belts fit, if you have a car with leather seats, you won't want to wear the duty belt while driving - because it will really mark up your vehicle. So a lot of officers will just take the belt off and put it on the seat or the floor,” said Sgt. Rich Weiner of the Columbus Police Department. Weiner adds that the weapon – a Smith & Wesson MP40 - did not have a safety. The incident is being called an “accidental discharge.” Since the shooting occurred in Dublin jurisdiction, Dublin Police will be investigating whether the officer was within policy. If the investigation finds the officer was not within policy, he may face disciplinary action. Details of what the man was doing at the time that caused the gun to discharge while driving have not been released.
20. KANSAS CITY, MO, 7/02/14: An off-duty Kansas City police officer suffered a slight foot wound Wednesday when his service weapon inadvertently discharged. Kansas City police said the officer had stopped by a credit union in the 8500 block of Bannister Road and was visiting outside with another officer when the accident occurred. The injury was described as a graze wound and did not require a trip to the emergency room. No one else was injured.
21. MIAMI, FL, 7/02/14: Police are investigating after a teenager shot another teen, Wednesday afternoon. City of Miami Police and Fire Rescue units responded to the area of 43rd Street and Northwest Second Avenue in Miami, at around 5 PM. According to police, 15-year-old Ronniesha Hart was shot by a teen male, believed to be 14 to 15 years of age. He is currently in custody. Police said they only have one person in custody at this time and continue to interview witnesses. According to witnesses, the suspect was waving the gun around saying, "Don't worry, it's on safety." Neighbors said the teens were playing in the front yard, and they believe the female was accidentally shot. According to witness Darlene Durant, the teen was alert and talking. "I just heard the shots. That's it, and I heard the little girl started to cry, say her sister got shot, and that is when I went over there, and she got shot right in the back," said Durant. "She's OK. She went to he hospital, and she was talking and walking around." Hart was transported to the hospital and is listed in stable condition. Police continue to investigate. Officers and detectives were last seen searching a sewer for the weapon.
22. LIVINGSTON, CA, 7/02/14: A 9-year-old boy is being treated for a gunshot wound and deputies say his brother pulled the trigger. It happened in a Livingston neighborhood near Atwater Jordan Road and Robin Avenue just after 5:30 Wednesday evening. Merced deputies say the 9-year-old boy was shot in the right side of his face and he is being treated at a Sacramento area hospital. Deputies say the nine-year-old child and his 14-year-old brother were shooting pigeons on Wednesday with their dad nearby. Later that evening they were in a shop on the property of Victor Produce when detectives say the older brother accidentally fired the loaded shotgun. Captain BJ Jones with the Merced County Sheriff's Office said, "The 14 year old told detectives he had his finger on the trigger and he didn't see his brother originally but he knew he was walking nearby. He heard his brother crying and then he saw he had an injury to his right side of the face." The teenager told his father who then called 9-1-1.
23. BECKER CO., ND, 7/03/14: The Becker County Sheriff's Office says a 70-year-old man is dead following an accidental shooting near Floyd Lake. It happened around 9:30 Thursday night. The victim has been identified as Arthur Martel of Bismarck, North Dakota. The sheriff's office says Martel was examining a loaded 38 special handgun and while he was handing the gun back to its owner, it discharged, hitting him in the chest. When officers arrived, they tried performing CPR on Martel. He was pronounced dead at Essentia St. Mary's in Detroit Lakes. The sheriff's office says the incident remains under investigation.
24. DALLAS, TX, 7/03/14: Police are investigating what may have been an accidental shooting Thursday night that left one man dead in East Dallas. According to Dallas Police, officers arrived at an apartment complex late last night where a man had been shot with a sawed-off shot gun. Investigators say that the shooter was s 16-year-old boy, who told officers that he did not know that the gun was loaded. The man who was shot was taken to the hospital, where he died. The teenager has been taken to the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center on a charge of criminally negligent homicide. Also arrested was 19-year old Enrique “Rico” Hernandez. Hernandez was charged with making a firearm accessible to a child after he admitted to detectives that the gun belonged to him and that he left it in an unsecured location.
25. MIDFIELD, AL, 7/03/14: It's a heart-breaking July 4th for a Midfield family. An 11 year old is dead after what his family says was an accidental shooting. 11 year old Christian Jones was playing at a neighbors house when somehow the two boys found a gun.  It went off and hit christian in the eye. He died the next day.
26. SARASOTA, FL, 7/03/14: A Sarasota man who fired a bullet through his apartment wall and into his neighbor’s home was arrested by Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies Thursday night, according to an agency news release. The deputies responded to the apartment, in the 1200 block of Hidden Circle East, shortly after 11 PM. They recovered a bullet from the wall of the victim’s apartment and also found evidence that a round had been fired through the suspect’s apartment wall. The suspect was taken into custody. The victim suffered minor injuries when he was hit by debris from the bullet.
27. LINCOLN, NE, 7/04/14: A 12-year-old is recovering this morning after being shot at a house party Friday night. Lincoln police were called to the 2300 block of South 35th Street after reports of a shooting. Captain Genelle Moore tells 10/11 that a man had gone to a party with friends and brought a gun along with the intentions of selling it to someone at the party. Moore said several witnesses confirmed when the man pulled the gun out of his pocket he accidentally dropped it. The firearm then when off when it hit the ground. The girl was standing nearby and was hit in the shoulder. Lincoln Fire and Rescue took the child to the hospital, her injuries are not considered life threatening. Police then cited the man for unlawful discharge of a weapon. MORE: Ronald Marsh, 42, 2201 S. 37th St., was at a party with 10 to 12 other people at a house at 2348 S. 35th St. around 10:40 p.m. when his .380-caliber handgun fell out of his shorts pocket, Lincoln Police Capt. Jim Davidsaver said.
28. SALT LAKE CITY, UT, 7/04/14: A woman is recovering in the hospital after being shot by her boyfriend while he was cleaning his gun. Salt Lake police responded to a call of an accidental shooting at 500 N. West Capitol in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on Friday. Investigators said a woman had been shot in the leg by a man identified as her boyfriend. The man claimed to have removed the magazine of his Glock 22 .40-caliber handgun to clean it but failed to unload the chamber when the weapon discharged, striking the woman in the lower thigh. The 19-year old victim was taken to University Hospital in stable condition. The male, also 19 years old, had no prior criminal record. Officers said drugs were found at the home but declined to specify what kind. Authorities said various charges are under consideration pending further investigation. No other injuries were reported.
29. CHICAGO, IL, 7/04/14: Just before 10 PM, a 26-year-old man shot himself in the leg in the 700 block of North Christiana Avenue in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. The man was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
30. CHICAGO, IL, 7/04/14: A man who was celebrating the Fourth of July with friends was injured by a falling bullet, police said. The 40-year-old was outside in the 5000 block of North Kildare Avenue about 9:15 PM when he felt pain on his head, police said. The man was struck by a falling bullet and taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston where he received stitches and was released, police said.
31. CHARLOTTE, NC, 7/04/14: Charlotte Mecklenburg police are searching for the person who shot off that gun in Northeast Charlotte. The victim was celebrating the opening of a Buddhist temple when he was hit by a stray bullet on Owen Boulevard near North Tryon Street. "I honestly don’t' know what to say, I'm just confused," said the victim's 17-year old son Randy Yam. His father was still in the hospital Saturday after that stray bullet fell out of the sky and hit him in the head Friday night. At the time, he and his family were in a tent at this cultural festival selling food. "We heard a pop and turned around and my dad was frozen." His dad, Brandon Yam, fell over. They called 911 and emergency workers rushed him to the hospital.  Police believe someone in the surrounding area shot off a gun, possibly celebrating the Fourth of July sending that bullet into the tent. "Why would you shoot a gun in the middle of nowhere without thinking that it might land and hit someone?" Randy said his father can't move on one side of his body and doctors still haven't removed that bullet from his head. "Then they tell me they can't remove it, because if they do he'll become paralyzed," said Yam.
32. HIGH RIDGE, MO, 7/04/14: A woman was shot in the face by a stray bullet while celebrating Independence Day after someone fired a gun into the air in High Ridge. “I just felt this baseball bat type thing hit me in the face,” said Jan Brewer. Brewer says she was celebrating with her husband when she was hit in the face with what she thought at the time were fireworks. It wasn’t until she went to a local hospital where X-rays confirmed a bullet was in her cheek. “I have nothing against people owning guns. That’s their right,” said Brewer. “It’s the responsibility they should take when they own a gun. That’s my biggest concern. Once you own a gun, you should take responsibility to do the right thing.” According to Brewer and her husband, no one in the area was using any guns. They think the bullet likely came from far off where it was possibly shot in the air to celebrate the Fourth of July.
33. OAKLAND, CA, 7/04/14: Multiple gunshots brought down power lines in East Oakland during Fourth of July festivities Friday night that killed one man and seriously injured another, a PG&E spokeswoman said. A preliminary investigation by PG&E found that "multiple bullets hit and damaged the power line" that came down in the 1900 block of 89th Avenue at about 11:35 PM Friday, PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said. Police found the lines down between two unresponsive men who were both taken to a hospital. Jermaine Tarver, 19, of Oakland was pronounced dead shortly afterward. Tresylian Redd, 23, of Oakland survived the shock, police said.
34. NOLENSVILLE, TN, 7/04/14: A man was shot in the leg Friday night in Nolensville. Police responded to a call about the shooting at 9:15 PM in the 2000 block of University Court. Authorities determined a weapon discharged into the air, ultimately striking the unidentified man in the upper calf. He was taken to Williamson County Medical Center where he was treated and released a short time later.
35. COLLEGE PARK, GA, 7/05/14: Clayton County police are investigating a shooting in College Park. Police on the scene told Channel 2 Action News two male cousins were handling a gun when it went off. One of the men died. The shooting happened inside of a bedroom at a house near the intersection of Denny Drive and Faith Cove. Police said the man who pulled the trigger was questioned. They said he was being cooperative in the investigation. No charges have been filed in the case. They are still investigating the shooting.
36. HOUSTON, TX, 7/05/14: Police say a 17-year-old has died after being accidentally shot at his Houston home while grabbing a gun from his friend. Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva tells the Houston Chronicle (http://bit.ly/... ) that Corbin George was shot Saturday night. She says he was taken to a hospital where he was briefly treated before being pronounced dead. Silva said George's friend brought the gun to the house "for safekeeping." She says, "George grabs the gun from the friend and gets accidentally shot." She said the case will go before a Harris County grand jury to determine whether the friend could face charges.
37. SLIDELL, LA, 7/05/14: St. Tammany Parish sheriff’s deputies were called to Slidell Memorial Hospital early Saturday to see a 16-year-old who had a gunshot wound to the hand. The youth told deputies that he had accidentally shot himself in the hand at a Slidell residence. However, deputies notified Slidell police, who were investigating a shooting at a Fremaux Avenue gas station, in case the two incidents were related. Slidell police confirmed Saturday that there had been a shooting at the EZ Pic’s gas pump shortly after midnight Saturday that stemmed from a disagreement.
38. CHICAGO, IL, 7/05/14: An accused gang member who told police he keeps a gun to protect himself from rivals accidentally shot and killed a member of his own gang while waving that weapon around outside a Southwest Side Walgreen store over the Fourth of July weekend, Cook County prosecutors said. Richard Magnan, who has numerous face tattoos, including one that reads, “F--- the world” and a White Sox logo, was friends with Joel Bentley — the man he shot in the early morning hours of July 5, Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Molesky said. Bentley was a member of the 2-6 street gang, Molesky said. Magnan is also a purported member of the same gang. Both men were at an Independence Day party before they and another friend walked to the Walgreen store parking lot, in the 6200 block of South Austin Avenue early Saturday, Molesky said. Once there, Magnan, of Evergreen Park, went to his truck, grabbed his gun and pointed it at the other two men, Molesky said. Magnan’s friends told him to put the gun away after he allegedly pulled the slide back and ejected a live round but he refused, Molesky said. Magnan continued to wave the gun around and held it sideways, Molesky said. At some point, the gun went off and a bullet struck 30-year-old Bentley in the abdomen, Molesky said. Bentley, of the 5000 block of South Keating Avenue, died hours later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Thu Jul 10, 2014 at 04:28 PM PDT.