Gun stupid hits the jackpot. The week America accidentally shot anything that moved. GunFAIL CLXIV
Seventeen of 64 guns discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country, during the week of 10/16-10/22/15.
Wow. The volume is really starting to pick up toward the end of the year. And it doesn't even look like hunting is really to blame this time, as I recorded just four hunting-related accidents. But there's no break in racking up numbers in the most popular kind of GunFAIL, that is, the accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound. I found twenty-three people who accidentally shot themselves between the 18th and the 24th of October. And by the way, October appears to have shattered all my previous records in that category, as I found 103 people who accidentally shot themselves in the course of the month.
In other common statistical categories, eleven minors were accidentally shot, eight accidental shootings resulted in fatalities, seven people cleaning and/or repairing still-loaded guns accidentally discharged them, killing one and wounding seven more. Five people were wounded by guns that discharged when they were dropped, which we are repeatedly assured "cannot happen with modern weapons." While I understand and appreciate the point, apparently there are still an awful lot of delicate antiques still in daily use. Or a lot of "responsible gun owners" who are in fact liars, when the chips are down. Neither explanation is particularly confidence-inspiring, to my mind.
Transition times with guns also continue to be a problem. In addition to the four dropped weapons, two people shot themselves while holstering their guns, two were shot with guns they had tucked in their pants. Two of our dropped guns accidentally escaped from pockets and/or purses on their way to the ground.
There are very nearly too many incredible, standout stories this week to even mention them all in special, above-the-fold callouts. So many, in fact, that there's hardly room for separate mention of not just another accidental shooting by a dog, but even this year's third accidental gunshot wound caused by a bullet that ricocheted off of an armadillo! There's the outrageous story of the Tombstone, Arizona, reenactment of the "Gunfight at the OK Corral" in which one participant bypassed the normal pre-show safety check (because he was late in arriving) and, golly-gee, that one time he did that he just happens to have accidentally loaded his show gun with live ammunition and shot a fellow re-enactor and grazed a spectator. There's the Texas woman who dropped her gun while rummaging through her purse for paperwork in a doctor's office, discharging it, sending a round through a wall of the office, and hitting another patient in the hip.
But even these ridiculous stories pale in comparison to the Missouri college student who accidentally fired a gun inside a dorm room, rupturing the pipes for the fire sprinkler system, flooding the building and triggering the sprinklers building-wide, causing extensive damage in every single room! Or the Kentucky woman who dreamedthat her home was being broken into, woke up, grabbed an gun, and fired a round through her wall and into her neighbor's house! Or the Arkansas hunter who accidentally shot a 10-year-old Pee Wee League football player, on the field, during a game!
Gun-toting America just seems to have been chock full of the stupid that week. But don't worry. I'm sure it wasn't "statistically significant" or anything.
FORT WAYNE, IN, 10/18/15: A juvenile is in good condition after being accidentally shot Sunday afternoon. Police were called to 2828 South Harrison Street around 3:30 AM for a reported shooting. According to police, a boy was accidentally shot, but was in good condition. Investigators have not said if the boy was handling the gun when it fired or if someone might have been cleaning the weapon. No other information was made available. The incident is under investigation.
TOMBSTONE, AZ, 10/18/15: A reenactment actor is being treated at a Tucson hospital Sunday night after he was accidentally shot by another actor in his upper thigh. It happened in front of the O.K. Corral around 2 PM Sunday. The shooting was a part of the stunt show at Helldorado Days. An investigation by the Tombstone Marshal's Office revealed the actor, Tom Carter, was late to the show and his weapon was not checked before the reenactment. He fired a live round during the gunfight and hit Ken Curtis, who is another actor. The show was immediately stopped to care for Curtis. He is undergoing surgery Sunday night to remove the bullet. Carter's weapon was checked after the incident. Investigators found that there was one live round in the cylinder with five expended casing, which indicates the gun had held six live round before the reenactment. They later learned, at least two live round hit businesses. One of them hit a woman standing in front of the Bird Cage Theater, which is almost 700 feet away from where the shooting happened.
KERN CO., CA, 10/18/15: An off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy accidentally discharged his non-department issued off-duty weapon, shooting another deputy in the leg while they were camping in a remote area of Kern County Sunday, authorities said. The wounded deputy was taken to a local hospital on Sunday morning, where he was being treated for “non-life threatening injuries,” according to an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department statement. Both deputies involved were from the department’s Palmdale Station. L.A. County Sheriff’s detectives from the Internal Affairs Bureau and the Homicide Bureau responded and are conducting a departmental investigation. The Kern County Sheriff’s Department will investigate all of the circumstances of the incident because it happened in its jurisdiction, the statement read. The names of the deputies involved were not immediately available, an L.A. County spokeswoman said.
TALLAHASSEE, FL, 10/18/15: A 17-year-old boy was arrested on concealed firearm and vehicle theft charges Sunday morning. He shot himself accidentally while stealing a car in the 500 block of Yeager Street, just south of the East Magnolia Drive and Meridian Street intersection, Tallahassee Police Department spokeswoman Rachelle Denmark said. Records show that two residential burglaries occurred about a block away within the last month. After the boy shot himself, he handed the keys to the stolen car to a friend and asked to be driven to the hospital. On the way, they were stopped by police officers at Miccosukee Road and Magnolia Drive. After receiving medical treatment, the boy was transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center. The statement did not include the boy's name, condition of his injuries or time of the theft. Denmark said more information will be provided Monday.
SOUTH SALT LAKE, UT, 10/18/15: A 24-year-old West Valley City man was in critical condition Monday after accidentally shooting himself in the pelvis — twice — during a botched South Salt Lake convenience store holdup. South Salt Lake police Sgt. Gary Keller said the suspect allegedly went into a Sinclair store at 3300 South and Main Street at 7:17 PM Sunday, approached the clerk and tried to pull a handgun out of his waistband, and that is when it all went wrong. "The gun discharged, twice, but the suspect was able to limp out of the store," Keller said. Police say the suspect's 34-year-old male accomplice, waiting outside, took the gun and attempted to hide it in nearby bushes, then tried to act like a curious bystander before leaving the scene. Witnesses saw through the act and told investigators what they saw. The suspect and his accomplice, also a West Valley City resident, went to their room at the nearby Intown Suites motel. Police and paramedics responded there after receiving a 911 call reporting a self-inflicted shooting incident. Neither of the men was cooperative, initially refusing to provide identities or answer questions. However, witness accounts, and discovery of the firearm in the bushes near the store, quickly cleared the narrative, Keller said. The suspect remained in the hospital on Monday, while his alleged accomplice was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of evidence tampering.
ANTIOCH, TN, 10/18/15: An Antioch man drove himself to Murfreesboro, then was taken to Saint Thomas Rutherford Medical Center for treatment after accidentally shooting himself. According to a police report provided to The Daily News Journal by the Murfreesboro Police Department, Dontillo Lamars Toliver, 21, of Anton Cove in Antioch, thought someone was in his yard around midnight Sunday, so he got his gun. When trying to put the weapon under the seat of his car, he accidentally shot himself in the arm and leg, he told officers.
EFFINGHAM, IL, 10/18/15: The weekend shooting death of teenager Kaylee N. Jacob was unintentional, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler said a juvenile court proceeding has been initiated for one of the two boys arrested after 16-year-old Jacob was shot Sunday evening in the 3200 block of South Banker Street. Kibler said he could not discuss specifics of a juvenile case, but noted that authorities were proceeding as if it stemmed from an unintentional shooting. "I can assure the people of Effingham County that this shooting was not done in cold blood," Kibler said. "There was no intent to kill or hurt anyone." Kibler would not comment on the possibility of trying the case in adult court, though he said Monday that a transfer was possible. "Everything is still under investigation," he said on Tuesday. Jacob, an Effingham High School junior, was pronounced dead at HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital early Sunday evening. Police had been called to the shooting scene at 6:15 PM. The gun involved in the shooting had been reported as stolen, police have said. Kibler praised Effingham city police for a diligent investigation. "The city police have done a phenomenal job with this investigation," he said.
LOUISVILLE, KY, 10/18/15: A person suffered minor injuries after a shooting during the Car Show and Swap at the fairgrounds Sunday. A vendor told WAVE 3 News a person's gun fell out of their pocket and shot their friend during the event in the West Wing of the Kentucky Expo Center. According to Louisville Metro police, the victim suffered non-life threatening injuries. An injured persons report was taken. No charges have been filed.
LEBANON, OR, 10/18/15: Accidental shooting — 2:47 PM Sunday, 31900 block B Street, Lebanon. A male arrived at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis with a gunshot wound to his hand. The 56-year-old said he should himself in the left ring finger accidentally. He was done cleaning the firearm and when he went to put it back in the holster, the snap got caught in the trigger guard, causing the discharge.
CHAMPAIGN, IL, 10/19/15 [NEW]: Prosecutors have added murder to the list of charges against an Urbana teen already jailed in connection with a gunfire exchange in north Champaign last month that left one man dead and a second injured. Police and prosecutors believe that on Oct. 19, Kyjuan K. Dorsey, 19, accidentally shot his own friend and fellow gang member, Jeremy O’Neal, 18, as the two of them were passengers in a car and were allegedly taking aim at rival gang members. Assistant State’s Attorney Lindsey Clark, who has been working closely with Champaign police detectives, said Dorsey is the only one believed to have fired a weapon even though police found a second gun in the car that belonged to Mr. O’Neal. Dorsey allegedly hit Mr. O’Neal in the back of the head as he aimed at others outside. Dorsey was charged last week with aggravated battery of a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm for allegedly shooting Marquise Burnett, 19, of Urbana, in the leg. Clark said Burnett was among a group of rival gang members who were outside a home in the 600 block of West Beardsley Avenue about 5:30 PM on Oct. 19 when a car came by and shots were fired at the people outside. People who were on the porch and in the yard also fired, Clark said, and within seconds, the car driver, who has not been criminally charged, crashed the Mercury Marquis head-on into another car in that same block. The occupants of the car and the people on the porch scattered but police learned that those on the porch were members of the “Roc Block” gang, which formed after the July 2014 shooting death of Rakim Vineyard, 22, on North Sixth Street. They are Vineyard allies. Clark said police determined that the car driver, Dorsey, and Mr. O’Neal belonged to the “Norff Bangers,” an anti-Vineyard coalition. However, the driver denied knowing anything about plans to shoot toward the group of Roc Block members, Clark said. “I don’t know who fired first. It seems like a quick shootout, a car crash, and everybody flees,” Clark said. Police sent several items of evidence to the state crime lab for analysis, including two guns — a 9 mm Ruger and a .45 caliber Taurus handgun. In the meantime, Clark said an examination of the car suggests the shots came from Dorsey. “Based on the fact that there were only 9 mm casings in the car and the angle of the fatal shot, it had to have come from the back seat,” she said. The first-degree murder charge added against Dorsey alleges that while he was committing a forcible felony — namely, shooting in the direction of Burnett — he killed Mr. O’Neal. If convicted of that count, he faces 20 to 60 years in prison.
BEAUMONT, TX, 10/19/15: Police are investigating an apparent accidental shooting Monday morning at the CHRISTUS Outpatient Pavilion located in the 700 block of 11th Street. A witness told KVUE’s news partner KBMT that a woman was in the waiting room of a medical office. When she reached into her purse to pull out some paperwork, a gun fell out of her purse causing it to discharge. The round went through a wall and hit another patient in the hip. "Everyone was sitting in the waiting room and there was a gun shot. A woman dropped her purse down on the counter and it shot through the wall and shot another lady," said Bobby Pressley, who was in the waiting room when the shooting occurred. A spokesperson for the Beaumont Police Department told KBMT that the injuries of the person that was shot are not considered life threatening. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment.
DONNA, TX, 10/19/15: Donna police are investigating a shooting at La Plazita Park near 493 and Business 83. One man died in the accidental shooting. A nearby hospital called police, after a 52-year-old came in to the emergency room with a gunshot wound to the torso. Hospital staff was able to identify the man. Police went to investigate the man’s residence and found a rifle in his truck. They said there is evidence that the rifle accidentally discharged when the man was removing it from his vehicle. The identity of the man has not been released. Donna police are calling this incident a homicide until they have finished their investigation.
SECURITY-WIDEFIELD, CO, 10/19/15: The El Paso County Sheriff's Office is investigating a shooting on Goldfield Road near Grinnell Street and Fontaine Blvd. southeast of Security-Widefield. Investigators at the scene say a man and woman were inside a car that hit a tree. The vehicle's on-board system called dispatchers. When emergency crews arrived, they found the man had been shot. Investigators say his injuries are not life threatening. According to deputies, the man had been driving under the influence of prescription drugs when he hit the tree. As he was getting out of the car, a gun tucked into his shorts accidentally went off and he was shot in the leg. The man faces charges of DUI, Prohibited Use of a Weapon and False Reporting.
RHINE, GA, 10/19/15: A Dodge County toddler was airlifted to a Macon hospital Monday after the sheriff's office says she accidentally shot herself in the leg. Sheriff Lynn Sheffield tells 41NBC the three-year-old girl's injury is non-life threatening. According to the sheriff, the child's mother was in the bedroom and the toddler was in another room playing at a home in Rhine. The mother was moving a television on a chested drawer and the gun was on the furniture. Sheffield says the mother moved the weapon to the bed. She went back to moving the television and then heard the gun go off. Sheffield says the toddler crawled onto the bed and accidentally fired the gun into her right leg. Sheffield calls this a “horrible accident.” He is not releasing the name of the victim or her parents. The sheriff confirms the child is the toddler of one of his deputies. The father was not home at the time of the accident. Sheffield adds it was a personal gun, not his service weapon. Sheffield tells 41NBC he's not anticipating filing any charges.
STOCKTON, CA, 10/19/15: A man died after accidentally shooting himself in the face in his Stockton garage as his mother watched, police said. The 20-year-old was working with his mother on a partially disassembled .22-caliber firearm about 5:30 PM Monday in their garage in the 3300 block of Zamora Way, according to Stockton police. The gun discharged, hitting the son in the face. The man was taken to a hospital where he died as a result of the gunshot wound, officers said. His identity has not been released.
ELYRIA, OH, 10/19/15: Police were called to a home for an accidental shooting around 3 PM Monday after a homeowner with a concealed carry permit shot herself in the leg. Elyria Police Lt. William Pelko said Nicole Gillette, of the 500 block of Baldwin Street, was putting a 9 mm handgun back into a safe when she dropped it. Gillette tried grabbing the gun before it hit the ground and it fired and a bullet grazed her calf, Pelko said. Gillette’s toddler daughter was at home when the accident occurred, Pelko said, but she wasn’t harmed. Gillette, who was fully alert and conscious following the accident, was transported by LifeCare to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center. Pelko said Gillette wasn’t seriously injured and she and her daughter are lucky something worse didn’t happen. “She was out running some errands and came home,” Pelko said. “She has a CCW permit and was putting the gun in the safe because she has kids there. Somehow it fell out of her hand and fired. Thank goodness that’s all that happened.” Pelko said although a report hasn’t been finalized, firearms or child endangerment charges won’t likely be filed against Gillette.
BASSETT, WI, 10/19/15: A 73-year-old Bassett woman was taken by Flight for Life to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa Monday night after she was accidentally shot. According to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department, her 78-year-old husband accidentally shot her while cleaning a revolver. The bullet passed through a wall before striking the woman. Her condition was not known.
CHINA GROVE, NC, 10/19/15: A man reported Monday that a handgun was accidentally discharged at the 100 block of Johnson Farm Road, China Grove.
LEHIGH ACRES, FL, 10/19/15: Yelling and screaming, a frantic search for car keys and then a car speeding away is what one Lehigh Acres resident said was the situation Monday afternoon at a home on South Alabama Road where a two-year-old was apparently accidentally shot. The Lee County Sheriff's Office is investigating a shooting that occurred at approximately 5:30 PM Monday at 554 Alabama Road, Lehigh Acres. A two-year old child was shot and was transported to Tampa Regional Hospital. Further in formation was not available from the sheriff's office due to the ongoing investigation. The shooting appears to be accidental. Robin Sanchez lives across Alabama Road on Pullman Street from the home where the shooting took place. She said the duplex residence had been empty until early in the summer when both sides of the home became occupied. "There is lots of loud yelling, a lot of activity, during the day," she said. Sanchez said she heard a commotion Monday around 5 PM including screaming and yelling and when she looked she saw a man yelling about keys and a woman holding what looked like a bundle. She said the man and woman seemed frantic until he told the woman to get in the car and they sped off. She said shortly thereafter her daughter told her that there were a lot of sheriff's cars at the home. Sanchez said the area is "usually" fairly quiet. 'We've had no problems out here," she said.
NICEVILLE, FL, 10/20/15: A paramedic from Eglin Air Force Base called for help Oct. 20 after his roommate accidentally shot himself in the hand while cleaning his gun. The roommate came out of the bedroom and ran to the bathroom, according to his Niceville Police Department call history record. A friend drove him to the hospital. The paramedic reported that it was just a small hole in his friend's hand. The officer took photos of the room and found the bullet lodged inside a wall.
LEXINGTON, KY, 10/20/15: Lexington Police arrested a woman after they say she fired shots after having a nightmare. The incident happened on Ashton Drive Tuesday morning. According to police, Marionisha White was having a nightmare and thought an intruder was inside of her home. White told detectives she accidentally fired her gun. No one was injured but police say that bullets fired from White's gun struck a neighbor's house. A woman and three children were inside the home. They were not hurt. White has been charged with wanton endangerment.
LOGAN, UT, 10/20/15: Several schools were put on lockdown Tuesday morning before police arrested a man who allegedly shot and wounded himself, officials said. Early Tuesday morning, a woman told police the man, Jose Almaguer, hadn't returned her car after he borrowed it Monday. The two had gotten into an argument early Tuesday morning, and he drove off in her car after she demanded it back, according to Captain Curtis Hooley with the Logan City Police Department. Police in the area searched for him, and an officer found the car on Main Street in Logan and made contact with Almaguer. Almaguer denied he had been told to return the car, but police escorted him back to the woman's residence near 290 West 1400 North. Police had no further information to detain him, so Almaguer left the area. Police searched the woman's car upon her request and found a bag of controlled substance. She told police Almaguer kept a .22 pistol in her garage, but it was missing and she believed he had it. Police tried to locate Almaguer again, but couldn't find him. Around 9 AM, the woman told police Almaguer came to her house and told her he shot himself in the arm. She said he was bleeding from his arm and head and he then allegedly fled east on 1400 North. Police set up a perimeter to try and locate the male. Police sent out a reverse 911 to residents with a description of Almaguer and the schools went on lockdown. Lockdowns were later lifted. About an hour into the search, an area resident told police a man who matched Almaguer's description had knocked on his door. Almaguer was believed to be in the man's backyard. Police then arrested him. Almaguer has a wound on his right wrist that is consistent with a small caliber gunshot wound. He was transported to Logan Regional Hospital for treatment, Logan police said. Hoodley said they are seeing more gun-type calls in Logan, but it doesn't happen very often and they "try to mitigate those circumstances and make sure our citizens are safe." "Well, when we have a gun call like this we certainly respond with a lot of officers just to try to get the situation taken care of as quickly as possible...that's one of the ways that we try to deal with it when we have a call such as this." This case is still under investigation. Police believe he did shoot himself, but he isn't being cooperative. Investigators are trying to determine how he was wounded, the connection with the drugs in the car, and if he was legally in possession of a firearm.
LAKEWOOD, WA, 10/20/15: Authorities are investigating after a 13-year-old boy was shot in the face Tuesday while trespassing on Joint Base Lewis-McChord property with two other teens. Police said one of the boys had a firearm and it went off. It was not immediately clear who fired the shot or shots. “It's still early but we think it was just an accident,” said Lakewood police Lt. John Unfred. “It was teenagers, probably not a lot of experience with guns.” Police said the teens snuck onto JBLM through a hole in the fence near 150th Street SW and Woodbrook Drive SW around 2 PM Tuesday. Thomas Barham said the hole has been there for 15 years. “My own daughter and my son, they’ve been out there,” he said. Barham said the fence doesn’t lead directly onto the base, but a wooded area owned by JBLM. “It's a nice area, the children have used it as a park for years.” Q13 Fox News reached out to JBLM to ask if it was aware of the hole in the fence. But the base has not responded to our questions. So we asked police about the land. “It's undeveloped through there, there's no buildings or roads in that general area. I suppose over time people have cut holes in it and accessed it,” Unfred said. The 13-year-old wounded boy was transported to a Tacoma hospital where he was listed in serious condition. Lakewood police were conducting the investigation with the FBI. The wounded teen's 14-year-old brother and another 17-year-old boy were both detained and questioned about the shooting. Police said the exact circumstances of the incident were still under investigation. They said some evidence was recovered in Lakewood. UPDATE: A 13-year-old boy who was shot in the face last week while trespassing with two other juveniles at Joint Base Lewis-McChord has died of his injuries. The young teen was identified by his family as Alexander Demello.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 10/20/15: A visit to a neighborhood park turned terrifying when a 2-year-old boy found a real gun by the playground. It happened in a quiet neighborhood in northeast Colorado Springs near Marksheffel and Barnes. "My son picked up a .22 caliber handgun and pointed it at me and said, 'Look mama, I shoot you,'" the mother said. She asked not to be identified. She said the whole thing was a shock. "My coffee dropped, my cup broke. The first thing was to get it out of his hands," she said. She brought it inside her home and called 911. Police say she did the right thing. "Being that there is a good chance that another child could have found the firearm, it's an excellent idea that the parent picked the gun up and secured it so that it was safe," said Lt. Catherine Buckley with the Colorado Springs Police Department. Police said that gun is one of more than a dozen guns that were stolen out of a Rockey's Moving and Storage unit less than 10 miles away. "At that age they're curious, so if there was something in it, that could have been fatal for me, him or anyone around us," the boy's mother said. CSPD said this is the only gun they have found so far connected to those stolen from the storage unit. If you know anything about this case, contact police right away.
FERGUSON, MO, 10/21/15: School officials say a student found a loaded gun on an elementary school playground in Ferguson. According to officials, the student found the weapon Wednesday morning in some mulch at Griffith Elementary School, but did not touch it. A letter sent home to students says the student told a teacher, who cleared students from the area and informed the principal. The district superintendent, district security and Ferguson police looked over the area to make sure it was secure. According to school principal Sean Joyce, officials believe the incident was a result of community use of the grounds after school hours. Joyce says they do not believe any students are involved in the incident.
NEW DENMARK, WI, 10/21/15: A man accidentally shot his friend in stomach Wednesday night at a residence in rural southern Brown County, sheriff's officials said. The shooting occurred in the 5700 block of Cooperstown Road, south of the village of Denmark near the Brown-Manitowoc county line. The wounded person was rushed to an area hospital. Investigators who responded to the scene believe the shooting likely was accidental, according to Brown County Sheriff John Gossage.
JACKSON, NJ, 10/21/15: A 25-year-old township resident shot himself in the leg as he was preparing to clean his handgun, police said. Officers responded at around 2:45 PM to Johnson Lane for a report of a male who had shot himself, police said. The officers found a 25-year-old man, whose identity was not released, who had suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. Police said the man shot himself as he was preparing to clean his handgun. Police determined the shooting was accidental and that the firearm was legally owned. The man was treated at the scene and then taken to an area hospital for non-life threatening injuries, police said. Officers Kevin Chesney, William Campbell, William Simon, Sgt. Rich Bosley, Capt. Steve Laskiewicz and Detective Robert Reiff responded to the scene.
LEWISTON, ID, 10/21/15: Lewiston, Idaho, police say a gun accidentally fired in the department's basement at the end of a training session for the force's SWAT team, injuring the hands of two of the officers. The Lewiston Tribune reports ( http://bit.ly/... ) the weapon fired Wednesday afternoon, and it's unclear if it happened while the gun was being cleaned or while bullets were being removed from its chamber. Police Chief Chris Ankeny says the injuries appear to be minor. The department has initiated an internal investigation. MORE: An internal investigation is underway after two Lewiston Police officers were hurt when a duty-weapon accidentally went off. Investigators say the officers just finished a training event. One of them was cleaning his duty weapon, and that’s when the gun discharged. They were taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center for minor injuries to their hands.
NASHVILLE, TN, 10/21/15: Police said a man showed up to the hospital claiming he had been hit by a stray bullet. The incident allegedly happened on South 6th Street just before 11 PM Wednesday. Authorities said the man eventually confessed he had accidentally shot himself with a friend’s gun. Officers said the man was expected to be okay.
MARIETTA, TX, 10/21/15: An East Texas man was wounded after he fired a gun at an armadillo in his yard and the bullet ricocheted back to hit him in his face, the county sheriff said. Cass County Sheriff Larry Rowe said the man, who was not identified, went outside his home in Marietta, southwest of Texarkana, at around 3 AM He spotted the armadillo on his property and opened fire. "His wife was in the house. He went outside and took his .38 revolver and shot three times at the armadillo," Rowe said. The animal's hard shell deflected at least one of three bullets, which then struck the man's jaw, he said. The man was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where his jaw was wired shut, according to Rowe. The status of the animal is unknown. "We didn't find the armadillo," the sheriff said.
MONTGOMERY, AL, 10/21/15: One man was killed and a second was injured early Wednesday morning in a shooting outside a west Montgomery nightclub. Tracy Edwards, 41, of Montgomery was found suffering from a gunshot wound in the 600 block of South Holt Street outside Club Big Boyz at around 3:45 AM, according to Montgomery police. He was transported to an unspecified local hospital where he later died. A second man suffered a non-life-threatening self-inflicted gunshot wound. Lt. Denise Barnes said the unidentified man appeared to accidentally shoot himself while taking out his weapon and running from the scene. He isn't believed to have been shooting at anyone. Montgomery police haven't released the circumstances surrounding the homicide at it remains under investigation. No arrests have been made.
HAZEL GREEN, AL, 10/22/15: Two people received minor injuries Thursday when a dropped gun went off inside a Hazel Green supermarket. WAFF 48 reports that a customer's gun fell to the floor inside Griner's Supermarket and discharged, with the fired bullet striking the gun's owner and another customer. They were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No one else was injured. The incident remains under investigation.
BROOKLYN CENTER, MN, 10/22/15: Brooklyn Center police say a man needed hospitalization after he accidentally shot himself early Thursday morning. At 2 AM Thursday, police responded to the report of a gunshot victim at a house on the 5300 block of Morgan Avenue. As officers were arriving, they were told that this was a possible accidental shooting. Upon arrival officers located a man in the home with a gunshot wound. Police say he was conscious and alert at the time and no other occupants of the home reported injuries. The man was then taken to the hospital and is expected to recover fully from his injuries. After talking to witnesses at the scene, it was determined to be an accidental shooting. No charges are expected.
LAFAYETTE, LA, 10/22/15: A Lafayette man shot himself in the ankle in an accidental shooting Thursday morning. The man told police he was attempting to holster his gun at his home near Johnston Street and Bertrand Drive when it discharged, firing into his ankle, Lafayette Police Public Information Officer Paul Mouton said. He was pulled over by police on his way to the hospital after they noticed him driving at a high rate of speed. Mouton said police do not suspect foul play to be a factor in the shooting.
KANSAS CITY, MO, 10/22/15: Someone who accidentally fired a gun inside a university dormitory ended up causing a very large mess. Thursday night students were forced to evacuate the Oak Street Residence Hall on the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City when fire alarms went off about 6:54 PM. “We had an accidental discharge of a firearm. The bullet pierced the pipe for the sprinkler system. That automatically set off a fire alarm, then the water started gushing,” said John Martellaro, the director of media relations for UMKC. The burst pipe caused extensive flooding and damage to rooms. The next day, cleaning crews were still on site. Police are looking for the suspects. Per school policy, guns aren’t allowed in the dorms or on campus. “Yes, it very well could have (ended tragically) and that’s why they’re not allowed in these buildings. And we’ve had some very frank conversations with the students to remind them. You know, this is a perfect example of what can go wrong. I mean, a person was not trying to fire the gun. They just had it out and it discharged,” Martellaro said. Students like Ayana Roberson say the news was unnerving. “It just made me kind of feel like I can’t just freely walk around the dorm by myself anymore. Just knowing that anyone could have a gun,” she said. Others are now looking for guidance in case there’s another gun incident. “There should be more classes for people to know what to do. Because I don’t think anyone would know what to do if that were to happen. So, if they’re going to be gun-free zones, I feel like we should be able to have a class or some sort of public announcement on what to do,” Nicolette Mazarowski said. A school spokesperson said there isn’t currently a policy in place on what to do in a gun incident, but they are looking into it.
WICHITA, KS, 10/22/15: A man has been charged in the shooting death of 21-year-old man in southeast Wichita. Nineteen-year-old Octevious Loudermilk was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Tajay McGee. Prosecutors say Loudermilk turned himself in to police after accidentally shooting McGee Thursday night. The victim was found dead in the basement of a duplex with a gunshot wound to the head. The Wichita Eagle reports Loudermilk is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney.
SAN ANTONIO, TX, 10/23/15: An 8-year-old boy was accidentally shot by his mother at their West Side home. The shooting happened around 10 PM Friday at a home on Canterbury Drive, near Culebra and Callaghan. Police say the mom was cleaning the gun when it accidentally went off. The bullet hit her son in the right leg. The boy was taken to University Hospital in stable condition. Police say since the shooting was an accident, no charges would be filed against the mother.
BARTOW, FL, 10/23/15: A 5-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to his hand Friday morning after grabbing a gun that was left on top of a refrigerator at a relative's home, Polk County sheriff's detectives said. There was also a container of candy on top of the refrigerator, which Carlos Delgado was reaching for, the Sheriff's Office said. The Sheriff's Office said the Winter Haven boy is at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa with non-life threatening injuries to his left hand after he shot himself. His mother, Maria Delgado, 22, was staying with her sister, Anabel Delgado, 20, at her home off Hunt Road in Bartow and she told detectives she was in the living room when she heard a loud bang come from the kitchen about 8:50 AM, said sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Wood. Delgado said she ran into the kitchen where she found her son bleeding from his hand. The child was taken to Winter Haven Hospital and ER personnel contacted the Sheriff's Office, Wood said. Detectives learned Anabel Delgado kept two handguns hidden on top of her refrigerator for her personal safety, Wood said. Wood said no charges had been filed as of Saturday but the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
BIRMINGHAM, AL, 10/23/15: A Birmingham teen is behind bars, suspected in a string of carjackings, and possibly linked to other violent crimes in at least four area cities and communities. Harold Tadarius Mason, 18, was arrested Tuesday by Jefferson County sheriff's deputies. He is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and could face additional charges in Homewood, Bessemer and Birmingham. He is being held in the county jail with bonds totaling $500,000. Mason was initially taken into custody by Birmingham police Sunday night following a carjacking in Homewood. Authorities said he was captured in the New Hill community where he lives, and said he couldn't run from police because he had accidentally shot himself in the foot two days earlier.
GARDNER, MA, 10/24/15: A father and son were injured by a shotgun blast in a hunting accident Saturday morning, according to police. Police Lt. Richard A. Braks said in a press release that Officers Derek Ferreira and Matthew Arsenault were sent to the wildlife management area on Smith Street Extension about 8:15 AM for a report of two males hurt by a shotgun blast. The officers assisted the two men after finding them walking from the wildlife management area to the parking lot, according to Lt. Braks. The victims, identified as Kristi Panduki, 30, of Boston, and Khimitraq Panduki, 73, of Newton, were both hit in the face by several bird shot pellets while hunting pheasants, according to Lt. Braks. Neither was hit in the eye. The father and son were treated in the parking lot by emergency medical personnel and then transported to Henry Heywood Hospital for further treatment. Lt. Braks said he did not believe their injuries were serious enough that the men would have been admitted to the hospital. Lt. Braks said there were many hunters in the area and that the two men were shot by another hunter whose identity had not yet been determined. Gardner police and the Massachusetts Environmental Police are investigating.
GAINESVILLE, MO, 10/24/15: A 50-year-old man reportedly shot himself in the foot Saturday morning with a black powder rifle during the muzzleloader management hunt at Caney Mountain Conservation Area north of Gainesville. The man’s name has not been released. A call reportedly came into the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department at 7:43 AM Oct. 17, and the reporting party told a dispatcher a man had injured himself when his muzzleloader discharged, sending a bullet through the man’s foot. Air Evac was initially called to the scene but was canceled before arrival. The patient reportedly refused medical treatment on scene. Ozark County Deputy Kenny Hannaford initially responded to the call but turned over the case to Missouri Conservation Agent Jerry Kiger. The Caney Mountain muzzleloader season is an annual management hunt in which hunters apply in a lottery system to to have their name drawn for the chance to hunt for a three-day season in October. The lottery draw included 250 participants in this year’s managed hunt.
HOPKINSVILLE, KY, 10/24/15: The 14-year-old male was cleaning the gun when he accidentally shot himself, said Hopkinsville Police Lt. Chris Aldridge.
MILLCREEK, PA, 10/24/15: A 7 year old Millcreek boy underwent surgery this afternoon at UPMC Hamot after the gun he was holding discharged, striking him in the arm. Millcreek police were called to a house in the 2000 block of Charleston Ave just after 12:30 Saturday afternoon. The child was reportedly sitting in a pick-up parked in the driveway with his two siblings when the 7 year old pulled the gun from the center console of the vehicle. When an older sibling attempted to pull the gun away, it discharged striking the 7 year old in the upper right arm. He is listed in stable condition at UPMC Hamot. Police are treating this as an accidental shooting but say the investigation is ongoing.
FORREST CITY, AR, 10/24/15: A 10-year-old is in the hospital after being shot in the foot at a pee wee football game in Forrest City, police said. The shooting occurred due to a hunting accident, police said. The football field is next to a wooded area, where a hunter fired his weapon, hitting the kid on the field. It happened at 3:45 PM Saturday. The child was taken to Forrest City Medical Center with an injury that is not life-threatening. FCPD is still investigating. Police do have a person of interest in custody, and charges are pending.
SIOUX FALLS, SD, 10/24/15: A 21-year-old Sioux Falls man is charged with manslaughter after a rifle went off at a gathering early Saturday, killing a close friend. David Leonard Randle Jr. was handling the loaded gun in a northwest Sioux Falls apartment when it discharged, police said. Authorities did not release the name of the 19-year-old victim, but Randle's mother said he was a friend. "These boys have been friends a long time," Shona Randle said. "It was an accident." Police were called to the apartment at 4425 W. Briggs Drive, unit No. 32, at 2:42 AM. Efforts to revive the 19-year-old victim were unsuccessful. Several others were in the apartment at the time, and both marijuana and alcohol were factors in the incident, Capt. Blaine Larsen said. Neighbor Butch Thompson said he woke up to his dog barking. He saw caution tape surrounding the area and his first thought was that the neighbors decorated for Halloween. Then he saw police cars. "You just don't think that crime would hit that close to home," Thompson said. "My wife was very frightened." Thompson does not know the people who live in the apartment but said he often saw people going in and out, making short visits at all hours of the day. "We don't want party houses out here, but every once in a while they slip through management," Thompson said. Sarah Loecker lives in a unit across the parking lot from where the shooting took place. She found out about it when she was unable to get to her friend's car because it was blocked by caution tape. "We're all pretty quiet around here," Loecker said. "It makes me worried and scared to live here." In July, Randle was one of three people arrested after shots were fired in two residential neighborhoods. He was suspected of firing a shot that went through a garage, striking a vehicle, in the 1700 block of South First Avenue. Shona Randle said she spoke with her son Saturday morning. "He's in shock," Shona said. "His friend is gone." The victim's name was being withheld pending notification of his family. More details are expected Monday morning at the police department's 10:30 AM media briefing. MORE: Capt. Blaine Larsen says 19-year-old Mikael Mengitsu Ashame was shot in the leg around 2:30 AM Saturday during a gathering at an apartment. The Sioux Falls man died at the scene despite first aid efforts.
CHESTERFIELD, VA, 10/24/15: A Chesterfield father of four died from an accidental gunshot wound while driving with his kids, Chesterfield police said Monday. The victim's father-in-law identified him as Nick Clavier. He was driving with his four children on Hull Street Road around 1:17 PM on Saturday, according to Chesterfield Police. Somehow, a gun went off striking Clavier, 32, and sending his car into a wooded area near the Cross Pointe Church of the Nazarene, police said. Clavier died Sunday from his wounds.The four children in the car were uninjured. Police aren't revealing much about the investigation, but said Monday they are looking into it as an accidental shooting and are not looking for any suspects. Clavier's father-in-law Pastor, Nathan Boehm, says the family is grieving the loss. He says the children's mother, 30-year-old Melody, was in Delaware when she received the news. The couple had been together for 11 years. The oldest child is 9-year-old, according to relatives, and took the three others to a nearby church after the shooting. They were headed on a fishing trip when the incident unfolded, relatives said. A crowdfunding account raised more than $12,000 for the family in the day following his death. "I have always been a giver never asking for help. Nathan and I have poured into others our whole life and sacrificed for ministry to pour into broken lives. I am not one to ask for help but my sweet baby girl who also has always helped others even when she did without herself is really gonna need help," an update on the GoFundMe page states. "When she lost her husband yesterday not only did she lose her best friend she lost her provider for her family. She has been a stay at home mom of four, one with asbergers [sic]. Nick did not have life insurance and she is left with a mortgage and a car in need of repair. They are truly in need of God's provision. I am asking that we truly do as Christ would want us to do and take care of a widow and her children..." Pastor Boehm said Clavier had a gun and a carry permit, but the family is still trying to understand how he was shot. Clavier had worked as a carpenter, but Boehm says they had little savings. Funeral arrangements have not yet been made.
NORTH WEBSTER, IN, 10/24/15: Authorities say a northern Indiana woman is recovering after being shot in the foot by her dog. And the dog's name? Trigger. Indiana Conservation Officer Jonathon Boyd says 25-year-old Allie Carter of Avilla laid her 12-gauge shotgun on the ground without the safety on during a waterfowl hunt Saturday at Tri-County Fish and Wildlife Area. Boyd says Carter's chocolate Labrador retriever, Trigger, stepped on top of the shotgun and depressed the trigger. He says Carter was shot in the left foot at point-blank range, suffering injuries to her foot and toes. She was treated at two hospitals and released. Tri-County Fish and Wildlife Area is about 140 miles north of Indianapolis.
DECATUR, IL, 10/24/15: Police are investigating a possible accidental shooting. It happened in the 100-block of South Calhoun Street. Eddie Harvey was pronounced dead Saturday. Police say he died at the hospital from an apparent gunshot wound
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