More hunting casualties rolling in, with a total of 12 hunting-related accidents being reported. Though to be fair, one really just involves an accident while preparing to go on a hunting trip the next day. So I’m not sure it counts as a hunting accident, but I’m sure the family is burying their 15-year-old, regardless of how we categorize it. And that’s obviously the far more important fact.
Self-inflicted injuries remain the number one category, of course. Sixteen people accidentally shot themselves during the week of November 22, while nine people accidentally shot other family members or significant others. Among other recurring accident types, there were 15 kids accidentally shot, five cops involved in gun accidents, four guns discharged during reported cleanings (and another two that discharged while they were being cleared), four accidents during target practice sessions, two guns accidentally fired by carriers who were out shopping, and two people accidentally shot by carriers merely attempting to reholster their guns.
On another seasonal note besides the mounting hunting casualties, our title reminds us that it’s also shopping season, and more people in the stores also means more guns in the stores. And of course, more guns in stores also means more chances for gun accidents in stores. This week’s hosts: Target (no joke) and Walmart. And if you’ve ever wondered about how often armed citizens actually do accidentally discharge their weapons while they’re out and about, you can check out my Shooting While Shopping Pinterest board.
It’s relatively rare for GunFAIL lists to have really high-profile cases that have received national attention. Most of these accidents stay well below the national press radar. But this particular week had two such accidents. First, the police officer in Paradise, California, who accidentally shot a drunk driving suspect who was trying to climb out of his overturned vehicle. Many of you will have seen the dash cam video from the officer’s car, and perhaps the newly released body cam video from the other officers arriving on the scene. Incredibly, the officer involved insists throughout the encounter that he didn’t shoot the suspect, and only after several minutes of discussion even bothers mentioning that he had had an “A.D.,” or accidental discharge. But even then, he insists he wasn’t pointing his gun anywhere near the suspect. It’s really astonishing.UPDATE: The driver shot by the officer has died of his wound.
The second high-profile case is the unspeakably tragic killing of a seven-month-old child, the youngest victim of GunFAIL in 2015 (though not the youngest we’ve ever seen). Nathaniel Hitt was killed by the accidental discharge of a shotgun that his mother’s boyfriend was cleaning at the time. And I really do mean it when I say it’s unspeakably tragic. You can try to read Nathaniel’s mom’s deposition accompanying the criminal complaint if you’re an exceptionally steely type, but if you have any doubts about your ability to absorb this horror, I strongly recommend against it. Still, sometimes confronting the reality of these incidents is necessary, especially as we so often hear that cleaning a still-loaded gun is just another one of those things that “no one ever does.” Oh, but they do. And this terrible story will make you madder than ever the next time someone says something so ridiculous.
- NEW HANOVER TOWNSHIP, PA, 11/22/15: Police are on the scene of an accidental shooting in New Hanover Township, Montgomery County, officials said. Calls for the incident at Windy Hill and Buchert roads came in just before 5:30 PM Sunday. It wasn't clear where the shooting occurred, but emergency dispatchers said the area is residential. Few details were immediately available, and dispatchers said the injuries were not critical. MORE: An off-duty township police officer was injured following an accidental shooting, according to police. Shortly after 5 PM Sunday, New Hanover police were called to a scene along the 400 block of Windy Hill Road after reports of a shooting, according to a press release issued by the New Hanover Police Department. Upon arrival, officers discovered that the shooting involved an off-duty police officer from a neighboring department and that officer was the only person injured. The press release did not identify the neighboring police department. The shooting was ruled to be accidental in nature and there was no danger to the community, according to the press release. Police from New Hanover, Douglass (Mont.) and Lower Pottsgrove assisted at the scene.
- MIAMI BEACH, FL, 11/22/15: Update 11:30 AM: Romain's gunfire was reported as an "accidental discharge," according to an incident obtained by New Times. Officer Miguel Romain was just a few months into his new job as a full-fledged Miami Beach cop when the routine call came in Sunday at 8:53 AM: A burglar alarm was going off in a building near 51st Street and Alton Road. The former public service specialist hopped into a patrol car with the senior cop training him and headed to the scene. That's when the routine case quickly went south. Somehow Romain ended up firing his service weapon, quickly landing back on desk duty as internal affairs investigates what happened. MBPD has yet to release an incident report from the shooting, but a spokesperson confirmed the basic details. "At some point while they were checking for the burglar alarm, his firearm was discharged," Officer Ernesto Rodriguez says. "There were no injuries." What caused Romain to pull his gun and fire during a routine investigation where suspects were apparently nowhere to be found? According to a post at LEO Affairs, a message board frequented by local police officers, he was spooked by a dog on the scene. "You put yourself in a bad spot, you overreacted and almost killed your (superior officer)," the anonymous commenter writes. "If you have a fear of dogs that are not attacking you, please don't shoot." There's no way to verify those details until MBPD releases more information, but the other facts regarding the case posted by the message board user were accurate. As for Romain, he'll have to wait for the outcome of the investigation to see if he'll be allowed to rejoin street patrol. Romain has been a public safety specialist since at least 2007 before working his way up to officer earlier this year.
- CANTON, OH, 11/22/15: A man cleaning his 9mm handgun inside a Canton apartment accidentally fired a shot and wounded his hand, a police report said. Police went to Village Squire apartments, near Ford and Lotz roads, about 3:30 PM Sunday after being notified by St. Joseph Mercy Hospital that the Canton man had been there for treatment. According to the report, the hospital told police the 60-year-old man had claimed he shot himself while cleaning his gun. Police went to the man's apartment, but no one answered the door. Police spoke with neighbors who said they didn't hear the shot.The investigation was continuing.
- ENUMCLAW, WA, 11/22/15: Police responded the afternoon of Nov. 22 to a PorterStreet address, where they found someone had suffered an accidental gunshotwound to the arm. No crime had been committed.
- MARATHON CO., WI 11/22/15: A man has been seriously injured in a hunting accident in Marathon County. Sheriff's deputies say a 26 year old male was shot in the upper body by a 14 year old member of their hunting party on the 4900 block of Highway 153 east of Stratford around 8 AM Sunday morning. The man has been transported to St. Joseph's hospital in Marshfield with serious injuries. Lieutenant Fred Goch says the case is under investigation by the DNR.
- CALEDONIA, WI, 11/22/15: A man from Alaska was killed in a hunting accident Sunday morning in the town of Caledonia in Columbia County, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The DNR told News 3 a 35-year-old Wisconsin woman was in a tree stand when a 39-year-old man was handing a .308 caliber rifle up to her just before 9 a.m. Sunday. The woman had mittens on and grasped the gun around the trigger. The weapon discharged and the man took a bullet just below the armpit. The man was taken to Divine Savior Hospital in Portage and then flown to UW Hospital in Madison, where he was pronounced dead. The shooting is still under investigation. The warden says no other fatalities involving weapons has been reported to the DNR since the nine-day deer gun season began Saturday. The Green Lake County Sheriff's Department reported a hunter died of an apparent heart attack while dragging a deer to his vehicle Saturday.
- MOUNT NORRIS, WI, 11/23/15: Sheriff Jeff Nett said the 56-year-old Wild Rose man was hunting on his property in the Town of Mount Morris north of Redgranite Monday afternoon when he was hit. The sheriff says the man, Gregory Welk, was able to call 911 and his wife after he was shot. WLUK-TV reported Welk was airlifted to Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah where he died Monday night. Nett says investigators believe the shooting was accidental and want to talk to anyone in the area Monday afternoon. He says Welk was wearing blaze orange at the time he was shot. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is assisting the sheriff's department in the investigation.
- OCEANSIDE, CA, 11/23/15: Oceanside police are investigating a shooting early Monday that left a man with a gunshot wound to the chest that may have been accidental and self-inflicted. A neighbor saw the man exiting his house on Thomas Street near Thunder Drive with a chest injury around 6:41 AM Monday and called police, said Oceanside police Lt. Leonard Cosby. When officers arrived, the victim told them he was removing his gun from his shoulder holster when it accidentally discharged. The man was taken by ambulance to the Tri City Medical Center and then flown by helicopter to Scripps Hospital. His condition was not known, Cosby said. Cosby said he had no information on the man’s identity and did not believe he worked in law enforcement. The man’s neighbor told police had had only lived in the home a couple of months, Cosby said.
- VOLUSIA CO., FL, 11/23/15: A Volusia County man trying to kill a nuisance opossum Monday morning ended up at the hospital when a bullet he fired at the animal bounced back and made a hole in his leg, sheriff's deputies said. Alexander Smith suffered a bullet wound to his right calf when he crawled under his mobile home to follow the escaping marsupial and fired two bullets, deputies said. “Alexander Smith reported he accidentally shot himself while attempting to dispatch a nuisance opossum on his property,” deputies wrote in their report. The deputies were called to the North Janice Lane home near Ormond Beach where the incident occurred early Monday. Deputies learned that the animal showed up at the home at 12:01 AM Monday and Smith’s wife alerted him to its presence. The night creature went under the mobile home, so Smith grabbed his Winchester .22 caliber rifle and crawled under the house “in an attempt to dispatch the animal,” deputies said. Smith fired one shot and missed the opossum. He then fired a second round at the animal and felt a sharp pain in his right calf. Smith looked at his calf and realized the bullet had ricocheted off of an unknown object, entered his calf and exited by the right part of his shin, investigators said. Smith’s wife then drove him to Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach to have his bullet wound treated, deputies said. All indications are that the opossum got away, according to the report.
- COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA, 11/23/15: No one was injured when a firearm was accidentally discharged Monday afternoon in Council Bluffs. Around 4:20 PM., police were called to the area of Story and Bluff streets. A group of boys were at a residence in the 500 block of Bluff Street when they found a Ruger 9mm handgun belonging to Frank Jozwiak, one of the boys’ grandfather, according to the Council Bluffs Police Department. The youths had the gun outside. While a 12-year-old boy was holding the firearm, he “got spooked” and fired into the ground, Sgt. David Dawson said. The boys didn’t know the gun was loaded.
- STORY, IN, 11/23/15: An Indianapolis man accidentally shot himself in the knee while hunting in southern Brown County this week. Daniel Ozment, 28, was hunting for deer south of Story on Nov. 23, according to a press release from Indiana DNR Law Enforcement District 6. He put his .357 magnum revolver handgun in his pocket with the hammer pulled back. When Ozment got himself into position to hunt for the day, the gun fired in his pocket and hit his right knee, the press release said. Ozment's friends were able to take him to the Story Inn to meet an ambulance. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital.
- NEWARK, OH, 11/23/15: A man injured his foot Monday night after accidentally shooting himself with a shotgun. According to a Newark police report, officers were called to the 400 block of Eddy Street around 9 PM Monday on a report of a person with a gunshot injury. Sgt. Scott Snow said the man originally told police he had been shot near the intersection of Hoover and Buckingham streets. However, further investigation revealed the man had shot himself in the foot with a shotgun on the first block of North Street. Snow said officers were able to locate the shotgun, which had shotgun shells with it, discarded on Log Pond Run. He said it was lucky police found the firearm before any children did. "It was a recipe for disaster," he said. The man was taken to Licking Memorial Hospital and then transported to a Columbus area hospital for treatment of his injury. The man could face charges for providing false information to police. Detectives also are investigating whether the man legally was allowed to possess a firearm, Snow said. No other injuries were reported.
- MARION, OH, 11/23/15: Within 20 minutes of Amanda Swartz's call that a family member had been robbed and shot, officers took her into custody as the alleged shooter. The Monday shooting is considered accidental, according to the Marion Police Department. "We were able to determine that she was in possession of a firearm, was trying to clear the firearm or make it safe, he was standing next to her ... the gun fired (and) shot him," Lt. Chris Adkins said. The victim, a 13-year-old boy, was wounded below the waist but is expected to fully recover and was alert at the scene, Adkins said. Swartz, a convicted felon with an additional out-of-state warrant, was arrested on five charges: weapons under disability and being a fugitive from justice, both felonies, and misdemeanor charges of negligent assault, tampering with evidence and falsification. Swartz is 29 and lives at 378 Nunin Court, according to police records, which state the incident was reported in that block. She initially told investigators that the victim was robbed in an alley on Windsor Street, behind her residence. Swartz said the victim was her nephew, but Adkins said he may be a cousin. Court records show Swartz was charged in Marion Municipal Court with weapons under disability and being a fugitive from justice, but the case has not been transferred to the Common Pleas Court yet. A call to her attorney, Todd Workman, was not returned.Marion County court records did not show prior felony cases locally, and past city court convictions were traffic- or animal-related.
- DAYTON, OH, 11/24/15: A man who police said told them he had been robbed actually shot himself in the hand and was taken to a hospital. A Dayton sergeant said the injury is not life threatening. Police and a medic unit were dispatched to an address on Strand Avenue about 9:52 PM on a report of a possible shooting. The medic unit took the man to Miami Valley Hospital. The sergeant did not have information about the man’s age or what kind of weapon was used in the incident, which is being investigated as an accidental shooting.
- BATON ROUGE, LA, 11/24/15: A teenager was arrested in a shooting Tuesday night in Baton Rouge that left a woman critically wounded outside a Waffle House restaurant. The 16-year-old boy was booked on counts of negligent injuring and juvenile in possession of a firearm, Baton Rouge Police spokesman Cpl. Don Coppola said. A 19-year-old woman was found shot in the back while sitting in the front passenger seat of a Toyota Camry at the restaurant at 2363 College Drive, Coppola said. Detectives believe the shooting happened in the 5000 block of Florida Street as the teenage boy, who was sitting in the rear seat of the Camry, accidently fired the handgun. The victim was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries but is now in stable condition, Coppola said. The juvenile was booked into the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center.
- NATCHEZ, MS, 11/24/15: A Natchez teen charged in a 2014 murder case was reportedly shot by accident shortly after leaving the courtroom where he testified against his co-defendant. Natchez Police Detective Jerry Ford said Emmanuel C. Latham Jr. was shot in the left leg by a relative holding a handgun at Latham’s Hampton Court residence at approximately 3 PM Tuesday. “(Latham) was supposedly accidentally shot by the relative, but we are looking into it at this point, and it is still under investigation,” Ford said. The bullet appeared to have gone through Latham’s leg, Ford said. Latham was taken to Merit Health Natchez with non-life-threatening injuries. Latham testified against Eddie Minor III Tuesday in Minor’s trial on charges of murder and armed robbery for the shooting death of Jessie Taylor, 16. The trial ended with a mistrial after jurors could not agree on a verdict. Latham is a co-defendant in the case. He likely left the courtroom at approximately 2 PM.
- LIMERICK, ME, 11/24/15: A woman who was preparing to shoot a coyote in her backyard on Tuesday accidentally fired her gun into the floor and the ricochet hit a friend. York County Sheriff’s deputies and rescue workers were called to a house on Elm Street in Limerick at 8:30 AM Tuesday for a report of a woman with a hand injury. Deputies learned that Debra Baptista had spotted a coyote in her back yard staring at her two small dogs on the porch – a Jack Russell Terrier and a puggle, a beagle-pug cross. Baptista hustled her pets inside and went for her .22 rifle to put down the coyote, which had been seen several times recently in the neighborhood, said Sheriff William King. As Baptista loaded the rifle it discharged accidentally, he said. The round hit the tile floor and though the slug disintegrated, fragments ricocheted and hit her friend Jessica Carroll, 42, in the hand, he said. Carroll suffered scrapes on her right pinky and thumb, he said. Limington rescue workers treated Carroll at the scene and she later went to a nearby hospital for treatment. Deputies do not plan on bringing any charges, King said. The coyote escaped.
- YORK, ME, exact date unknown: York police are warning residents to lock their cars after several vehicles were burglarized Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Four automobiles were entered on Harvest Lane between 6 PM Wednesday and 6 AM Thursday. A loaded handgun was taken from one vehicle and an unloaded rifle and shotgun from another. York police Sgt. Brian Curtin said car burglaries usually increase this time of year as thieves search unlocked cars for Christmas gifts. Curtin said car burglary is a crime of opportunity and the most effective preventative measure residents can take is to lock their vehicles.“It is really easy. Just lock your car,” said Curtin. He said the burglaries are under investigation.
- LAUREL, IA, 11/25/15: Authorities are investigating what's been reported as an accidental shooting of a man in central Iowa. Deputies were notified about the shooting around 3:30 AM Wednesday in Laurel. The man was taken to a Marshalltown hospital and then flown to a trauma center in Des Moines. His name hasn't been released. Chief Deputy Steve Hoffman of the Marshall County Sheriff's Office says three people who were in the house when the man was shot are cooperating with investigators.
- BIRMINGHAM, AL, 11/25/15: Birmingham police say they are investigating the shooting of a 12-year-old in the 4200 block of Messer Airport Highway. Officers say they were called around 3 PM on a call of a child shot. They found the child had been shot in the leg and was transported to Children's of Alabama with non life-threatening injuries. The preliminary investigation suggests the shooting may have been an accident. It happened at a playground behind Hayes K-8. Birmingham police are patrolling the area, driving up and down the streets in the community. They are also patrolling communities near an apartment complex off of Messer Airport Highway and in the neighborhood behind it. Police are interviewing witnesses right now.
- CASS CO., NE, 11/25/15: The Cassgram reports that Murray Fire and Rescue along with Cass County sheriff's deputies responded to the report of a gunshot injury at a rural residence south of Beaver Lake about 5 PM Wednesday. A 19-year-old victim had been shot in the face. Cass County Sheriff Wm. C. Brueggemann said emergency medical personnel were tending to the victim when law enforcement arrived. According to the sheriff's report on the incident, "Deputies learned the victim had been accidently shot by his friend, age 17, of Murray, when the friend picked up the victim's AR15 rifle, mishandling the weapon, firing the weapon with the bullet striking the victim." The victim's mother called 911. The 19-year-old was transported to an Omaha trauma center by Murray Rescue. Advanced life support personnel from Plattsmouth EMS met Murray en route. The transport was not coded as life threatening. Authorities are continuing their investigation.
- MACOMB TOWNSHIP, MI, 11/25/15: A Macomb Township man is dead after what his wife calls an accidental shooting. Detectives in Macomb County say a woman shot her husband in the chest on Wednesday and called 911 to report the emergency. EMS workers found her next to the man, trying to give CPR. George Chimilak, 75, was pronounced dead at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital later that afternoon. Deputies and detectives recovered a Smith & Wesson, 6 shot, .357 caliber revolver from a bedroom of the home. The woman made some initial statements to sheriff deputies and she was then brought in to the Macomb Sheriff’s Office for additional interviews. She has since been arrested and is being held in the Macomb County Jail.
- PARADISE, CA, 11/25/15: District Attorney Mike Ramsey announced the name of the officer involved in a shooting that happened around midnight on Wednesday. Ramsey said the officer "accidentally discharged" his gun. According to Ramsey, Officer Patrick Feaster, a five year veteran of the Paradise Police Department, was the officer that shot Andrew Nicholas Thomas, 26, after he crashed the SUV he was driving. Ramsey stated the shooting was the result of an “accidental discharge” of Officer Feaster’s sidearm, and that the investigation has relied heavily on a forensic frame-by-frame analysis of the officer’s dash-cam video from his patrol vehicle. Ramsey explained the investigation and video so far has shown Officer Feaster was on patrol and parked off the Skyway near Foster Road in Paradise when he saw a SUV speed out of the parking lot of the nearby Canteena Bar, without headlights on, and speed down the Skyway. The officer began to follow the SUV, when he saw it speed through the red light at the intersection of the Skyway and Pearson Road and turn left onto Pearson Road. As the officer was trying to catch up with the speeding SUV, he saw it crash into the median and overturn just past Pearson Road’s intersection with Black Olive Drive, Ramsey said. The officer saw a woman, later identified as Darien Ehorn, 23, thrown out of the vehicle as it overturned and hit the roadway. The SUV skidded to a stop lying on the driver’s side just past Ehorn’s body, Ramsey stated. The officer stopped his patrol vehicle and got out to approach Ehorn as she lay on the road. As the officer got out, he saw Thomas begin to quickly pull himself out of the now-upward-facing passenger side window of the SUV. Officer Feaster then pulled his .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol to cover Thomas, as he felt Thomas was attempting an escape, Ramsey said. It was at this time the available evidence and video show that Officer Feaster’s weapon was discharged and Thomas was struck in the neck. Ramsey said the video and subsequent crime scene analysis showed the officer’s gun was discharged one time. Ramsey said the video also shows the officer was not prepared for and was surprised by the gun’s firing. Officer Feaster told responding officers that night he did not intentionally fire his weapon and that it was an accident. Ramsey said the officer has been cooperative during the investigation and is on administrative leave. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Ramsey also said charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated are pending against Thomas, who remains in the hospital in stable condition.UPDATE: Man ‘Accidentally’ Shot by Police Officer in Paradise Dies
- COLCHESTER, CT, 11/25/15: A 14-year-old riding an ATV was shot in the foot in Colchester on Wednesday in what police are calling a hunting-related shooting. Colchester officers and state troopers responded to the area of Middletown Road and Bigalow Road on Wednesday afternoon. According to police, a 14-year-old boy was riding an ATV in a wooded area when he was shot in the foot. He was taken to a clinic in Marlborough with minor injuries, according to police. Officers from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also responded to the scene and are investigating the incident. Police did not say if they have located the person who fired the weapon.
- TOLEDO, OH, 11/25/15: A 14-year-old Toledo girl, Madison Kirchner, and her mother, identified by Toledo Police as Denise Kirchner, were wounded on Wednesday, Nov. 25, after a .40 caliber handgun discharged. Madison Kirchner was reported in serious condition on Monday, Nov. 30, at Blank Childrens Hospital in Des Moines according to a hospital spokesperson. She was taken from her resident by Toledo ambulance to Central Iowa Healthcare, Marshalltown, and later transferred to Blank in Des Moines, police said. Toledo Police Chief Bob Kendall said Monday it has been reported to him Madison is expected to make a full recovery. Denise Kirchner was reported treated and released at the Marshalltown hospital, he said. The police report said the daughter was standing sideways to her brother, Dillon Kirchner, 18, who was attempting to disengage the handgun. It accidentally fired with the bullet passing completely through his sister and then striking the mother, who was in the kitchen, in the leg. The bullet then hit in the kitchen sink area and was recovered from the floor according to police.
- BALTIC, OH, 11/26/15: A 5-year-old boy is expected to recover after shooting himself in the leg Thursday night with a handgun he found in an apartment he is living in with his mother and her boyfriend. The boyfriend, 27-year-old Adam D. Bays, of Baltic, was arrested Thursday night and is being held in the Tuscarawas County Jail on child endangering charges. Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Orvis Campbell said deputies received a call at 6:55 PM Thursday night of an accidental shooting at the apartment complex at 102 Baltic Haus Drive. He said the boy discovered a 9mm Ruger on a dresser, picked it up and unintentionally shot himself in his groin. The bullet passed through the boy’s leg and came to rest under a dresser in a bedroom. The boy was responsive with Sugarcreek EMS personnel and was flown to Akron Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery Thursday night. Campbell said the boy is in good condition and is expected to recover from his injuries that caused minor damage. Bays claimed the gun was locked up, but Campbell said there was no evidence of a lock to the gun cabinet and his story conflicts with how the boy said he was able to take possession of the gun. Deputies also seized multiple other guns from the apartment. Campbell said Bays has no known criminal record and has a conceal-carry permit issued out of Holmes County. The permit was confiscated and will be returned to the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff records show that in June while investigating an unrelated call, deputies discovered a loaded gun in the living room of the home and ordered Bays to lock it up. Children Services was notified of the situation, and other children living in the home were given temporary placement with a relative. The agency also was made aware of unsanitary conditions in the apartment. Bays likely will be held in jail until Monday, Campbell said, when a charge of third-degree felony child endangering is expected.
- ELLISTON, VA, 11/26/15: Investigators say a child was accidentally shot Thursday afternoon. We are told this happened in the 5100 block of Duke Lane in Elliston. Dispatchers say the child was flown to a Roanoke hospital for treatment. A lieutenant with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office says the shooting happened a little after 3:00 Thursday afternoon. A 13-year-old boy had been shot by accident and was wounded in upper torso. Deputies say he was alert when they arrived at the scene. He was flown the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. No names have been released and no charges have been filed.
- EVANSVILLE, IN, 11/26/15: A woman is injured and sent to the hospital after her son accidentally fired a gun in a Target parking lot. Evansville Police got the call at 9:40 PM to the eastern Target for an accidental shooting. Police say Stacey Craven was hurt after her 15 year old son fired a handgun while both were in their van. Craven was struck by a bullet in the back. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. In the investigation, police determined the shooting was accident. In a Facebook post detailing the incident, Evansville Police said the event is a reminder to be safe and secure with guns. No charges have been filed.
- GREENWOOD, IN, 11/26/15: A man accidentally shot himself in the foot while shooting at a property just south of the county line. An Indianapolis man was taken to Community Hospital South at 9:30 AM Thursday, and police were called because the man had a gunshot wound. The man, whose name was not released, told police he and about 15 other people were at a property in the 10000 block of Shelbyville Road, east of Greenwood, shooting clay pigeons, according to a report from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. He had propped the barrel of the gun he was using, a 12-gauge shotgun, on his foot while he checked the weather on his phone. The man told police his hands were not near the trigger, but the gun suddenly went off and shot him in the foot, the report said.
- WEST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA, 11/26/15: Police and paramedics are being credited with saving the life of a 35-year-old Conestoga man who was accidentally wounded at a shooting range near Columbia on Thanksgiving Day. The victim, whose name was being withheld by police Friday, underwent emergency surgery and was recovering in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Lancaster General Hospital. The man was shot in the right leg shortly before noon on Thursday and was bleeding profusely. It could have been a life-threatening injury, said Josh Roberts, the operations manager for Susquehanna Valley EMS, whose medics responded to the call. “If a large blood vessel is struck, it could quickly lead to death if not contained,” Roberts said. “It it had been another 10 minutes, we could have been looking at a worse outcome.” West Hempfield Township police Chief Mark Pugliese credited first responders with saving the man’s life. The shooting occurred at the Columbia Fish & Game Range, at 4339 Fairview Road, and several people sprang into action, officials said. The victim’s friend immediately called 911, and West Hempfield Township police Officer James Gardill scrambled to the range and applied direct pressure to the gunshot wound on the man’s inner thigh, Roberts said. Susquehanna Valley EMS Paramedic Scott Briggs, Emergency Medical Technician Cierra Carr and Roberts got there five or six minutes after being dispatched, Roberts said. EMTs Nathan Cramer and Brendan Gardill (Officer Gardill’s son) also arrived in a Columbia Quick Response Service unit to help. Briggs applied a military-style tourniquet just below the groin and rapidly infused intravenous fluids to combat significant blood loss, Roberts said. Sam Weigard, president of the Columbia Fish & Game Association, said the shooting occurred [at the] club’s outdoors pistol range. Club members have access to the range and can take guests to it. Weigard said he does not know if the shooting victim is a club member. “To my knowledge, this is the first accident of that type,” said Weigard , a club member for 15 years. MORE: A friend was showing a 35-year-old Conestoga man how to clean a handgun at a Columbia-area shooting range when it fired, critically injuring the man Thanksgiving Day, police said. West Hempfield Township police Sgt. Russell Geier on Tuesday did not identify the men involved in the accidental shooting. “A friend was attempting to show the victim the proper use of and how to break down and clean a handgun when it accidentally discharged,” the sergeant said. “The friend felt the gun was clear and free of any bullets.” “Sadly, this is how many accidental shootings take place, when they feel the gun is empty and attempt to clean it,” Geier said.
- PARSIPPANY, NJ, 11/26/15: A man was hospitalized in critical condition Thanksgiving night after accidentally shooting himself in the face while cleaning his gun, Parsippany police said. Police responded to the Ramada Limited Hotel on Route 46 East at about 10:19 PM Thursday for a report of a man who had shot himself, Officer Brian Conover said. Upon arrival, officers spoke with the victim, whose name was not released. The victim said he accidentally shot himself in the face while cleaning a firearm, Conover said. Patrol officers rendered medical aid to the victim, who was then taken to Morristown Medical Center for treatment by Rockaway Neck Volunteer Ambulance Squad, Conover said. The victim is in critical condition as of Friday afternoon, according to Conover. No charges have been filed against the victim, but the investigation is ongoing. No additional information was released by police.
- BELOIT, WI, 11/26/15: A 20-year-old Beloit man may be facing charges after accidentally shooting himself in the leg. Beloit police say a man who turned up at a local emergency room around 10:00 Thursday night told police that he had been shot by a subject who approached him on the west side of town. After the evidence pointed otherwise, he eventually admitted that he had been goofing around with a handgun in the back seat of a vehicle with some friends when the gun went off by accident. Police believe the incident actually took place in a parking lot on the east side. The man suffered non-life threatening injuries, and was released from the hospital after being treated.
- ST. AUGUSTINE, FL, 11/27/15: A 62-year-old Georgia man has been hospitalized after an 'accidental' shooting at a St. Augustine gun range Friday, authorities said. Aaron Acklan, 62, of Darien, Ga. was listed in stable condition at last check, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. The shooting happened just before noon at Ancient City Shooting Range located at 3021 Range Drive. The victim was shot in the "upper leg/lower abdomen" area while behind one of the targets at the target 25 yards away in a 100 yard stall, Lt. Bob Snell with St. Johns County Fire Rescue told First Coast News. According to deputies, Acklan was behind the target, struck three times, and then fell to the ground. The shooter has been identified as Acklan's brother-in-law, 71-year-old James Duffy. He was then airlifted to UF Health Jacksonville with life threatening injuries, according to SJCFR. It does not appear to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and it is unclear at this time why the person was behind the target, Lt. Bob Snell said. Detectives continue to investigate, however the sheriff's office said "the incident appears to have been accidental at this time."
- RIVIERA BEACH, FL, 11/27/15: A 21-year-old man faces a murder charge in the fatal shooting Friday night of a 16-year-old boy in Riviera Beach, the 92nd homicide in Palm Beach County during 2015. Kenerick Taylor faces a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm in the death of Johnathan Pearson, who turned 16 just last month, city police said Saturday. Police said they responded just after 11 PM Friday to an apartment building in the 1600 block of West 37th Street, south of Silver Beach Road and west of Avenue S, where offiers found Taylor on the ground outside holding a motionless Pearson. Pearson had a small-caliber gunshot wound to the chest. Police investigators discovered Pearson had been showing a small-caliber handgun inside an apartment in the building shortly before Pearson was shot once, said Rose Anne Brown, city police spokeswoman. “This person’s charged with second-degree murder and a preliminary investigation supports that,” Brown said Saturday. “There didn’t appear to be any altercation involved or anything like that.” Taylor was booked into the main Palm Beach County jail Saturday morning. Police said Taylor pulled Pearson from the apartment and stayed with him until police arrived, but had been denying he was involved in killing Pearson. Layer, police said, he claimed the gun accidentally fired when he handed it over to Pearson. The gun was discovered hidden outside the home, Brown said.
- ALEXANDRIA, VA, 11/27/15: The Alexandria Police Department is handling an incident Friday in Old Town, where a person inadvertently shot himself in the side of his body, at King and Pitt streets. Police say the man’s injury is not life-threatening and no one else was injured. Police say to expect activity in the area as they investigate the shooting. Police sent out an alert about the incident at 4:37 PM Friday.
- JACKSON TOWNSHIP, MONROE CO., PA, 11/27/15: A Monroe County homeowner was surprised to find a bullet struck his kitchen window, according to state police at Fern Ridge. Police said Sunday an unknown person, possibly a hunter, discharged a weapon unsafely, and a round wound up inside the home of Richard A. Maliszewski, 66, of the 100 block of Queen Street in Jackson Township. The incident happened about 11:45 AM Friday. Police were unavailable to provide details but are calling the incident an act of criminal mischief. While Pennsylvania's 12-day firearms season for white-tailed deal opens Monday, hunters can currently pursue other animals, including squirrels and rabbits. The state's three-day black bear season wrapped up Wednesday.
- CANTON, NY, 11/27/15: An investigation has been launched into why a SUNY Canton University Police officer discharged his service revolver inside Dana Hall. No one was injured when the gun went off inside the University Police Office. Officer David Cummings, who holds specialized certification as a field training officer and is a two year member of the force, discharged his Glock service revolver around 10 PM November 27 when students were on Thanksgiving break. "It is an ongoing investigation but I can say procedurally anything that can be done and should be done has been done," said Greg Kie, SUNY Canton spokesperson. College officials say the officer was alone in the building at the time the weapon was fired and would neither confirm nor deny that Officer Cummings was placed on administrative leave for disciplinary reasons following the incident - citing personnel confidentiality. University Police officers on the Canton campus have been armed since the mid-1990's and there has never been an incident such as this at the college. College officials say all of the department's eight officers receive firearms training and couldn't explain how the officer accidentally discharged his weapon. "Our University Police officers are highly trained individuals who receive firearm training specifically twice a year," said Kie. University Police Deputy Chief Alan Mulkin declined to speak with us on camera. He described the situation as "an unfortunate incident" and told us that it is "something that happens in police departments across the country almost every day." When we contacted Officer Cummings, he first told us he was back at work and then declined further comment.
- FALCONER, NY, 11/27/15: Law enforcement officers in Chautauqua County say a young boy was shot while hunting Friday morning. 7 Eyewitness News has learned that the boy was apparently hunting with his father and brother in a wooded area near the Falconer Mobile Home park, which is located on East Elmwood Avenue in Falconer. Initial reports indicate that the boy was accidentally shot in the shoulder by his brother around 8:30 AM. The boy was flown to Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo. His name and condition are unknown.
- ROME, NY, 11/28/15: Rome police are investigating the death of a 7-month-old boy following the reports of an accidental shooting at a residence. Authorities responded to 519 W. Dominick St. shortly before 4 PM for a report of an injured child, police said. Upon arrival, police found the child dead inside the second-floor apartment, officials said. The gun believed to be related to the case has been recovered by police. Detectives and forensic investigators responded to the scene, as well as AmCare Ambulance and Rome firefighters. MORE: Rome police say 18-year old Henry Bartle was charged with criminally negligent homicide on Sunday morning, in connection with the death of an infant this weekend. Investigators don't believe he intended to shoot his girlfriend's 7-month-old baby boy. Bartle was reportedly cleaning a 12-gauge shotgun at the time, with two other adults and the child in the room, including the baby's mother. Police say he loaded it and put an accessory grip onto it. Then, he attempted to take the gun off of his lap and stand up, with the muzzle pointed toward the child. That’s when investigators were told the weapon discharged and the infant was struck in the upper body. “We have no indication or any information or belief that it was an intentional act," said Rome Police Capt. Tim Bates. MORE: The baby's grandfather is Gary Muntz of Whitesboro. Muntz says his grandson's name is Nathaniel Hitt.
- ATLANTA, GA, 11/28/15: Atlanta police responded to a person shot call on Martin Street SE just before 11 AM on Saturday. When officers arrived on the scene, they heard from people at the scene that a child was accidentally shot in the head by her father. Police said the 6-year-old girl, Ja'Mecca Smith, died on the scene. APD tells CBS46 the father left the scene briefly but returned in time to be questioned by detectives. CBS46 spoke to neighbors on the scene. They said the bullet went through the wall of an adjoining apartment and hit a radio. Detectives are not sure who to blame for the death yet. They said several people besides the girl were inside the home, including her father, a teenager, and other small children. As of Saturday evening, no one was charged with a crime, and detectives said they're still trying to figure out what happened. MORE: Atlanta Police said a 6-year-old accidentally shot and killed herself inside a Martin St. apartment in Peoplestown and her father has been charged. Demargo Smith, 25, is in jail on charges of reckless conduct and involuntary manslaughter. Police recovered an unspecified type and quantity of illegal drugs in the apartment.
- OCONEE CO., GA, 11/28/15: A 13-year-old Oconee County boy was in surgery in a metropolitan Atlanta hospital late Saturday afternoon for injuries he sustained after accidentally wounding himself with a .30-06-caliber bolt-action rifle while hunting off Rocky Branch Road in Oconee County earlier in the day, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. The boy, who was hunting with his father, was able to walk out of the woods after the early-morning incident and was initially transported by ambulance to Athens Regional Medical Center. He received some treatment at ARMC before being transferred to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston in Decatur, according to the sheriff’s office. A call to an ARMC official seeking any information available on the boy’s treatment had not been returned as of late Saturday evening. The initial report from the sheriff’s office indicated that the boy’s wound, located high on his upper right shoulder, was not a life-threatening injury, and that he was alert and able to respond to officials investigating the incident. No foul play is suspected, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources was notified of the incident by local authorities and is conducting it own investigation, a post on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page indicated late Saturday morning. The sheriff’s office is not identifying the teen due to his age, except to say that he is an Oconee County resident. The DNR may be issuing a news release on its investigation at a later time, according to the Oconee sheriff’s office. Efforts to contact the DNR’s regional law-enforcement office late Saturday afternoon were unsuccessful.
- WILMINGTON, NC, 11/28/15: Wilmington Police officers were called to the 1600 block of West Drive Saturday in response to a shooting. They say the victim was shot in the left shoulder one time and was taken to the hospital by relatives. According to police, the victim said he was trying to break up an altercation when he was accidentally shot. The shooting is still under investigation.
- CAMBRIDGE, OH, 11/28/15: An apparently accidental discharge of a handgun on Saturday at the Cambridge Walmart store remained under investigation at press time Saturday evening, Cambridge Police Sgt. Tim Ferguson said. He said a man was in the sporting goods department when the incident occurred. Store videotape seemed to confirm that the gun discharged inadvertently. Ferguson said the man had not been identified by late Saturday afternoon and the investigation was continuing. According to unofficial sources, the incident occurred at about noon. No one was injured. The man apparently was carrying the weapon in his pocket when it discharged, blowing a hole in his trousers but otherwise causing no injury. Sources said the man appeared to be somewhat distraught and removed the gun from his pocket after it fired. The gun was described as a small revolver. Members of Walmart management and security responded promptly, said sources, adding that the incident caused some alarm among other shoppers.
- JONESBORO, AR, 11/28/15: A 15-year-old boy was killed after accidentally shooting himself the night before a planned hunting trip over the weekend, according to Jonesboro police. In a report, police said they were initially called to a report of a shooting about 9:50 PM Saturday at 710 N. Caraway Road in Jonesboro. At the scene, responding officers found two "extremely upset" men outside the residence: the father of the boy and an unidentified man. The two men told police that the victim was in the house's back bedroom. Authorities said the unidentified victim, who had a gunshot wound to the right side of his head, was found on a bed unresponsive and still breathing. A black handgun was located in the boy's right hand, police said, adding that his finger was on the trigger. A friend of the boy staying at the house went outside the residence to to notify the victim's father that his son had shot himself after the friend looked away at his phone, heard a gunshot and looked up to see the boy shot, according to the report. The victim's friend, whose identity has also not been released, told police that he and the boy had planned to go deer hunting Sunday morning. According to police, the victim was transported to St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro, where he was later pronounced dead. Additional firearms and ammunition were also were found in the bedroom, authorities said. Jonesboro police spokesman Paul Holmes said no charges are anticipated in the accidental shooting death. The 15-year-old boy's death was the fourth this month involving the fatal accidental shooting of children in Arkansas. Earlier this month, a 2-year-old boy shot himself in Benton, a 12-year-old boy shot his 16-year-old brother in Sevier County and a 6-year-old boy was shot in Little Rock, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
- CASA GRANDE, AZ, 11/28/15: A 14-year-old girl was accidentally shot by a family friend Saturday afternoon at Elzy Pearson Shooting Range on Isom Road, authorities said. A 9mm handgun was accidentally discharged by Howard Reno, 50, while he was trying to holster the firearm. The bullet struck the teenage girl, who was seated about 20 feet away from Reno, in her front torso and exited through her back. A Casa Grande Police Department park ranger responded first to the scene at about 5:30 PM to administer first aid. The girl was reportedly alert and conscious when the Casa Grande Fire Department arrived on scene. She was later flown to a Phoenix-area hospital. A family member of the girl reported on social media she is “doing fine” and that no drugs or alcohol were involved. No charges have been filed against Reno, whose considered a friend of the girl’s family, and an incident report has been forwarded to the Pinal County Attorney’s Office for review. The Elzy Pearson Shooting Range is overseen by the City of Casa Grande’s Community Services Department. The department’s advisory board approved a set of rules in 2003 to improve the safety of the city-operated shooting range. The former Community Services Director said at the time no formal rules had been established before to regulate the facility. One of the approved rules dictated that firearms must be kept unloaded until shooters are on the firing line. Another required that all shots must only be fired into backstops.
- FLAGSTAFF, AZ, 11/28/15: A 22-year-old Flagstaff man was taken to the hospital over the weekend after police say he accidentally shot himself in the leg. According to the police report, the shooting happened at a home in the 4400 block of North Lynch Avenue at approximately 12:30 PM Saturday. The victim told police he and his girlfriend were getting ready to leave town when he picked up his Springfield Armory XD-9 handgun in his bedroom. He told police he must have grabbed it near the trigger because it went off. The bullet pierced the padded part of his left hand, passed through his left leg and embedded in the mattress. The girlfriend, who was in another room, heard him scream for help and called 911. The victim was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment. The weapon was booked into Flagstaff Police Department for safekeeping. No charges were filed.
- STEUBEN CO., IN, 11/28/15: A 34-year old man was shot in the face while hunting in Steuben County, near Hudson. Police say Nathan Whetzel was hunting for deer with 10 family members on Saturday when someone in the group accidentally shot him. The group surrounded a field and two hunters opened fire when two deer were flushed out of the woods. Whetzel was across the field from the shooters, with his 12-year old son, and was struck by one of the bullets. Despite a wound below his cheekbone, he was able to talk to 911 dispatchers. He was flown to the hospital in serious condition. All of the hunters were wearing the required bright orange clothing, but Whetzel could not be seen because of hills on the property. The investigation continues. Conservation officers are working to figure out which gun shot the bullet that struck Whetzel.
- GARY, IN, 11/28/15: A shooting last weekend that left a teenage Gary boy dead might have been accidental, Gary police said Wednesday. Tiyrek Foxx died after he was shot in the back early Saturday on Gary's West Side, officials said. Police initially listed Foxx's age as 15, but the Lake County coroner's office said he was 16. There's a possibility the shooting was accidental, but the case will be presented to the Lake County prosecutor's office for a decision on charges, Lt. Dawn Westerfield said. It's standard procedure to present all cases to the prosecutor, she said. Police found Foxx after responding about 12:10 AM Saturday to the 3900 block of West 21st Avenue. Foxx was pronounced dead at 12:45 AM at the scene, the coroner's office said. The coroner’s office said Foxx died of a gunshot wound, but listed his manner of death as pending. Police have not released information about why Foxx was at the address. He lived in the city's Brunswick section, officials said.
- TRAVERSE CITY, MI, 11/28/15: Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Bob Cooney opted not to levy a criminal charge against a county sheriff's deputy who accidentally fired his pistol inside a county building. A police report states Deputy Sean Griffard, 25, early Nov. 28 went into a sheriff's department building on 1330 Trade Center Drive to conduct training drills. Griffard told a sheriff's sergeant he forgot at one point he reloaded his pistol. He intended to "dry fire" the weapon, but instead shot a round into a corner, the report states. Cooney said the action could be considered negligent, but he believed the circumstances didn't rise to a careless discharge of a firearm charge. "You have to show more than slight negligence," he said.Cooney said he's authorized charges in other accidental discharge cases where some sort of "aggravating factor" existed. In May, prosecutors charged Jesse Brocklehurst, 25, of Traverse City, with careless discharge on accusations Brocklehurst accidentally shot his gun into his apartment wall. The bullet passed through the wall and exited above a neighbors' bed. Brocklehurst pleaded guilty to the charge in August and received a delayed sentence. Cooney said Griffard's case differed in that no one was present in the building when the accident occurred. He said sheriff's deputies are encouraged to engage in training drills in the building and also to "dry fire" their weapons while indoors during drills. The police report states Griffard unloaded his weapon before conducting drills. He reloaded his weapon "as he was very near to going back out on patrol," the report states. But Griffard began to practice another drill. "Sean Griffard advised that when he began this drill he had simply forgotten that he had previously reloaded his pistol," the report states. "As he commenced with the drill and transitioned to his pistol, he raised his pistol up to a shooting position, aiming to the south, and pulled the trigger. Sean Griffard did describe to me that as soon as the gun had fired he felt a sinking feeling in his chest and couldn't believe that he had just made the error that he had." A sheriff's sergeant found a hole on a garage door where the bullet exited the building, the report states. He estimated based on its trajectory that it would have struck the ground within another 95 feet. Cooney said Griffard couldn't be considered damaging another person's property because he is a county employee engaged in his normal job duties. He said there didn't appear to be any "aggravating factor' that would lead to a charge. "I’m not going to treat him any better, or any worse," Cooney said.
- FRESNO, CA, 11/28/15: A Fresno boy was arrested Monday after accidentally shooting his friend in the back in southeast Fresno on Nov. 28. The victim and his friends pulled into an apartment complex, near California and Maple avenues, shot two rounds into the air, then went back into the car and headed west, police said. While they were driving the suspect began to shoot out of the sunroof. As the suspect pulled the gun back into the car, he fired one last round that hit the victim in the back and punctured his aorta, a main artery in the body, said police. The victim was driven to Community Regional Medical Center by the three friends and remained in stable condition. According to police, the occupants of the car lied to the detectives and said they did not know who shot the victim. Detectives later found a video from the apartment complex shooting and saw the suspect recklessly shooting into the air. Police searched the suspect’s home on Monday. Police re-interviewed everyone involved and obtained admissions. The juvenile was booked in the Juvenile Justice Campus for recklessly discharging a firearm
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