Gun Fail

Sat Aug 03, 2013 at 07:48 PM PDT

GunFAIL XXIX

by David Waldman

 

A little more activity this week than we've seen lately, with a heavy concentration of home invasion shootings (eight), two additional hotel room invasion shootings, eight target shooting accidents (not including a ninth that I saw recounted by an eye witness on a gun owner's online forum, but not in a news report), three gun-in-the-waistband injuries, two incidents involving cops and/or security guards (including one at the nuclear weapons production facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee), two people who shot themselves cleaning loaded weapons, and three people who dropped their guns and accidentally shot themselves in so doing.

 Worth a special mention this week are the New Hampshire man who shot himself while sleepwalking, the Arkansas gents who gave us this year's 12th accidental discharge at a gun show, and ... (drum roll, please...) Rock Hill, South Carolina's amazing sixth and seventh #GunFAIL entries.

Also worthy of note, for those of you who've expressed concern about the rate of gun injuries in this country and found yourselves confronted with demands that you be equally concerned about the rate of swimming pool drownings, this week we have the Perfect Storm of accidental injuries waiting to happen. From Tekonsha, Michigan, comes the story of a 7-year-old girl facing what surely would have been a drowning in her family's backyard pool, saved by a quick-thinking (and gun-owning) neighbor, who helpfully shot her in the arm before she could meet that fate. Thank you, Mister Armed American!

Besides this fortunate 7-year-old, the child victims of GunFAIL this week were ages 2, 4, 7, 13, 14, 16, 16 and two juveniles of unspecified age.

Below the fold, this week's accounting of GunFAIL, preceded by two additional entries which are submitted for your consideration, but are uncounted in the official tally. The second of the two is the above-mentioned tale reported only on the online gun owner's forum, but without any corroborating news report. The first is a story that involves no actual firearms, but bears directly on the subject nonetheless. Be sure to note the outcome of the simulation designed as a training for the "posse" organized by the infamous Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio to "protect" the area's public schools. See if you can guess who ended up "shot." You people are pretty smart. I'll bet you can figure it out.

First, two incidents that don't quite qualify for the official tally, but are interesting nonetheless:

QUEEN CREEK, AZ, 7/27/13: The sounds of gunshots and explosions shook the walls of Queen Creek High School on Saturday afternoon. The sounds were part of a simulated training exercise for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Posse. As teachers and students get ready for a new school year, the sheriff's office is preparing to send members of the posse back to school as well. Just days before school starts, however, those training to be the ones protecting the schools have a lot of training they need to get done. "Things are very fast, that's why you go through this training," Garrett Blackwell said. Blackwell, a member of the sheriff's posse, was on the receiving end of a scenario gone wrong.

"I played the role as a teacher," Blackwell said. Unfortunately for him, he also took a direct-shot in the chest by a simulated round of gunfire. Blackwell played the role of an "innocent teacher" trying to help members of the posse find another man acting as a terrorist. In his scenario, a posse member accidentally shot Blackwell. "That's why you go through these scenarios—things change," he said. "That's why this training is so important."

FREDERICKSBURG, VA, 7/29/13:

Fredericksburg/stafford The range indoor range at around 3 today I was shooting some 9mm test loads with american select. I was not paying that close attention to the people around me But the basic story is a guy was either clearing his weapon of loading, he had no muzzle awareness, no firearm safety, no common sense, and he ended up shooting himself in the hand and his woman friend in the leg. the bullet came from his stall at the 7-8 o'clock position I was in lane 2 they were closest to me in lane 5. Had I known he had not only shot himself and his lady But shot in my close direction Im not sure what I would have done. I have a family a kid and a good life. Just keep your heads up and call others out around you not doing the safe/right thing. everyone needs a reminder sometimes.

And now, the official entrants of GunFAIL XXIX:

1. GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, MI, 6/29/13: An off-duty police officer accidentally discharged a gun, sending a bullet through two hotel rooms. No one was hurt. It happened Saturday just after 9 AM at the Holiday Inn Express in Grand Blanc Township. That's in the 3400 block of Regency Park Drive. The Grand Blanc Township police chief tells us the officer from Texas was in town for a funeral. While here, he was given an old gun from the deceased's estate. As he was taking it apart, the officer says it accidentally fired a shot. The bullet traveled through two adjoining rooms.
2. BETHLEHEM, PA, 7/23/13: An Ohio man is charged with firing a handgun about 11:40 PM Tuesday in a Bethlehem Township apartment during a domestic argument. James W. Blomstran, 23, of Cortland, allegedly fired a shot from a .45-caliber handgun that penetrated a wall in the apartment he was in in the 2100 block of Johnston Drive and entered a second occupied apartment, township police said. Blomstran had been arguing with his girlfriend about their deteriorating relationship when he fired the shot, police said. The bullet landed on the bedroom floor of an adjoining apartment near where two residents were in bed, police said.
3. NEW YORK, NY, 7/23/13: A Georgia tourist, apparently unaware of New York’s tight gun-control laws, tried to walk into the Empire State Building on Tuesday with his loaded gun. He was caught, the New York Post reported, when he asked a nearby security guard if there was a place he could store his weapon. The man, 39, was promptly arrested. Police from the Midtown South precinct responded to the scene and confiscated the man’s .40-caliber Sig Sauer. The man does have a valid concealed-carry permit from Georgia, police said.
4. CALVERT, MD, 7/23/13: Cara Keene heard three gunshots in the distance last week while cleaning her bedroom, but the 9-year-old girl paid little attention because her North East-area home is in a relatively rural area where hunters and target shooters commonly discharge their weapons in nearby fields and woods. Seconds later, however, Cara heard a strange, scary sound—all too close—and she sprinted upstairs to alert her mother, Nicole Keene. “The bullet went through the window and then hit a stud in the wall. It ricochetted and wound up in her toys,” Chris said. Seconds before that bullet pierced the house, Cara had been standing in front of that very bedroom window. “We are not anti-guns. Everyone has the right to bear arms; we truly believe that,” Nicole said. “But people just need to stop and think where the bullets are ending up. This little girl was just innocently cleaning her room and her life could have been taken away.”
5. WICKENBURG, AZ, 7/26/13: Authorities say a 13-year-old boy from Wickenburg is in critical condition after being shot Friday night. Maricopa County Sheriff's spokesman Officer Chris Hegstrom said deputies responded to the shooting around 7 PM in the 55000 block of Easy Street in Wickenburg. Once they arrived on scene they found a 13-year-old boy who had been shot, said Hegstrom. The child was flown to Phoenix children's Hospital to undergo surgery. On Saturday morning he remained on life support, said Hegstrom. Hegstrom said the incident continues to be under investigation. The shooting appears to be accidental. UPDATE: He didn't make it.
6. SWISS, MO, 7/26/13: A 16-year-old North County teen can say he is lucky. He survived a recreational gun accident. The Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department (GCSD) said it was notified of an accidental gunshot wounding at a residence off of Route F near Swiss. Colin Cameron was shooting a 20-gauge shotgun at a sheet of plexiglass about 30 feet away when one of the pellets from the No. 7 1/2 birdshot shell ricocheted and hit him below an eye, near his nose, according to the Sheriff's Department.
7. PARISHVILLE, NY, 7/26/13: A 22-year-old Parishville man is being treated in a Burlington, Vermont, hospital for injuries he received shortly before 8 PM Friday when he was shot in the left arm and abdomen during a reported shooting sport activity on the Heath Road in the town of Parishville. The man was identified as David Witherell of 3471 George St., Parishville.
8. SMYRNA, DE, 7/26/13: Andrew Forrester, of the 100 block of Summer Drive, was charged with possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, said Cpl. John Weglarz Sr. An investigation determined that Forrester was walking into a building at the Red Clay Creek Apartments when he accidentally shot himself in the foot with the .40 caliber handgun tucked in his waistband, Weglarz said.
9. SHORELINE, WA, 7/26/13: A person fired a round into the ceiling at Ballinger Commons, 19800 Bagley Ave. N., on July 26 because he didn’t think the gun was loaded. No one was hurt.
10. MONESSEN, PA, 7/26/13:  A Monessen woman was shot Friday afternoon while waiting inside a vehicle in front of the Sunoco in the city. The gunshot emanated from inside her vehicle, according to police, who didn't know if Ciarra Laidley accidentally shot herself or was wounded by someone else in the vehicle. Police said details are sketchy because Laidley would not cooperate with their investigation. The single gunshot was heard at 3:10 PM by patrons inside the Sunoco, who told police it came from inside the vehicle. Laidley was shot in the abdomen, police said.
11. HOT SPRINGS, AR, 7/27/13: Just after 11 AM Saturday morning the Hot Springs Police Department responded to the Lions Club Gun Show at the Hot Springs Convention Center in reference to a shooting. Once on the scene officers discovered that Charles Pike, 42, picked up a pistol off of a vendors table and the gun went off striking Pike in the left hand. The bullet them ricochet off the floor and struck William Bennett, 37, in the left side of the chest. The bullet did not penetrate Bennett's chest but both subjects were transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
12. ANTRIM TOWNSHIP, MI, 7/27/13: A 75-year-old man was hospitalized Saturday after accidentally shooting himself in the genitals while target shooting. Shiawassee County Sheriff’s Office Det. Lt. David Kirk today said the man, who is from Hamburg, tucked a pistol into his waistband when it discharged, striking him in the groin.
13. DOUGLASS TOWNSHIP, MI, 7/27/13: A Stanton man was hospitalized Saturday after he allegedly shot himself in the leg with a handgun after attempting to remove the gun from its holster. Montcalm County Sheriff’s deputies responded to Sheridan Community Hospital at 10:50 PM after a 58-year-old man came in seeking treatment for a gunshot wound. The man indicated that he had been carrying a .22 caliber handgun around his house on N. Grow Road in a hip holster. The man was removing the handgun from the holster when he began to drop it. While attempting to catch the handgun, the man accidentally shot himself in the right thigh.
14. OAK RIDGE, TN, 7/27/13: Two security police officers received minor injuries as a result of an accidental discharge of a firearm at the Y-12 National Security Complex last evening, a federal spokesman said Sunday. The two employees received first aid on site and were taken to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, where they were treated and released, said Steven Wyatt, public affairs manager for the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office at Y-12.
15. LEHIGH ACRES, FL, 7/27/13: The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Saturday shooting after a Lehigh Acres woman said someone fired shots into her 7 and 9-year-old daughters’ bedroom. The incident occurred at a residence on East 15th Street. The woman said she was in the room around 11 PM when she heard two loud pops. She said she heard something hit the floor and found a copper bullet. She said the bullet went through an outside wall and into the room near the bunk bed where her daughters were sleeping. No one was injured. Investigators said the shot likely came from a nearby wooded lot.
16. ROCK HILL, SC, 7/27/13: A convicted felon forbidden from owning guns told deputies he drank 10 beers last weekend and accidentally shot his girlfriend’s middle finger when he tried to show her how the pistol works. The girlfriend told deputies that she had drunk several alcoholic beverages and, while she and Boone were arguing, he grabbed the gun and started “messing with it.” After making threats, Boone pointed the gun at her, the report states. The girlfriend reached up to push the gun away from her face at the same time Boone pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the middle finger of her left hand and lodged into a living room window, the report states. Police seized several other guns in the house, but did not disclose how many. Deputies did not find any bullets on the floor where Boone allegedly stood, leading police to believe that he was not racking the gun as he claimed, the report states.
17. GARRETSON, SD, 7/28/13: The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s office says a 32-year-old woman shot herself in the ankle with a nine millimeter handgun yesterday afternoon at the Garretson Sportsman’s Club. Captain Paul Niedringhaus says the woman was performing a move she learned in a self-defense course. Niedringhaus say the move involves falling and firing from your back. Niedringhaue says two witness confirm the victim was practicing the manuever when the shooting occured. Authorities concluded that it was an accidental shooting.  Niedringhaus did not release the woman's name or her condition. She was taken to a Sioux Falls hospital for treatment.
18. PORTLAND, IN, 7/28/13: A 4-year-old is fighting for her life after she was accidentally shot in the head Sunday night. Jay County Capt. Patrick Wells says the child's 8-year-old brother was aiming for a target with a .22 caliber rifle when the little girl ran through the line of fire. "This obviously is nothing more than a tragic accident,” he said. “This is a perfect example of what can happen if you take your eyes off for second."
19. MISSOULA, MT, 7/28/13: A Missoula woman who was not careful with a handgun negligently fired the weapon on Sunday in an apartment at the Copper Run housing complex, just off Mullan Road near Reserve Street. According to Missoula Police Sgt. Jerry Odlin, the bullet traveled through one apartment and into a second, where it stopped. No one was injured in the shooting, which happened around 6 PM.
20. LEXINGTON, KY, 7/28/13: Police say the 16-year-old [Ezavion Lindsey-Trigg] was shot and killed Sunday night by his half brother, Eric Trigg, in what police are calling an accidental shooting.
21. OROVILLE, CA, 7/28/13: A 26-year-old man being investigated for accidentally shooting a girl was arrested after deputies found several stolen weapons and learned he was not allowed to own firearms. The Butte County Sheriff's Office was called to Oroville Hospital about 11:10 PM Sunday, after a juvenile female arrived with a gunshot wound to her back, according to a BCSO press release. Deputies learned it was likely an accidental shooting by an acquaintance, Donald Patrick Browning. However, deputies determined Browning was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
22. MERIDIAN, ID, 7/29/13: Meridian Police officers are investigating an accidental shooting that took place in a northwest Meridian neighborhood about 10:20 Monday morning. According to Meridian Police Deputy Chief Tracy Basterrechea, a 63-year-old man was cleaning his rifle at his home in the 1800 block of North Greenfield Street when the gun accidentally discharged. The man was shot in the chest. The first police officer to arrive on the scene performed CPR on the man, but the effort was unsuccessful, Basterrechea said. Reports say the man died at the scene.
23. BENNINGTON TOWNSHIP, OH, 7/29/13: A man was taken to Grant Medical Center after an accidental shooting Monday evening. Carl Day, 48, was taken to the Columbus hospital by Monroe Township Fire Department with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to Lt. Steve Downey, of the Monroe Township Fire Department. The call to 3556 Johnstown-Utica Road came in at 5:02 PM Monday, according to the Licking County 911 Center. A Licking County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said the man was out practicing and the shooting was accidental, with no further investigation planned.
24. NEW YORK, NY, 7/29/13:  There's been another incident of gunplay at the East Harlem housing project where this year's stable of Democratic mayoral hopefuls did an overnight stay, police sources said Tuesday. An unidentified man accidentally shot himself in the upper right thigh inside the Lincoln Houses on Madison Ave. near E. 132nd St. at about 9 PM Monday night, the sources said.
25. ARNOLD, MO, 7/29/13: Charges are filed against Keith Wildharber after police say he accidentally shot and killed his friend. Wildharber was drinking with his friends on Monday night, when witnesses say he playfully pulled out a gun, pointed it at the victim, asked the victim if he trusted him, and pulled the trigger. The victim died from a gunshot wound to the stomach. Police say Wildharber believed the gun was unloaded.
26. PORTALES, NM, 7/29/13: A 43-year-old Portales man accidentally shot himself in the leg Monday, according to Portales police. He is being treated at a Lubbock hospital. He told police he dropped his .45 caliber firearm, causing it to fire, according to police. The incident took place in a small shed on the 100 block of South Houston, police said.
27. ROCK HILL, SC, 7/29/13: Neighbors said they heard five gunshots Monday night along Flint Hill Street. One of those bullets ripped through 75-year-old Hazel Reid's shirt, and he lived to tell Eyewitness News all about it. Reid was sitting Monday night watching TV and playing solitaire just inches away from where a bullet ripped through his living room wall and then exploded through his sofa. "All this stuff came out of the couch, and I thought something had blown up in the couch," said Reid. The bullet came so close that it tore through not one, but two shirts Reid was wearing at the time. He showed Eyewitness News the holes to prove it. Witnesses said they saw two small, light-colored cars speed away after the shooting
28. FORT COLLINS, CO, 7/29/13: Police late Monday night were investigating a reported accidental shooting at a trailer park in south Fort Collins. Police said they were notified shortly after 9:30 PM that man had been shot in the leg inside a trailer at Pleasant Grove mobile home park, 517 E. Trilby Road. Police said it was unclear Monday night whether the man had accidentally shot himself or whether he was accidentally shot by somebody else.
29. FORT COLLINS, CO, 7/30/13: For the second time in as many days, police are investigating what’s being reported as an accidental shooting in south Fort Collins. Police said there was no danger to the public after a man was shot in the stomach near the tennis courts at Fossil Creek Park. Police said it was reported as an accident, but they are interviewing witnesses to determine exactly what happened.
30. ZIONVILLE, NC, 7/30/13: A Zionville man was flown to the Johnson City Medical Center early this morning after being shot in what was reported as an accidental shooting. The call came in shortly after 3:30 this morning to a Silverstone Road residence, the caller reporting that a 37-year old man suffered a rather large caliber gunshot wound to the upper chest, but that the victim was conscious, the man’s father applying pressure to the wound. Watauga Deputies arrived at the 2221 Silverstone Road residence and cleared the scene for Zionville First Responders and Watauga Medics to come to the house, while other Zionville Firemen set up a landing zone near-by. WINGS Air Rescue landed and whisked the man away to the Johnson City Medical Center for treatment of the gunshot wound.
31. CONCORD, NH, 7/30/13: A Concord man who accidentally shot himself early this morning may have been sleepwalking at the time, according to the police. The man, whose name has not been released because he is not facing charges, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and remains there this morning, according to Concord police Chief John Duval. Duval said officers were dispatched to the Wilfred Avenue home at about 12:32 AM after the man’s wife reported he had shot himself in the knee. The woman told the police that he appeared to be sleepwalking at the time and woke up when the gun went off. “This is a good opportunity to remind our citizens of safe storage of weapons and other practices,” Duval said. “If this is an accident, accidents do happen.”
32. FARGO, ND, 7/30/13: A Fargo man could face charges after an accidental shooting in Fargo. It happened at an apartment building in the 4300 block of Calico Drive just before 8 last night. Police say the man was handling a gun when he accidentally shot himself in the leg. He suffered a serious wound and was taken to the hospital.
33. JACKSONVILLE, FL, 7/30/13: A teen suffered an accidental gunshot wound to the foot after playing with a firearm in a home on Tuesday. The juvenile was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The victim and 2 other children were playing with the gun inside a home on the 1200 block of W 29th street shortly after 5:00 PM, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
34. DENHAM SPRINGS, LA, 7/30/13: A man appeared to have accidentally shot himself in the face during a standoff with Livingston Parish sheriff’s deputies Tuesday afternoon at a Denham Springs-area apartment, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman said. Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Live Oak Trace apartments around 5:30 PM, responding to a report of a suspicious incident, Sgt. Gene Higginbotham said in a news release. Deputies noticed what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the lower part of the man’s face. He was taken to a Baton Rouge hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, Higginbotham said.
35. TEKONSHA, MI, 7/30/13: A 7-year-old girl from Tekonsha is speaking out after being accidentally shot while swimming with her siblings in a backyard pool. The shooting happened around 5 PM Tuesday in the 6500 block of 14 and a half mile road. Michigan State Police say the shooter was a neighbor who was using his 9 millimeter handgun for target practice. Police tell us the man in his 30s also has a concealed weapons permit and should have known what he was doing. The mother, Jodi Scherer tells Newschannel 3 that bullet barely missed hitting her daughter in the chest and whizzed right by her 2-year-old sister's head who was standing next to her. "All of a sudden they all started screaming and running, and I was like what's wrong? And I ran up and Abby said, I’ve been shot!" said Scherer. Michigan State Police tell us the man who lives on the other side of the field was shooting his handgun for target practice, when the last bullet went awry traveling at least 200 yards across a cornfield and hitting 7-year-old Abby Wrobel in the arm as she was standing on her pool deck. "It felt like a firework was going inside my arm," said Wrobel. Scherer says her neighbor, who has three kids of his own, should have known better. "I mean you can literally hear my kids playing at that house down there when they're outside. So he knew there were kids down there, he should have never been shooting this way," said Scherer.
36. PAWTUCKET, RI, 7/30/13: An ex-convict was arrested Tuesday after after reports that he allegedly shot a hole through his apartment floor with a stolen gun. A woman living below Aaron Carpenter, at 109 Montgomery St., noticed a bullet hole in her ceiling when she returned home around 3 a.m., said Pawtucket Police Maj. Arthur Martins. She called police, who visited Carpenter in his apartment. The 30-year-old man didn't say much, but officers looked out his windows and saw a .44-caliber Ruger lying on the grass, Martins said. It had been stolen from New Bedford in January, he said.
37. CAVE-IN-ROCK, IL, 7/31/13: A Cave-In-Rock man was killed as a result of an apparent accident shooting in Hardin County Wednesday. Deputy Hardin County Coroner Andrea Bebout said Dustin Winters, 18, Cave-In-Rock, was pronounced dead at Hardin County Hospital following a shooting that occurred around noon. Bebout said an autopsy should be completed today and she should have more information. "All I can tell you is there was no foul play involved and that we're waiting on an autopsy report," Bebout said.
38. STRONGS PRAIRIE, WI, 7/31/13: A Racine teen was reportedly shot Wednesday by his grandfather in Adams County, in an apparent target shooting accident, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. The 14-year-old Racine boy was reportedly shot in the abdomen Wednesday evening while on vacation in the Town of Strongs Prairie, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He was target shooting with relatives when he was reportedly shot by his 64-year-old grandfather, who was handling a handgun, according to law enforcement.
39. CHEROKEE CO., TX, 7/31/13: A Cherokee County woman is in a Tyler hospital after allegedly shooting herself in the chest Wednesday night. Deputies from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from a 59-year-old woman on County Road 3143, on the south end of Lake Jacksonville, around 9 PM, according to a news release from the department. The woman said she accidently shot herself in the chest. Officials kept her on the phone until the sheriff’s office and EMS could arrive, and officials had to force open a locked door to get to her, the release states. The woman was found lying on her the living room couch with a single gunshot wound to the upper right chest, near her shoulder. The wound was a through and through shot, and the woman had lost a lot of blood, the release states. She was flown to East Texas Medical Center – Tyler from a landing zone that was created at the intersection of Farm-to-Market 2138 and County Road 3108, according to police.
40. WALDORF, MD, 7/31/13: On July 31 at 4 PM, Charles County officers responded to the 2500 block of Lake Drive in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. When they arrived, officers found a 27-year-old male with at least one gunshot wound to the upper body. A witness—the victim’s 21-year-old roommate—said they were standing outside someone fired a shot. Officers and detectives investigated further and determined the shooting did not occur as reported. A search of the victim’s apartment revealed the shooting had actually occurred inside their residence where both the victim and the witness had been handling firearms. It appears one of the firearms – a shotgun- discharged striking the victim.
41. NATCHEZ, MS, 7/31/13: Police have ruled a Wednesday night shooting on Pintard Street during which a woman was shot in the chest an accident. Natchez Police Detective Jerry Ford said that Tameka Webbs reportedly told investigators that she pulled a gun on her boyfriend, Keith Pollard, to "scare him" after an argument. Webbs had no intention of actually shooting Pollard, Ford said. Pollard reportedly slapped Webbs' hand, causing the gun to point at Webbs at which point she accidentally shot herself in the left chest area, Ford said.
42. SIOUX CITY, IA, 8/01/13: Authorities on Thursday said a Sioux City man who shot himself while cleaning his gun will not face charges. The man, 21, shot himself in the left leg with handgun in a residence in the 4000 block of Teton Trace about 9:25 Wednesday, said Sioux City police Lt. Mark Kirkpatrick.
43. NOVI, MI, 8/01/13: No one was injured by bullets shot by a 38-year-old Florida man who apparently committed suicide at a Novi hotel early today, according to police. Assistant Novi Police Chief Jerrod Hart said just after 9 AM that police found the man dead from gunshot wounds when they went into his room at Extended Stay America, 21555 Haggerty Road, just north of 8 Mile. Police were called to the hotel at 4:28 AM after guests reported multiple gunshots with one bullet traveling through a wall to an adjacent room where guests were sleeping. They were not injured.
44. FREDERICK, MD, 8/01/13: Police in Frederick have made an arrest, after a gunshot went through the ceiling of an apartment bedroom. Police have charged Timothy Ashman with second-degree assault and the discharge of a firearm after a bizarre incident that happened early Thursday morning. Police say they were called to the Village Grove Apartment Complex around 8 a.m. after the victims who live below apartment 306 said a bullet came through the ceiling and into their bedroom. The investigation revealed that two women, and Ashman were using drugs and alcohol through then night. Both woman got into a verbal fight during which police say Ashman assaulted one of the women. The women later went to sleep, at which time police say Ashman went into his bedroom and fired one round into the floor.
45. TUSCALOOSA, AL, 8/01/13: A 2-year-old boy was shot in the leg and his neighbor was stabbed at Forrester Gardens apartments Thursday afternoon. Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit commander Sgt. Dale Phillips said that a fight occurred outside of a building in the complex in which a woman was stabbed and a man was cut on the hand. Someone fired a gun, which went into an apartment and struck the boy, Broddrick Hardy Jr.
46. MASCOT, TN, 8/01/13: An East Knox County woman who accidentally shot herself in the leg with a handgun Thursday told authorities she thought it was unloaded because there was no ammunition clip. She forgot to check for a round in the chamber, though. Emergency responders were called about 3:45 PM to the reported shooting at a home on the 9300 block of Number 4 Drive. They found the victim, Rebecca Morell, 47, with a gunshot wound just above her knee, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Morell apparently was taking the firearm out of a closet when it discharged.
47. FOSTORIA, OH, 8/01/13: A man was treated at ProMedica Fostoria Community Hospital after he accidentally shot himself in the leg Thursday evening. According to reports from the Seneca County Sheriff's Office, Fostoria Police advised deputies a man who accidentally shot himself in the 11,000 block of West TR 116 was being treated at the hospital. According to the report, the man's gun had hit the floor while he was putting on his pants and a bullet went through his leg. The man has a concealed carry permit, the report states.
48. TWIN FALLS, ID, 8/02/13: Police have located those involved with a Friday evening shooting. The gun owner has been identified and is cooperating with police. The incident occurred just before 10:00 PM Friday evening at the Rivercrest Apartments. A man who was shot in the foot was taken to the hospital for treatment. Officials believe this could be an accidental shooting.
49. WARREN, OH, 8/02/13: A teenager was killed in a shooting Friday night in Warren. According to police, McKayla Hopkins, 18, was shot around 9:15 PM while attending a party in the pavilion at Perkins Park. Witnesses at the scene said Hopkins was accidentally shot in the abdomen while showing off a gun to other teens who were at a party, but police would not confirm that information.
50. SCHENECTADY, NY, 8/02/13: A man accidentally shot himself in the groin in the over night hours Friday when he put a gun in his waistband, Schenectady Police Lt. Mark McCracken said Saturday morning. The man was at the Imperial Motel on State Street.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Sat Aug 03, 2013 at 07:48 PM PDT.