Gun Fail

Mon Nov 11, 2013 at 12:33 PM PST

I don't know how my friend got shot by the gun I was cleaning while doing bong hits: GunFAIL XLIII

by David Waldman

Safety first! Wait, Reagan was a lefty?

Heavy volume this week, as we top 50 listings for the first time in quite a while. But that just gives me a chance to remind you that statistically, I'm capturing only about 20 percent of accidental gun injuries each week, and there's no telling how many accidental discharges or other types of GunFAIL are being missed that don't immediately cause injury. I suspect that the arrival of November—and with it, deer hunting season—is partly responsible for the increase in gun cleaning accidents, of which there were eight admitted instances. Three people were accidentally shot in hunting mishaps, as well. Four, if you count the one who says he and his friends were out hunting for Bigfoot. In Tulsa, Oklahoma. Because of course. A fifth victim shot himself in the face when he took his rifle out while telling hunting stories. 

 It was likewise a rough week for law enforcement, with four officers accidentally shooting themselves, one contract security guard accidentally putting a round in the floor in the El Paso, TX municipal court building, and one McLennan County, TX prosecutor accidentally shooting out a colleague's office window. McLennan County prosecutors are armed, it should be noted, in response to the murders of two prosecutors in nearby Kaufman County earlier this year. It might well make sense as a matter of policy for criminal prosecutors, but I thought it made an interesting footnote to the related question of whether it makes sense to arm teachers. Here, after all, were two respected professionals in their place of employment, and still we not only saw an accidental discharge, but afterwards, the insistence that, "I was being extremely safe," from the very person who caused the accident. I understand where he's coming from, but "extremely safe" is saying, "You know what? How about if I check your gun out after work, maybe at the range? Or if I just can't wait, maybe I can resist the urge to pull the trigger, even if God himself assures me the gun isn't loaded."

In other recurring theme categories, two people who shot themselves were caught lying to police, at first claiming some mysterious stranger had shot them, one person accidentally shot himself with his concealed weapon while reaching for his wallet at the grocery store, four people were injured in three separate accidents at practice ranges, two helpful patriots shared freedom projectiles with unsuspecting neighbors (including one very giving person who fired through a total of four neighboring units), one 11-year-old boy accidentally shot his sister, and one resident of Rock Hill, SC accidentally shot himself, bringing the grand total of Rock Hill GunFAILS this year to nine. And speaking of geographical GunFAIL anomalies, I have listings this week from both Mariettas, in Georgia and in Ohio.

There were also some new twists on old themes this week, including the newest entrant in the gun show accidental discharge category, bringing 2013's running total to 13 so far. This week it was at a show in Myrtle Beach, SC, and the twist is that I was actually in Myrtle Beach at the time, and even drove past the convention center on the day of the accident. Naturally, as soon as I saw the sign, I remarked on the possibility of there being such a mishap, and lo, it was true. But I didn't jinx them. It had already happened at 9:45 that morning, before I'd even left the breakfast table. The other slight twist, though, was the story in that morning's paper, about the local mom who'd brought her 6-year-old son to the show the day before, to show him there was nothing to worry about. Lucky choice, mom! Other twists this week: the man who shot his friend not because he didn't think his gun was loaded, but because he thought he had loaded it with blanks (but hadn't); the Denver road rager who accidentally shot himself (for a change); and the toddler who accidentally shot his father (grabbing an unsecured, loaded shotgun as he climbed into dad's truck).

The child victims of GunFAIL this week were ages 4, 4, 5, 14 and 16. And like most weeks, plenty of guns were found in school, this time in: Norfolk, VA; San Antonio, TX; San Antonio, TX; Bethesda, MD; Little Rock, AR; Riverview, FL; Blountstown, FL; Knoxville, TN, and; Bartlesville, OK.
Without further ado, this week's list is below the fold.

1. RED HILL, PA, 10/04/13: A Red Hill man was charged with reckless endangerment after his gun accidentally discharged in the 900 block of Vanguard Drive around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 4. According to the Skippack barracks of the state police, Matthew J. Mio Lewandoski, 36, was on a rear deck of a home in a townhouse community, cleaning a loaded weapon when he accidentally pulled back the slide of the trigger and the firearm discharged in an unknown direction. He is awaiting his preliminary hearing on charges of recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct in district court.
2. WAYNESBORO, VA, 10/10/13: Two people are in custody and two people are wanted in connection with an armed robbery at Fairfax Hall on Oct. 10, say police. And, according to a search warrant, at least one of the suspects allegedly shot himself in the groin by mistake during the robbery. Randy Maceo Morings, 22, of Staunton, was carried into Augusta Health by another man, James Henry Crawford III, 24, of Staunton, just 15 minutes after the robbery happened, the warrant says.
3. LAKEWOOD, CO, 10/23/13: Police responded to the 2400 block of Iris Street on Oct. 23 for an accidental gunshot wound. A man told police he shot himself in the hand while trying to clean his gun, a 9mm handgun. He also admitted to taking three Percocet pills, three Vicodin pills and half a bottle of Nyquil.
4. ATASCOCITA, TX, 10/26/13: On Oct. 26, deputies responded to an accidental gunshot wound in the 20000 block of Sunny Shores Dr.
5. ONTARIO, OR, 10/28/13: Police are searching for a man who they say fled an eastern Oregon home after a gun discharged, injuring a 4-year-old boy. The boy was hit in the arm when the gun fired late Saturday and was taken to a hospital in Boise, Idaho with non-life threatening injuries. Police say a felony warrant has been issued for 33-year-old Juan Jose Moreno-Alvarez of Ontario charging him with assault. Police say they consider him to be armed and dangerous. The shooting is still under investigation and it's not yet clear who was holding the gun or how it discharged.
6. JASPER CO., IN, 10/29/13: A man who allegedly shot himself in the foot and later told law enforcement officials he had been robbed has been arrested and charged with false informing. According to reports, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at approximately 3:20 a.m., Jasper County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a victim who was at the Jasper County Hospital Emergency Room being treated for a gunshot wound. JCSO Sgt. Jack Bulington responded to the hospital and discovered that a man identified as Eduardo Torres-Vargas, 23, of DeMotte, had received a gunshot wound to the lower part of his left leg. According to two witnesses who were with Vargas at the time of the shooting, the group had been robbed at gunpoint on State Road 10 near the intersection of State Road 110 south of DeMotte. During the alleged robbery the unknown suspect had fired a shot that struck the victim.
7. ROCK HILL, SC, 10/31/13: Police are trying to decide if they will file charges against the two men who claimed last week that an unknown assailant shot one of them outside of Rock Hill’s Emmett Scott Recreation Center during an alleged robbery last week. Investigators have determined that 21-year-old Timothy Royster accidentally shot himself while sitting in his car in the center’s parking lot. Authorities swarmed the parking lot of the Crawford Road community center last Thursday afternoon after receiving reports of shots fired, documents show. When police arrived, they found Royster on the ground, complaining of a gunshot wound to the leg. Royster, of Ohio, told police a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt ambushed him from behind, pushed him to the ground and searched his front pockets. He said he heard a gunshot and realized he had been shot in the leg.
8. SENECA, OR, 11/01/13: A Silvies Valley man was injured last week when a loaded handgun fell to the floor and discharged, the bullet lodging in his leg. Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said the incident occurred about 3:51 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, at Silvies Valley Ranch, just south of Seneca.
9. MARIETTA, GA, 11/01/13: An accidental shooting death that took place on the Square has some locals unnerved, but they say they still have confidence in the safety of the area regarded as the city’s family friendly gathering place. A 25-year-old man was shot dead Friday night in the kitchen of the Laziza eatery at 113 North Park Square next to The Strand Theatre when his gun accidentally fired. Raouf Sanad, 63, owner of the restaurant, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, pointing a gun at another person and reckless conduct in the death of Wael Ali, who owned the firearm and had been showing it to Sanad in the restaurant’s kitchen. Sanad is accused of pointing a black semi-automatic handgun at Ali and pulling the trigger, believing the safety was on, and killing Ali, according to the arrest warrant.
10. RUSSELLVILLE, AR, 11/02/13: Police in Russellville are investigating the accidental shooting of a father by his child. Police said officers were called to a Walmart store parking lot on Main Street at 11 a.m. Saturday regarding a possible shooting. Once there, police found a man with a gunshot wound to his back. Officers say the child - whose age wasn't disclosed - was getting into the father's pickup truck and tried to pull himself in by grabbing an unsecured shotgun. The firearm discharged and wounded the father in the back.
11. CHICAGO, IL, 11/02/13: About 5:06 p.m., Chicago Fire Department crews were dispatched to the 3300 block of South Wentworth Avenue, where paramedics treated a 20-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Chief Juan Hernandez. The woman taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious-to-critical condition. The woman was injured in an accidental shooting involving a weapon she was hiding on her person as arresting officers waited for a female officer to search her, police said. The woman was arrested about 5 p.m. in the 3300 block of South Wentworth Avenue and was in the back of a police squad, waiting for a female officer to arrive on-scene when the gun discharged, injuring the woman, police said.
12. ROGERS CO., OK, 11/02/13: Rogers County Sheriff's Department arrested three people in what appears to be an accidental shooting. One of the men told deputies he'd shot his friend while the two were on a Sasquatch hunting expedition. The two men were hunting - apparently for Bigfoot - around 177th East Avenue and Tiger Switch Road Saturday night. Omar Pineda reportedly heard a "barking noise," jerked and shot his friend in the back, authorities say.
13. BURLEY, ID, 11/02/13: A 16-year-old boy died at a west Cassia County home Saturday night after he was accidentally shot in the neck, according to the sheriff's office. Sheriff Jay Heward said Sunday that Ryan J. Willes, of Burley was shot while people at the home were cleaning their guns. The group had apparently been out shooting earlier in the day, Heward said. Willes was pronounced dead at the scene.
14. STONINGTON, ME, 11/02/13: A man and his young daughter were both injured when the man’s handgun went off this morning in Stonington, police said. The man, Ryan Matson, 38, was cleaning his .45 caliber handgun when it went off accidentally in his kitchen. He and his daughter, Riley Matson, were both shot in the leg and taken to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital. Police said the injuries were not life threatening.
15. NORTH TERRE HAUTE, IN, 11/02/13: A man is dead after accidentally shooting himself. The Vigo County Sheriff's Department responded to an apartment complex in North Terre Haute Saturday night. That's where a tenant told deputies he and his friend has been drinking and fooling around with a handgun, when his friend accidentally fired - and shot himself. The victim was airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
16. NEW LONDON, MO, 11/03/13: On Sunday, Nov. 3, at 9:26 a.m., the Ralls County Sheriff’s Department responded to a reported accidental shooting at the Salt River Gun Range. The gun range is located on U.S. 61 in the New London rural section of Ralls County. Upon arrival at the scene, sheriff’s deputes found the victim, Andrea Jinneth Corredor-Rivera, age 25, deceased from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head that appeared to be accidental in nature. However, the investigation was ongoing Sunday afternoon. MORE: Ralls County Sheriff Gerry Dinwiddie tells WGEM-TV that the woman was shooting a .500-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun when the strength of the gun's recoil caused her to lose control. She was visiting family in the area. The sheriff said the gun spun around in her hand, leading to a second fatal shot. No charges are expected in the case.
17. NEW PARIS, OH, 11/03/13: A 5 year old boy was treated for a gunshot wound Sunday afternoon. Shortly before 1:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon, an officer from the New Paris Police Department was sent to the apartments on Saver Drive on a report of a child shot in the hand. Upon arrival, preliminary information from police stated the boy was accidentally shot when a 22 caliber gun discharged and struck the boy in his hand.
18. ROANE CO., TN, 11/03/13: A Roane County man was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center after accidentally shooting himself in the chest with a rifle Sunday evening, authorities said. Emergency responders were called about 5 p.m. to the victim’s Edwards Lane residence, south of Rockwood, Roane County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tim Phillips said. The victim, whose name has not been released, was shot once in his chest while handling a .22-caliber rifle, Phillips said. He added that there were family members in the house at the time and there were no initial indications the shooting was intentional, he said. “It appears to be accidental, nothing more,” Phillips said.
19. HOISINGTON, KS, 11/03/13: A rural Hoisington man reported accidentally shooting himself in the thigh late Sunday on his farm, after tripping while carrying a small .22 in his pocket.
20. DULUTH, MN, 11/03/13: Two Duluth men were injured yesterday (Sun) when a rifle exploded at a gun range north of Duluth. Saint Louis County Sheriff's investigators say 34-year-old John Kubiak of Duluth was firing a bolt action rifle when it blew up, and the force of the blast sent the bolt flying into 61 year-old David Shrader's chest. Neither was seriously hurt, but Kubiak was treated for a severe thumb injury. A pair of binoculars Shrader was wearing around his neck may have offered some protection. Investigators are not yet sure what caused to rifle to explode.
21. MYRTLE BEACH, SC, 11/03/13: Nobody was injured when a handgun accidentally fired during a recent gun show at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, according to a police report. Officers responded Sunday to the convention center for a fire alarm call. According to the report, it was about 9:45 a.m. when a man, 55, was unloading his Glock 27 and while clearing the magazine of the weapon, he accidentally pulled the trigger, firing one round. The report said the weapon was fired inside the building near Exhibit Hall C. It's not known where the round went, but nobody was hurt and there was no damage to the facility, the report said. The man was asked to leave the show and he did so without incident.
22. WATERBURY, CT, 11/03/13: A Waterbury man died and his lifelong friend and roommate is charged with accidentally shooting and killing him. Dow Kling, 22, and Shawn French, 22, were firing blanks with a .22 caliber Ruger inside an apartment on Mill Street in Waterbury Sunday afternoon, according to police. Police said the two were taking turns pointing the gun at each other and pulling the trigger. Both men thought they were blanks, but somehow live ammunition got mixed in, according to police. Initially, police said French lied about the shooting. Police said an intruder entered the apartment, shot Kling and fled. French changed his story and admitted to shooting Kling, police said. "He thought there was a blank round in the chamber of his gun when he pointed the gun at Kling and pulled the trigger," according to court documents. "Kling was telling him to do it." Arrest papers also stated there was a baby visiting at the time the gunfire went off.
23. BROWNWOOD, TX, 11/03/13: Deputy Terry Sliter was dispatched Sunday to an undisclosed location on West Anderson on an accidental shooting report. A man was accidentally shot in his left hand and had been to the hospital and released by the time Sliter was notified.
24. HAMPTON, VA, 11/03/13: A 33-year-old Hampton man was rushed to the hospital earlier this week after shooting himself in the hand, police said. Officers were dispatched to Sentara Careplex at about 1:45 a.m. Sunday after receiving a report that a person had arrived with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Cpl. Mary Shackelford, a spokeswoman for the Hampton Police Division, in an email. Police determined a man had accidentally discharged a firearm in his possession and shot himself in the hand, Shackelford said. The man's injuries were not life threatening.
25. WILMINGTON, DE, 11/03/13: Delaware State Police are investigating an early morning shooting in Wilmington that injured one woman. Police say troopers were called to an area hospital early Sunday for the report of a 24-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to the arm. Police say the woman had been walking near the Karibbean Delight Restaurant about 2 a.m. Sunday. That's when she heard gunshots ring out. Police say the woman ran for cover but was struck in the arm by a stray bullet. A private vehicle took her to the hospital. The woman is expected to survive. Police say it does not appear the woman was targeted in the shooting.
26. DENVER, CO, 11/04/13: Denver police say a road rage suspect suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the hand. Police said the incident occurred Monday afternoon near West Warren Avenue and South Bannock Street. Two vehicles were involved. The suspect was placed into custody. No other details were released.
27. AMO, IN, 11/04/13: An 11-year-old boy accidentally shot his sister in the leg on Monday, officials with the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Department said. The incident happened at a home in the Amo area. The boy was holding a .22-caliber bolt action rifle when it fell to the floor and fired, striking the boy’s 14-year-old sister in the leg. Other people in the room at the time, including the boy’s mother, said they didn’t know the gun was loaded.
28. BROOKLYN, NY, 11/04/13: A Brooklyn cop accidentally shot himself in the arm while trying to secure his gun inside his stationhouse Monday morning, police said. The 52-year-old Housing Bureau officer was rushed to Brookdale Hospital in a police vehicle and is in stable condition. Police said the 18-year veteran had just finished the overnight shift at his locker when he accidentally fired his gun, striking himself in the left bicep. There were no other injuries.
29. WACO, TX, 11/04/13: A McLennan County prosecutor who shot out a window in the district attorney’s offices Monday while admiring a colleague’s new gun may face disciplinary action, District Attorney Abel Reyna said. First Assistant District Attorney Michael Jarrett said he asked fellow prosecutor Landon Ramsay if he could see Ramsay’s new Glock .40-caliber pistol about 2 p.m. Monday. Jarrett said he asked Ramsay if the gun was loaded and was told it was not. Jarrett pulled back the slide, he said, to double-check if it was loaded and didn’t see a bullet slide into the chamber. He aimed the gun at a window in Ramsay’s office and pulled the trigger. The bullet shattered the window and struck the brick exterior of the adjacent vacant downtown county jail, Jarrett and McLennan County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Cawthon said. No one was injured, which Jarrett said was because he was careful to point the pistol out the window at a brick wall. “I was being extremely safe,” Jarrett said. “I inspected the gun even after I was told it was not loaded, but it was just an unfortunate accident.”
30. KITTANNING, PA, 11/04/13: State police said a man was cleaning his gun inside an Armstrong County home when it accidentally went off and a bullet hit someone. Authorities said the incident happened just before midnight at a home on Port Street in Manor Township. Channel 11’s Dave Bondy reported that a woman suffered the gunshot wound, but her injuries are not life-threatening. Her name hasn’t been released.
31. HAMBLETON, WV, 11/05/13: A Tucker County man was transported by helicopter to West Virginia University Hospital Monday following a hunting accident. Edward Lee Evans, 39, of Sugarland Road, was squirrel hunting near his Hambleton home at approximately 2 p.m. Monday. Captain Roy E. Cool of the West Virginia Division of National Resources said the preliminary report on the accident indicated that Evans stopped and shot at the squirrel with a .22-caliber Hornet rifle; however, the gun did not discharge. Cool said Evans opened the action on the rifle and it fired, hitting him in his left foot. Cool said Evans sustained lacerations and some broken bones in his foot. "Evans is listed in good and stable condition," Cool told The Inter-Mountain Tuesday. Cool cautions all hunters to use basic safety rules. "Keep the gun muzzle pointed at a safe direction at all times," Cool said. "Always treat every gun as if it is loaded, no matter if you know it is not loaded."
32. BOONVILLE, NY, 11/05/13: A 20-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the leg while hunting Tuesday in Oneida County, the New York State Police said. Marc T. Donahue, of Rome, was hunting in wooded area off Furman Road in the town of Boonville. He was attempting to attach his .308 rifle to a rope to hoist it up to a tree stand. The rope was hanging six feet off the ground. When Donahue reached up and started to tie the rope to the rifle, one round was discharged, state police said. The round entered Donahue's left femur. The rifle had been loaded with four rounds and did not have the safety on at the time of the accident, state police said.
33. MOUNTAIN REST, SC, 11/05/13: A 74-year-old hiker had to be airlifted out of the woods after an accidental shooting on Tuesday, according to officials with the Oconee County Sheriff's Office and Emergency Services. Emergency services workers said the man was seven miles into the Yellow Branch Wilderness when he accidentally shot himself. Emergency workers said because of how far in the woods the victim was and the severity of his injuries they decided he should be hoisted out by the South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team. They said the man was lifted out of the woods by a Black Hawk helicopter and taken to an awaiting air ambulance to transport him to the hospital. Officials said the man is in critical condition. The accidental shooting happened on the Yellow Branch Trail off Highway 28 in Mountain Rest.
34. MERIDIAN, MS, 11/05/13:  On Tuesday morning around 6:15 AM Meridian Police responded to Anderson’s ER to a report of a person that had been brought to the hospital who had been shot. The incident occurred on 40th Avenue. According to the initial investigation the victim accidentally shot himself in the leg. The victim is in critical condition.
35. DENVER, CO, 11/05/13: Arapahoe County SWAT officers responded to a condominium complex where a female resident fired a shot that pierced the walls of five units on Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured by the gunshot, which was reported about 2:52 p.m. at the condominium complex at 7474 E. Arkansas Ave., Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said in a news release. Residents told deputies that a woman living in unit 701 said she accidentally fired a gun inside her condo. She urged neighbors to "not to call the police," Robinson said. Residents said the woman was not injured. Deputies confirmed the bullet went from the gun owner's unit into units 702, 703, 704 and 705. Deputies knocked on the unit of the gun owner, but she did not answer. After evacuating several surrounding units as a precaution, the Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team forced entry into unit 701, but the woman wasn’t inside.
36. SAN JOSE, CA, 11/05/13: A San Jose police officer was injured Tuesday when he accidentally shot himself, a police spokeswoman confirmed. The shooting is being investigated as an accidental discharge, according to Sgt. Heather Randol, a police spokeswoman. The officer, whose name was not released, had injuries that were not life-threatening. Police only confirmed the accidental discharge and did not release information regarding the circumstances, saying it is an administrative investigation. Police declined to state if the officer was on duty or where the shooting took place.
37. BENTON, AR, 11/05/13: Police are investigating after a 19-year-old woman was hospitalized after a shooting Tuesday evening. The Benton Police Department (BPD) says officers responded to a report of shots fired at Fountain Lake Apartments around 6:45 Tuesday evening, where they discovered that a shooting victim had already been taken to the hospital. Detectives took over the investigation after officers found evidence of the shooting in an apartment, then contacted the 19-year-old victim at the hospital. BPD says initial investigation indicates that a 21-year-old person was handling a firearm when it discharged accidentally.
38. MARIETTA, OH, 11/05/13: A Washington County Sheriff's Office detective who accidentally shot himself in the stomach Tuesday night was expected to be released from the hospital late Thursday. Lt. Mark Johnson, an 18-year veteran of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, discharged the gun while trying to remove it from its holster, said Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks. The gun, a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson M&P, had become caught, he said. "He had gone home off duty and his weapon was stuck in his holster. He had taken off his holster and when he tugged on the gun it came out and also went off," Mincks said. Johnson had been at a training session earlier in the day and had been required to check in the weapon during the training, said Mincks. "Apparently (the gun) was inserted backwards and that's what causes it to stick," he said.
39. EAST HARTFORD, CT, 11/06/13: A man was undergoing surgery Wednesday after he accidentally shot himself overnight, police said. The man, a tow truck driver, shot himself in the leg/groin area about 1:15 or 1:30 a.m., Lt. Todd Hanlon said. He was in a parking lot at 178 Smith St. at the time, he said. The extent of the resulting injuries weren't clear, Hanlon said shortly before 6:30 a.m. Police had not been able to interview him, but there were witnesses at the scene and "all indications" are that the shooting was accidental. "We don't know why he had the gun out," Hanlon said.
40. LANSING, MI, 11/06/13: A 19-year-old Lansing man who police say shot himself in the leg early Wednesday faces charges along with the man’s friend who apparently was present when the shooting happened. Around 1:53 a.m., Lansing police responded to a report of a possible shooting near Ada and Fayette streets, according to a news release from Public Information Officer Robert Merritt. After a brief investigation, police learned that a subject had been taken to a local hospital. Officers were able to locate a 19-year-old man at a hospital who had a gunshot wound to his leg. Police believe that the man accidentally shot himself in the leg. His injuries are non-life threatening, the news release said.
41. PINEY POINT, MD, 11/06/13: On November 6, 2013, Detective Corporal David Alexander was participating in firearms training at the Harry Lundeburg School of Seamanship Firearms Training Facility. While participating in a live fire exercise, Cpl Alexander sustained a non-life threatening gunshot wound. He was transported by Maryland State Police Helicopter to University of Maryland Trauma Center in Baltimore where he was treated and released. An investigation is ongoing to determine the exact cause of the weapons discharge. Detective Corporal David Alexander is a thirteen year veteran of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.
42. TAMPA, FL, 11/06/13: Tampa police officers have arrested a man who shot at another man outside a Home Depot where a number of people were walking through the lot at the time of the Wednesday afternoon shooting. No one was shot or injured in the shooting, which began after a confrontation when two vehicles passed each other too closely in the parking lot, police said. Darrell Strong was charged with discharging a firearm in public, aggravated assault with a firearm and burglary for the purpose of a battery, police said. The incident began when Raymond Lindstrom, 35, of New Port Richey, pulled out of his parking space in a black Ford pickup at around 12:40 p.m. at the Home Depot, at 1712 N. Dale Mabry Highway. As he tried to exit the parking area, he drove near a gold minivan driven by Latasha Strong, of Tampa, in the parking aisle. The two vehicles got too close, making it difficult to pass safely, police said. Lindstrom and Strong were side by side and exchanged words through the driver’s side windows, police said. As the two exchanged words, Strong’s husband, Darrell Strong, 27, of Tampa, and his friend, John Christian, 40, of Tampa, pulled up in a separate vehicle, police said. Darrell Strong and Christian confronted Lindstrom, who remained in his truck. The argument escalated and a fight broke out as Lindstrom was still in the driver’s seat, police said. Lindstrom took out his gun, which Darrell Strong and Christian tried to take from him, police said. Darrell Strong and Christian ran to their car. Lindstrom drove off, but he headed down a parking aisle that was a dead end, police said. He turned around and tried driving out of the lot. Darrell Strong retrieved a gun from his car, police said, and went to the front of the store. As Lindstrom drove by, Darrell Strong fired two shots at the pickup, police said. Two bullets hit an unoccupied white Toyota Corrolla that belonged to someone not involved in the incident. The bullets knocked out the back and a side window. Police estimate there were about a dozen people between the shooter and the truck when the shots were fired. No one was shot or injured, police said. Both Lindstrom and Darrell Strong have concealed weapons permits, police said.
43. WATERVILLE, ME, 11/06/13: A 31-year-old man is recovering at a Boston hospital after accidentally shooting part of his face off with a rifle Wednesday night, according to police. Dale Poulin of Waterville and two of his friends were exchanging hunting stories at a College Avenue apartment when the incident occurred, according to Waterville police Chief Joseph Massey. At one point during the conversation, Poulin went outside to his pickup and brought the high-powered, .270-caliber rifle inside the residence, according to Massey. For reasons unknown to police, Poulin put the gun under his chin as he and his friends continued to drink alcohol and share stories. Massey said Poulin thought the gun was not loaded when he pulled the trigger, and he never contemplated suicide. The bullet completely tore off the bottom of Poulin’s face, the chief said. “It’s one of those things where you mix alcohol and weapons and start to do very unsafe things, and you end up with a tragedy,” Massey said. When police entered the residence, they encountered Poulin sitting in a chair with his entire face torn off below his nose, the chief said.
44. LANDERS, CA, 11/06/13: A convicted felon, who shot himself in the hand, thought that by hiding the gun, investigating deputies wouldn’t know that he had a gun in violation of the law. According to Sheriff’s Sergeant Steve Wilson, Edward Malone, 33, of the 60200 block of Stearman Avenue in Landers, had been drinking and was cleaning his handgun when the gun went off early Wednesday morning. The bullet entered the palm of Malone’s hand and traveled up his arm, coming out at the elbow. Malone drove himself to the emergency room at Hi-Desert Medical Center where the nurses called the Sheriff’s Department at 1:30 Wednesday morning. Malone initially told deputies he was mad at the gun and threw it out in the desert, but he finally told them it was hidden in the skirting of a hot tub at his residence. Deputies will file a report with the District Attorney’s office for possible charges against Edward Malone for being a felon in possession of a gun.
45. WELLSBORO, PA, 11/06/13: A Delmar Township man was the victim of an accidental shooting on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Timothy Bowers, 41, of Wellsboro, was allegedly cleaning a firearm at his friend's residence on Stony Fork Road. As Bowers was attempting to clear the gun by pulling the slide back to eject the live round, the slide slipped from his hand, closing the action. Bowers' hand was reportedly on the trigger, which shot a single round into his left leg.
46. READING, PA, 11/07/13: Emergency crews are on the scene of a reported shooting inside a grocery store in Reading. The shooting was reported shortly before 3:45 p.m. inside a store in the 600 block of Greenwich Street. The victim was standing in the area of the cash registers with his children when a gun in his pocket accidentally went off, firing a bullet into one of his legs, police said. An ambulance rushed the victim to the hospital. The cashier closest to the victim when the gun went off was extremely shaken by the incident and taken home by store management.
47. EL PASO, TX, 11/07/13: A gun accidentally went off this morning at the Municipal Court in Northeast El Paso, putting a bullet into the floor. El Paso Police spokesman Mike Baranyay said that at about 8:15 a.m. a Ruiz Protective Services guard's gun fired into the floor of the court, 9600 Dyer. No one was injured. Ruiz Protective Services provides security for the municipal court, which is located next door to the police department's Northeast Regional Command Center, Baranyay said.
48. BATTLE CREEK, MI, 11/07/13: No one was hurt when a man accidentally fired a rifle in his house and the bullet struck a neighbor’s house. Battle Creek police reported the incident in the first block of Woolnough Street about 10:21 p.m. Thursday. The man, 20, said he was admiring an old Russian rifle he owns but didn’t know it was loaded. He pulled the trigger and the rifle fired and the bullet passed through his house and struck his neighbor’s home. One person was inside but she was not hurt and did not know about the incident until police arrived. The owner of the gun called officers after the discharge. Police seized the gun for 30 days and the neighbor said he will seek and submit an estimate to the owner of the gun to have repairs done to the house.
49. WILLARD, OH, 11/07/13: A Willard area woman likely shot herself in the leg Thursday evening inside her residence, Huron County Chief Deputy Ted Patrick said. But detectives won't know for sure until they're able to speak with her. Misty Wiseman, 35, was flown to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo after the 10 p.m. incident for treatment. Wiseman's boyfriend, Jeffrey Branham, 38, called deputies after hearing the shot inside the home and finding Wiseman with a wound to her upper left leg. "Early indications are that it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Patrick said. Whether it was accidental and the circumstances of exactly how it happened are unclear.
50. HALLSVILLE, TX, 11/08/13: Officials are investigating after a hunter was found dead this morning in Harrison County from what appears to be an accidental gunshot wound. According to Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, the hunter has been identified as 51-year-old Benjamin Randell Huffman of Hallsville. Huffman’s body was found near a deer stand in a field off Willie Smith Road south of Hallsville. A witness told deputies he and Huffman were hunting. The witness had climbed a ladder and was in a deer stand when he turned around to get his weapon from the victim. The victim then reportedly handed the rifle to the witness and the rifle discharged with the muzzle pointing downward toward the Huffman. The witness could not find a cellphone and drove from the area where they were hunting to a residence on Quail Lane and had the owners of the residence to call 911.
51. FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA, 11/08/13: A man in Bucks County is under arrest after bringing his friend to the hospital after shooting him. Friday night around 7:30pm 26-year-old Charles Byle brought his friend, Steven Vickers, to Lower Bucks Hospital. Vickers was shot in the right bicep. The bullet had traveled into his chest cavity and behind his heart. At the hospital Byle told officers he did not know how Vickers got shot, but officers noticed a large amount of blood on Byle's clothing. A search of Byle's home recovered blood evidence outside the house, a bong, fireworks in the living room, blood inside leading to the bedroom, and a revolver and pill bottles in the bedroom. When Byle was brought in for questioning he admitted to accidentally shooting Vickers while cleaning the gun. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, possession of drugs with intent to use and other related offenses.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Mon Nov 11, 2013 at 12:33 PM PST.