Friday, March 28, 2014

Gun Fail 62

Eight of 50 guns discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country last week.
Eight of 50 guns discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country last week.
A relatively calm week in GunFAIL, finally with equally quiet numbers among the child victims. I found just five last week, ages 4, 12, 14, 14 and 16. That may be a record low!
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No such slowdown in the number of people who accidentally shot themselves, though. There were still 21 of those, and the estimate of about 75 per month seems well on track for the month of March, where we're already up to 72. That brings the current running total for the year to 219. Of course, those are just the victims for whom I've been able to produce links.
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The rest of the collected incidents are your standard week's mix: five gun cleaning accidents, two guns that went off in pockets and one in a waistband (producing the usual groin injury), six home invasions conducted by bullet, two stray target shooting bullets that took out neighbors and, and three that took out the shooter himself. Also, one dudebro visiting the neighborhood tattoo and piercing parlor who took his gun out to show his buds, and ended up with a free piercing.
There are two stories of note which didn't make it into the list. The first started out reportedas an accidental shooting, involving a woman at a North Attleboro, Massachusetts, firing range, but which later turned out to be another in a rash of gun range suicides.
The second is interesting in that it involves no actual gun:
NORRIDGEWOCK — Michael Smith went outside shirtless after being awakened Tuesday morning, yelling at a tree removal company to get off his property. The workers thought they saw a gun in his waistband and called police. Smith, who’d gone back to bed, was awakened again minutes later — this time by Maine State Police at his front door, backed up by a group of troopers with assault rifles in his driveway. They were asking him via a megaphone to come out of his house. Smith did have a gun. It was tattooed on his stomach. The tattoo of the life-size handgun is positioned on Smith’s body to look as if the barrel of the gun is tucked into the waist of his pants. He said he doesn’t regret getting it, even though this isn’t the first time the tattoo has been the focus of police attention.
Well, isn't that interesting? Do check out the above-lined report for a photo including the tattoo, along with several others that might be considered indicative of interests and sympathies that are, let's say, not necessarily incongruous.
In the meantime, I present the rest of the week's compilation, below the fold.
  1. NAUGATUCK, CT, 2/20/14: A Naugatuck man was charged with a weapons law violation after shooting himself in the leg in February, police said. Anthony Damato, 65, of 359 King St., was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm after he accidentally shot himself in the leg when handling his handgun, police said. Officials at Saint Mary's Hospital called Naugatuck police after Damato went there for treatment on Feb. 20, immediately after the accident. The extent of his injuries were unknown. He was released on a $500 non-surety bond and is scheduled to be arraigned April 2 at Waterbury Superior Court.
  2. SHREVEPORT, LA, 3/06/14: Shreveport police have made an arrest in the case of a young man who was shot in the leg earlier this month, just off Hollywood Drive. Trey Hart, 21, of the 3100 block of Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, was charged Monday morning in the shooting of 19-year-old Ron Douglas. Police said Douglas was shot on March 6 outside a home in the 1500 block of West 58th Street in Shreveport. Douglas and witnesses reported that a dark colored sedan with three males inside drove up to the scene and began firing. Those statements were false and evidence showed that Hart, a friend of Douglas, had a gun that accidentally went off and hit the victim, police said. Hart is being held at the Shreveport City Jail on charges of illegal use of a weapon. The investigation is ongoing.
  3. CONCORD TOWNSHIP, PA, 3/08/14: A 59-year-old man was cleaning his firearm at his home on Mollie Lane in Concord Twp. 7:30p.m., March 8. He accidentally discharged the firearm injuring his left hand and was treated at Riddle Hospital.
  4. MCKEESPORT, PA, 3/09/14: The Allegheny County District Attorney's office is reviewing an arrest in McKeesport after a sergeant's gun accidentally fired while taking a man into custody, police said. Andre L. Johnson, 25, of McKeesport was pulled over for a traffic violation on Beech Street at 1:15 a.m. March 9, McKeesport police Chief Bryan Washowich wrote in a prepared statement. Chief Washowich said Mr. Johnson did not follow the sergeant's instructions and reached toward his pockets. The sergeant took out his gun, fearing Mr. Johnson was armed, he said. The officer smelled marijuana when Mr. Johnson rolled his window down about three inches and spotted the drug on the center console, the chief said. After being told several times to shut off the car and place the keys out the window, Mr. Johnson complied, though the two struggled as the sergeant tried unlocking the door and Mr. Johnson continued pressing the lock button, he said. Mr. Johnson hit the officer's shoulder with the door when he opened it, Chief Washowich said. The officer's weapon was drawn. When the sergeant tried to detain Mr. Johnson, they fell and the gun hit the ground while still in the officer's hand and fired an "accidental round," he said. The sergeant reported that the shot did not graze Mr.Johnson, but that he sustained an abrasion on his head, the chief said.
  5. LAKEVIEW, AR, 3/15/14: A 32-year-old Gassville man, who was arrested in January after allegedly attempting to ram his girlfriend off the road and threatening her with a machete, was taken to the hospital Saturday morning after he accidentally shot himself in the leg, according to the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office. A nurse at Baxter Regional Medical Center reported to authorities that Jonathan Rouse arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound. Sheriff’s investigator Eric Neal and deputy Kristofer Savino responded to the call. Rouse told them he was at a boat dock in Edgewood Bay in Lakeview, loading his boat to go fishing when the accident occurred. On his third trip down to the boat, Rouse told investigators he fell, and felt a burning sensation on his leg. That’s when, Rouse said, he realized the .25-caliber pistol he had in his pocket had discharged and he’d shot himself in the leg. On Nov. 7 of last year, authorities took a report of an accidental shooting at 101 Dupont Lane in Gassville. Arriving Baxter County deputies found Rouse outside a garage holding 28-year-old Gassville resident Melisa Willis, who had a gunshot wound in her upper right arm. A distraught Rouse told deputies he was preparing to clean his .380-caliber Sig Sauer pistol when he dropped it, causing the pistol to discharge. The bullet traveled through the garage door and struck Willis, who was leaving the residence to go pick up her children.
  6. PALMER, MI, 3/15/14: A Palmer man is in critical condition after a firearm was accidentally discharged during a family argument. Troopers from the Negaunee Post of the Michigan State Police were dispatched to the single family residence in Richmond Township around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday to investigate a shooting incident between two family members. Police say one of the two males was accidentally struck by an errant shot and transported by ambulance to Marquette General Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. The other male was brought to the Michigan State Police Post in Negaunee and arrested on weapons related offenses.
  7. TERREBONNE PARISH, LA, 3/15/14: An 18-year-old man who was shot in the head Saturday while riding a dirt bike in Schriever survived the incident, and authorities believe he was the victim of an accidental shooting, possibly from someone target shooting in the area. Deputies were called around 7:30 p.m., after receiving information that someone had been shot while riding a motorcycle in a field near the 2100 block of Bull Run Road, said a statement from the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office. The 18-year-old victim had indeed been shot in the back of the head, and was taken by ambulance to Thibodaux Regional Hospital, said the sheriff's office. After undergoing surgery at the hospital, the man was released Saturday evening. His injuries are not life threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery. During the investigation detectives learned that the field where the man was shot is an area where people go to shoot guns for target practice, said the sheriff's office, but they have not been able to locate the shooter.
  8. COLTON, CA, 3/15/14: A Colton man who appears to have tucked a gun into his waistband accidentally shot himself in the genitals, a police official said. Jeffrey Cordova, a Colton resident, showed up at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center at about 7:46 p.m. Saturday, March 15, with a gunshot wound to the groin, states a Colton police activity log entry. Cordova was wanted on suspicion of parole violation stemming from an assault with a deadly weapon conviction and illegal firearm possession charges are being investigated, said Colton police Detective Ray Mendez. Cordova refused to cooperate with investigators, but an examination of the man’s clothing revealed the bullet came from inside his pants, the detective said. “It appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot,” he said. “Evidence suggests he put the gun in his waistband.” Cordova was admitted to surgery and was expected to survive, Mendez said.
  9. MAGNOLIA, TX, 3/15/13: A female complainant who reported an intruder illegally entered her home and shot her in the shoulder around midday Saturday now admits her story was a fabrication. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call at approximately 12:30 p.m., Saturday in reference to a shooting on Springfield Lane. A female homeowner at the location reported she was home alone with her 11-year-old son, when she said she discovered a male intruder had made entry into her residence. The homeowner said she then retrieved a handgun from inside her home and returned to confront the reported intruder. A struggle ensued, the woman said, which resulted in her being shot in her left shoulder with her own handgun. The female complainant told investigators that a male intruder fled out the rear door of her residence. The complainant gave a description a man to law enforcement, and she was transported to a hospital in The Woodlands, by ambulance. Law enforcement with the MCSO Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Investigations responded to the location with a canine unit and discovered inconsistencies in the woman’s story after their initial assessment of the scene. Further investigation revealed the female homeowner admitted her complaint was a fabrication, and that no one had made entry into her residence. “It is now believed that intoxication was a factor and that it was an accidental shooting,” MCSO spokesman Lt. Brady Fitzgerald said. The case is being forwarded to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office for possible charges of False Report to a Peace Officer.
  10. MISSOULA, MT, 3/15/14: A resident on Central Ave accidentally discharged his bolt-action rifle while cleaning it on March 15. Deputies say the bullet went through an exterior wall in a home across the street and lodged into a dresser, but no injuries were reported.
  11. ELON, NC, 3/15/14: Target shooting over the weekend went wrong when a stray bullet passed through a door and struck a man in the ankle. Dustin Rae Stinson, 24, of 2667 Moss Creek Loop, Elon, was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon. He was released on $3,000 bond, and he will appear April 16 in District Court. Alamance County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Randy Jones said Stinson was target shooting Saturday afternoon with an AR-15, the semiautomatic version of the M-16 assault rifle. A round went through some woods and through the door of a trailer at 2250 Phibbs Road off north N.C. 87 outside Elon. The bullet hit Jeffrey Dwayne Satterfield in the ankle. While the Sheriff’s Office investigated Saturday, Jones said, it took a couple of days to decide what to charge Stinson with since there was no reason to believe he intended to harm anyone.
  12. HUNTSVILLE, AL, 3/16/14: A Huntsville woman was treated for an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound Sunday afternoon. It happened at the 3200 block of Delicado Drive around 1 p.m. The woman told officers she was retrieving a candle holder from the top shelf of her closet when she knocked a .22 caliber revolver off the shelf. She said that when it landed on the ground, it fired, striking her in the chest. She was taken to Huntsville Hospital and treated for a non-life-threatening injury.
  13. BENNER TOWNSHIP, PA, 3/16/14: A family said they were enjoying their Sunday morning when two bullets flew through their home. The family said they were in shock when they heard a strange noise. When they went to investigate, they found bullets lying inside their home. One of the bullets was lying on a seat of a chair that is used frequently. “I just heard several shots fired,” said neighbor Kelli Roan. Roan lives on the corner of Seibert and Spring Creek Road when she heard a total of five shots. “I picked it up and realized it was a .22 bullet,” Roan said. A homeowner who did not want to be identified about a half mile away said two of the rounds went through his house and another one in his neighbor’s garage. He also said his wife heard a noise coming from their home office. “We moved the curtain and saw the hole,” he said. “[The] Bullet came in through wall desk, hit papers and it left marks,” he said. That’s when they found one bullet on the floor and the second on his wife’s desk chair. The homeowner does not believe the shooting was intentional just that someone was being careless and hopes this incident will stand as a reminder for people shooting guns.
  14. CHESTER TOWNSHIP, PA, 3/16/14: The mother of a 1-year-old boy is free on $10,000 bail after she allegedly fired a shot that nearly struck the baby and his father Sunday morning. Mariah Phillips, 23, of the 1300 block of Powell Road, posted bail Tuesday, two days after she allegedly told investigators the gun she had pointed at the father of her son had discharged accidentally, court documents indicate. The bullet from Phillips’ .38-caliber handgun narrowly missed hitting the two victims as they left her Toby Farms home at about 8:45 a.m. Sunday, the affidavit of probable cause written by Officer Richard Barth stated.
  15. UNION, SC, 3/16/14: Police in Union are investigating the report of a shooting after a woman heard gunshots then found a bullet hole in her window and window curtain. Police were called to a home on Chambers Avenue in Union at 4:20 a.m. Sunday, and a woman told police she was asleep on her couch when she was awoken by several gunshots outside her apartment, according to a Union Public Safety Department incident report. She told police she ran upstairs and noticed a hole in her bedroom wall that divides her bedroom and her daughter’s bedroom. She also noticed her curtains and window had holes in them, the report states. Shell casings were collected as evidence. Police estimated about $1,000 in damages from the gunshots. Police then responded to another resident on Chambers Avenue who reported hearing gunshots. The resident found a bullet hole and bullet inside a wall. The responding officer collected the bullet for evidence, according to the report.
  16. HAZEL PARK, MI, 3/16/14: A convicted felon is accused of accidentally firing an assault rifle that sent a bullet crashing through the wall of a Hazel Park house and missing the head of a sleeping 72-year-old woman by an inch. “The woman’s adult son heard the shot and heard his mother scream,” said Hazel Park Police Chief Martin Barner. “The woman thought she may have been struck by the bullet. We later determined she may have been hit by some debris when the bullet went through the headboard of her bed.” The bullet also passed through the woman’s pillow and a dresser, stopping when it struck an old Walkman cassette player inside a drawer, police said. The suspect, Joshua Humphreys, 35, of Hazel Park was charged Wednesday with possession of a firearm by a felon, and careless discharge of a firearm. He was arraigned before Hazel Park 43rd District Magistrate James Paterson and jailed on $25,000 cash bond. Police were called to the 50 block of West Woodward Heights about 8:45 p.m. Sunday on a report of a woman possibly being shot. When officers arrived they were met by the suspect, who told police he was cleaning his SKS assault rifle when it accidentally discharged, police said. “He indicated he checked the weapon multiple times to make sure there weren’t any rounds in it,” Barner said, “but unfortunately there was.”
  17. ALEXANDRIA, VA, 3/16/14: WEAPON VIOLATION, 2700 block of Mennifield Court, 3/16/14, 01:16 a.m. Several individuals were drinking inside a private residence when two people went outside and began arguing. A third individual also exited and apparently discharged his handgun into the air in an attempt to break-up the argument. This individual then accidentally shot himself in the leg and was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. John Touch, 32, of Richmond, Virginia, was charged with reckless handling of a firearm and discharging a firearm within 100 feet of a school.
  18. DOWNS, IL, 3/17/14: A 21-year-old man checking on a relative's animals at a rural Downs home shot himself Monday with a semi-automatic handgun, but his injuries were not life-threatening and the shooting is thought to be an accident. The victim was transported to OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington by a family member who picked him up at the scene, said McLean County Sheriff's Sgt. Jody May. The man was treated for a gunshot wound to the thigh. May said the victim was alone when the incident took place shortly before emergency personnel were notified about 5:13 p.m. Monday; police do not think there was any foul play. May said the incident remains under investigation.
  19. NASHVILLE, TN, 3/17/14: Police have ruled the Monday night shooting that critically wounded a Nashville teen as accidental. William Blackwell and Robert Goodner, both 18, were handling Goodner’s pistol while visiting a Woodridge Drive home, according to a statement from police. Goodner noticed the safety was off and asked to see the gun. Goodner told police he mishandled the weapon when it fired, hitting Blackwell in the neck. Responding officers performed CPR on Blackwell and were able to stabilize him. Blackwell was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for further treatment. Two other witnesses talked to police. Investigators deemed their statements to be consistent with an accidental shooting. UPDATE: A North Nashville teenager died Sunday morning after his friend accidentally shot him in the neck while the 2 were playing with a gun. Police say Robert Goodner accidentally shot his longtime best friend 18 year old William "Mont Mont" Blackwell in the neck at the house on St. Patrick's Day.
  20. MURFREESBORO, TN, 3/17/14: A 22-year old man accidentally discharged his weapon on Monday, shooting himself in the thigh. Victim Justin Coker was in the process of cleaning his .40-caliber handgun when he racked the slide in order to remove a bullet that was in the chamber. While pulling the slide back his grip slipped causing the round to fire, according to the Murfreesboro Police Incident Report. The bullet entered the front of the victims’ thigh and exited out the back. The mans’ wife is the one who transported him to the hospital on Monday. Coker was later taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center for further treatment.
  21. PORTER, TX, 3/17/14: A St. Patrick’s Day celebration turned tragic when a Texas firefighter was gunned down by a woman who mistook him for an intruder. Houston Fire Department member Sam Keen, 27, was out celebrating the holiday with his buddies when he tried to enter his 64-year-old neighbor’s home upon returning to his Porter, Texas, neighborhood.  But the luck of the Irish was not with Keen Monday night. The woman, terrified at the man trying to enter her home near the 26000 block of Yupon St., shot through the door and struck Keen—killing him, according to reports.  The unidentified woman yelled at the firefighter, but Keen continued to try to open the door. She was alone at the time of the incident, KHOU reported. "No one did anything wrong. It was just a confluence of events that provoked a tragedy," Mayor Annise Parker told the station Tuesday. "He did what he was supposed to do: he took a cab ride home, got dropped off in the wrong place and wasn’t aware of it, tried to get into what he thought was his house and was tragically shot."
  22. CROSWELL, MI, 3/17/14: A 12-year-old Croswell boy was shot in the hand at his home Monday—the second shooting in Sanilac County involving young people in less than six months. The 12-year-old and his 14-year-old brother were in a bedroom at their home in the 100 block of Ward Street in Croswell when the shooting happened, according to a statement from the Croswell Police Department. The 14-year-old boy removed a shotgun from a gun safe and dropped the gun. The gun discharged, shooting the younger boy’s hand. The boy was taken to Port Huron Hospital and later transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak for treatment. The names of the brothers were not released. Croswell Police Chief Dave Hall said the gun safe at the Croswell home was locked, but the boys knew where the key to the safe was.
  23. AIKEN, SC, 3/17/14: A bullet traveled from an apartment into another residence across the street during a shooting incident on Hollow Tree Drive in Aiken on Monday, according to police. Nobody was injured, according to an Aiken Department of Public Safety report. The subject, a 23-year-old man, said he was preparing to clean his Palmetto State Armory AR-15 and didn’t realize that there was a round in the chamber. When he removed the magazine, the firearm discharged. The .223 Remington bullet went through the subject’s apartment door, traveled into the apartment across the street, entered a bedroom and struck a wall near the headboard of a bed, according to the report.
  24. COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA, 3/18/14: A Colonial Heights man was hospitalized last night after a gun accidentally went off, wounding him. Police continue to investigate. At about 8:30 p.m., police responded to the 1100 block of Lakeview Avenue, where they located a 22-year-old city resident. "He had a gunshot wound to his abdomen," Sgt. Robert Ruxer said. The man, along with a 22-year-old man from Chesterfield, had been planning to clean guns when a .40-caliber handgun fired. "One was accidentally discharged, striking him in the abdomen," Ruxer said. The Colonial Heights resident was transported to the hospital, where he remains under treatment for non-life threatening injuries. The Chesterfield man is likely to face misdemeanor charges of reckless handling of a firearm.
  25. GROVE CITY, OH, 3/18/14: A woman who was walking her dog in the wooded area east of Henceroth Park, 2075 Mallow Lane, between 10 and 10:30 a.m. March 18 accidentally shot herself when she reached inside her jacket, and the handgun she was carrying in the jacket's front pocket fired. The bullet struck her in the left foot. She went to Mount Carmel Grove City for treatment.
  26. TUKWILA, WA, 3/19/14: A state Department of Corrections officer accidentally shot himself in the leg Wednesday morning at a police shooting range in Tukwila, officials said. The officer was among a group of community corrections officers who were doing their twice-annual firearms requalification at the Seattle Police Athletic Association shooting range, said DOC spokeswoman Norah West. Somehow he accidentally discharged his firearm, shooting himself in the leg. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he is listed in stable condition. West said the officer is experienced and had previously requalified without incident. The Department of Corrections is investigating the incident.
  27. CHICAGO, IL, 3/19/14: Police say a 14-year-old girl was accidentally shot in the legs by a 14-year-old boy in Englewood  Wednesday night. The bullet went through one of the girt's legs and lodged in her other leg, police said. She was taken to Comer Children's Hospital where her condition was stabilized. The shooting happened about 8:10 p.m. in the 6500 block of South Green Street. The boy was charged as a juvenile with unlawful use of a weapon, police said.
  28. CHICAGO, IL, 3/19/14: A 20-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the leg this morning in the Albany Park neighborhood and another man was shot in the leg in the South Chicago neighborhood this evening, police said. The man went to Swedish-American hospital following the incident about 10:05 a.m. in the 4900 block of North Ridgeway Avenue, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Janel Sedevic. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the left thigh and was in good condition, Sedevic said. Police determined the wound was self-inflicted.
  29. OLIN, NC, 3/19/14: A 23-year-old North Iredell man died Wednesday night after what is being investigated as an accidental shooting. Robert Nathan Tatum was transported from his home on Tatum Road in Olin on Wednesday night and died at a local hospital, said Iredell County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Darren Campbell. Campbell said Tatum was target shooting in an area behind his home Wednesday night. His wife, after not hearing from him for about an hour, went outside to check and found him unconscious and not breathing. She called authorities, and Iredell EMS and first responders came to the home. They reported that Tatum had a single gunshot wound to the chest. Campbell said an autopsy is being conducted Thursday afternoon, but it's possible that the shot that hit Tatum ricocheted off one of the steel targets. Campbell said he hopes the autopsy will shed light on what happened, but there are no signs of foul play and the gun Tatum was target shooting with was found near his body.
  30. BLOOMINGTON, IN, 3/19/14: Bloomington police are investigating a man’s report that he accidentally shot himself in the hand. The man made vague and inconsistent statements about how he was injured, according to Sgt. Joe Crider. “We are currently following up with his statement,” he said.
  31. MILWAUKEE, WI, 3/19/14: A 4-year-old boy was in grave condition Wednesday night after being shot in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood. Officials said they suspect a group of children was playing with a handgun when the boy was shot. The gun has been recovered by police. The shooting was reported about 5 p.m. in a residence in the 2900 block of N. 45th St., according to a Milwaukee police news release. Police reported Wednesday night the boy had died. However, a police spokesman said later that the boy was still alive. UPDATE: Milwaukee police believe that a 4-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in his home. Milwaukee police continue to investigate how children in the home had access to a handgun and will work with the Milwaukee County district attorney's office to determine whether charges are warranted. A man who lives at the Milwaukee home where the boy was shot Wednesday has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm as a felon, and the boy is being treated at a hospital, police said Thursday.
  32. WILMINGTON, NC, 3/20/14: Police say there was some kind of disturbance among several people outside that home. The victim, James M. Bogus, 22, was reportedly trying to diffuse the situation. He later went inside the home, where his friend, Eric D. White, lives. Once inside, White, 22, was trying to unload a shotgun, according to police. That's when it accidentally went off, hitting Bogus on the top of his head. Police say Bogus was grazed by the bullet and his injuries could have been a lot worse if the bullet hit just a few inches away. Bogus was transported to the hospital. His injuries are said to be non-life threatening. White is being charged for discharging a firearm in city limits. Meanwhile, police say the gun used in the shooting belonged to 22-year-old Christopher Blake Fagan, who is a convicted felon. Fagan was charged in connection to the 1201 Chestnut Street shooting. He is being charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, resisting, delaying, and obstructing public officers and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the New Hanover County Jail under a $5,000 bond.
  33. BRAINERD, MN, 3/20/14: A 33-year-old Brainerd man was treated at a hospital Thursday for injuries he suffered after he accidentally shot himself with his pistol. At about 4:52 p.m. Thursday, Brainerd police officers responded to a report that an adult male had accidentally shot himself in the hand at the Tony Powers Designs Tattoo & Piercing business in the 200 block of South 10th Street in Brainerd. Officers arrived and learned that 33-year-old William Anderson of Brainerd was suffering from a gunshot wound to his left hand. Anderson and witnesses reported they were talking about firearms and Anderson removed the gun from a holster he was wearing so he could show another person the gun. Anderson stated he thought he had rendered the gun safe. Anderson told authorities that he was having difficulties reinserting the magazine back in it and was trying to push the slide from the barrel end when the gun discharged into his left hand. The firearm involved was a .40 caliber Glock pistol. No one else was injured. Anderson was transported by North Ambulance to Essentia Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center for treatment to his hand.
  34. BRISTOL, ME, 3/20/14: Injuries to a man in Bristol, initially attributed to an explosion, were actually the result of an accidental discharge of a shotgun, authorities said. Firefighters responded to Carl Bailey Road on Thursday night for a report of an explosion. James T. Ftizpatrick, 63, was taken to Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta with injuries to his left leg and hand. That night, Maine State Police responded with the bomb squad to make sure the building was safe so investigators could get inside. Police said they have determined that Fitzpatrick had a shotgun next to his chair and that it accidentally discharged, injuring him. The injuries were consistent with an explosion because wood from the chair had been damaged in the blast and contributed to the injuries, police said. Fitzpatrick is in stable condition, according to a hospital spokesman.
  35. JOHNSON CITY, NY, 3/21/14: Two people were charged after a man accidentally shot himself early Friday and his girlfriend fled the scene, police said. At about 2 a.m., Johnson City police were sent to the Red Roof Inn on Fairview Street for a report of shots fired. Officers found Aaron Cerecke, 24, of North Carolina, had accidentally shot himself in the hand and leg after being handed a loaded firearm by his girlfriend, police said. Investigators obtained search warrants for Cerecke’s room at the inn, as well as two vehicles associated with the incident. Officers found cocaine, morphine and marijuana, police said. Cerecke was charged with misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, falsely reporting an incident and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Cerecke’s girlfriend, 21-year-old Bridget Frazier of North Carolina, was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, falsely reporting an incident and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all misdemeanors; and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. Both were held for arraignment in Johnson City Village Court.
  36. FLORENCE, SC, 3/21/14: Police say the story of a 14-year-old Florence girl being critically wounded in a drive-by Friday evening on Meadows Farm Road in Florence was a lie. Major Carlos Raines said four teenagers initially told investigators they were walking home from the store and a car pulled up beside them. They told police shots were fired and the 14-year-old girl was hit, but Raines said that's not what happened. The teenagers were playing with a gun and it accidentally went off hitting the girl, according to Raines. He said they were scared and came forward to tell the truth Saturday. The girl remains in the hospital. Raines said he isn't sure if the teenagers will be charged. He said it is up to the Twelfth Circuit Solicitor's Office.
  37. RALEIGH, NC, 3/21/14: Police late Monday arrested John Matthew Scruton on charges of possessing drugs they found last Friday after being called to Scruton’s home because a housemate had been shot in the jaw. Scruton, 27, was charged with having 14 grams of psilocybin mushrooms and possession with intent to distribute 70 grams of marijuana. About 3 a.m. Friday, Officer M.P. Brown said in a search-warrant request that he had seen drugs when he was checking the house for other people after finding Colin Patrick Ayers, who had turned 28 on Thursday, apparently had shot himself and severely damaged his jaw. Another roommate, Jacob Fields, told police that Ayers had “shot himself on accident while attempting to clear his firearm” and “was heavily intoxicated at the time.” Brown told a magistrate that he believed “all weapons should be seized from the possession of Colin Ayers until his mental state can be evaluated.” Searching the house, police seized the marijuana Brown had seen and discovered the mushrooms, 12 glass vials that held a liquid they suspected was a steroid drug, 23 glass bottles for drugs, 255 syringes, three conventional rifles, two shotguns and a .50-caliber, muzzle-loading, black-powder rifle. Police did not say which gun Ayers had been trying to unload.
  38. ROGERSVILLE, TN, 3/21/14: A Sevierville teen was injured in an accidental shooting Friday afternoon when he dropped his pistol following a horseback riding outing in the Eidson community north of Rogersville. Hawkins County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Michael Allen responded to the Hawkins County Memorial Hospital emergency room Friday evening where Jean Galloway of Stringtown Road reported that she and several family members had been horseback riding that afternoon near her residence. Galloway told Allen they had completed their ride and were feeding their horses when a male in their party, who was 15 at the time but turned 16 on Monday, said he was going to check his "game cameras." "He went outside and put his gun belt on," Allen stated in his report. "A few minutes later they heard him screaming as he came out onto the porch. He told them he had dropped his Colt .45 out of the holster, and when it hit the floor it went off." The bullet reportedly traveled through the front side of his lower right leg and exited just above it, Allen added. The boy was treated for the non-life threatening injury and released. The weapon was retrieved by Detective John Pruitt for follow up investigation.
  39. TRAVERSE CITY, MI, 3/21/14: A Traverse City man was shot at a home on Friday, and now, police are investigating. Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a 911 call reporting an accidental shooting at a residence on Friday Evening. Police say 27-year-old Nicole Rachell Mitchell of Traverse City made the call at about 11:30 pm. Emergency responders arrived at the home on Black Bear Lane in Long Lake Township and located 29-year-old Roger Rex Howard, from Traverse City. Howard had a single gun shot wound to the upper chest. He received medical attention at the scene and was transported to Munson Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased. According to police, Howard and Mitchell knew each other before the incident occurred. They say Howard had called Mitchell earlier in the evening and asked to come over. She went to his apartment in Garfield Township, picked him up and brought him to her house. Police say after Howard arrived, the two got into an argument in the garage. According to police, Mitchell told Howard he was not welcome and demanded he leave. Mitchell stated she went inside her residence after the argument. She also told police that she went upstairs to check on the three children in the house. Mitchell than heard Howard enter the residence and come upstairs. Mitchell stated she then went to the gun safe that was in the bedroom she was in and removed a semi-automatic pistol. Mitchell states she did this because she was fearful that Howard was going to hurt her or the children. She informed Deputies that upon entering the bedroom Howard stated that he would rather die than leave. Howard then reportedly walked toward her and grabbed the pistol. Mitchell stated that she then heard the gun discharge and saw Howard walk out of the bedroom. She says howard walked into the hallway where he collapsed. She checked Howard and saw that he had been shot in the chest. Mitchell then called 911. The Sheriff’s Office did not immediately make any arrests or make a determination if charges will be sought in the case.

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO DAVID WALDMAN ON WED MAR 26, 2014 AT 09:09 PM PDT.

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