Gun Fail 66

Thu Apr 24, 2014 at 09:17 PM PDT

Did you notice? Three pre-schoolers accidentally shot other kids last week: GunFAIL LXVI

by David Waldman

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Eight of 43 guns discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country last week.

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Another weird and wild week, with 17 accidental self-shootings, six "home invasion" shootings, five cop GunFAILs, three hunting accidents, three target shooting accidents, two gun cleaning accidents, and 12 kids accidentally shot, four of them by other young kids. 

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Yes, the average age of the shooters in those four accidents was just 6-years-old. Just one of them, aged 12, was of school age. This week's child victims were ages 2, 2, 3, 7, 7, 13, 15, 16, 17, 17, 17 and 17. The count originally included the sad story of a 4-year-old Hastings, NE, boy who shot and killed by his 9-year-old brother, but in a bizarre and unexpected twist, police no longer believe that shooting was an accident, which is pretty shocking to say the least.
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Another 6-year-old shooter's story made this week's list, but isn't included in the figures above, because he accidentally shot and killed a full-grown adult, in Easley, SC. He was the second South Carolinian of kindergarten age or less to accidentally kill someone last week, following the death of a 7-year-old girl at the hands of a 5-year-old shooter in Gaston, SC, five days before.
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One more rather unusual story that nearly made the list, but just didn't end up fitting the mold was this shooting in a Huntsville, AL, Walmart (where else?) by an off-duty Morgan County Deputy who said he was trying to make an arrest on an outstanding warrant when his gun accidentally fired, hitting the suspect in the buttocks. But witnesses say the suspect was running away, and the deputy—who has since resigned—actually squared off and fired intentionally.
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Among our five cop GunFAILs this week is the year's first school cop accident, involving an officer assigned to the San Antonio, TX, Independent School District who accidentally shot himself. But at least he didn't do it at the school, so that's something to be thankful for. We had already had one school cop accidentally discharge his weapon inside the school to which he was assigned by this time last year, so count your blessings, I guess.
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And now, without further ado, last week's list, below the fold.

1. LINCOLN CO., MT, 4/11/14: A caller reported an accidental shooting that occurred the night before. The man who was shot had been transported to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center. He was treated and released.
2. BAY VILLAGE, OH, 4/11/14: Stray gunfire hit a Bay Village home narrowly missing a pregnant mother and her 3-year-old daughter, police said Wednesday. A 19-year-old who lives next door was cleaning a rifle on the evening of April 11 and it accidentally discharged, police said. A bullet went through the 3-year-old child's bedroom, Kier Kurinsky, who lives in the home with his daughter and wife, Jennifer, told 19 Action News. Jennifer Kurinsky was reading her daughter a bedtime story when the bullet hit their home, he said. “It's something you don't expect to go through living where we do, choosing to move here,” Kurinsky said. He said police collected his daughter’s stuffed animals as evidence. The gun was a military style assault rifle, police said. Police said officers are working with the city prosecutor to determine if any charges will be filed.
3. FARMINGTON, UT, 4/11/14: The mystery of a missing M-16 rifle from the Davis County Sheriff's Office has been solved. A deputy who was a member of the office's SWAT Team took the rifle before being deployed to Afghanistan in 2006. He left the rifle in his gun safe at home before leaving for military duty, according to a Thursday press release from the sheriff's office. The weapon was one of 20 the U.S. Department of Defense gave to the sheriff's office in 1998. An audit conducted in 2013 revealed the rifle was missing and all Utah law enforcement agencies in the state were suspended for a month from the DOD program, that gives surplus weapons to law enforcement agencies. After the training, the deputy placed the gun into his gun safe at home, where it remained until last week. "It wasn't until he was reading in the newspapers (last week) that DCSO had a missing assault rifle that his memory was sparked" He then checked his gun safe and called his superior. The gun was never on the streets being used for criminal purposes, according to the press release. "He (the deputy) simply forgot it was there," the press release said. The deputy faces administrative action and the report has been forwarded to the Davis County Attorney's Office for review.
4. TORRINGTON, CT, 4/12/14: A man was taken to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital on Saturday night after he suffered a minor hand injury when he accidentally shot himself with a handgun, police said. Police were called to 209 Ginger Lane at 7:52 p.m. for the accidental shooting. The home is on a quiet residential street off Torringford Street. Campion Ambulance responded and transported the man to the hospital. Sgt. Thomas Rouleau said Detective Sgt. Dustin Baldis will be investigating. Rouleau said it was not known yet whether the victim had a pistol permit.
5. ERIE, PA, 4/12/14: Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a college student in northwestern Pennsylvania. The Erie Times-News reported Sunday that Erie County’s deputy coroner called the shooting of 23-year-old Abram Sorek a “horrible and very unfortunate accident.” Authorities say Sorek was shot in the head with a hand gun, Deputy Coroner Dennis Suscheck says the wound wasn’t self-inflicted. Sorek was a student at St. Vincent College in Latrobe. He was in an Erie home with four friends at the time of the early Saturday morning shooting. Erie Police Chief Randy Bowers says investigators don’t have all the details yet. He says there was no confrontation, dispute or argument that preceded the shooting. It’s still unclear who shot the gun. District Attorney Jack Daneri says he expects to decide whether to file charges within a week
6. SPRINGFIELD, MO, 4/12/14: Springfield police say a double shooting Saturday night happened when an 18-year-old male was looking at a handgun and it fired accidentally, striking him and a young woman nearby. A police report indicates Wesley Gray, 18, and Daijha Dashea Mayes, 18, were each struck in a leg by a single bullet at a residence at 214 E. Swiss Lane Court. Police learned of the incident when contacted by Mercy Hospital where the two went for treatment. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
7. LOUISVILLE, KY, 4/12/14: Louisville Metro Police are investigating two shootings. The first one happened just before 5 p.m. Saturday near the intersection on Seventh Street and River Road. Police said the man shot himself in the leg, but tried to make it to Thunder Over Louisville anyway.
8. GASTON, SC, 4/12/14: A 7-year-old girl was killed and a 5-year-old boy was injured Saturday night when another 5-year-old boy accidentally discharged a gun at a birthday party in Gaston. Lexington County Sheriff James Metts says the children were outside a home on Wild Bird Lane shortly before 9 p.m. when the 5-year-old asked his mom if he could get his toy gun out of the trunk of her boyfriend’s car. The sheriff says the mother and young boy didn’t realize the boyfriend kept a loaded gun in the trunk, and when the boy reached for it he accidentally pulled the trigger. The bullet went through the trunk and its fragments struck the girl in the chest and another boy in the arm. The two were taken to Lexington Medical Center where the girl was pronounced dead and the boy remains with a non-life threatening injury to his arm. Sheriff Metts says this was a preventable accident and could have been stopped by using a gun lock or supervising the boy when he went through the trunk. Officials continue to investigate the accident and say charges may be possible depending on what they conclude from interviews.
9. BAKER, FL, 4/12/14: A couple in Okaloosa County was getting ready to eat when a bullet was fired into their home. It happened Saturday evening on JDJ Lane in Baker. Deputies know who fired the shot but have not made any arrests. Fortunately no one was hurt. You can still see the hole where the bullet went through the wall of the house. It came out right here in the kitchen where Billy Jones and his wife were cooking dinner. "It was like a dull thud. Dunk." Billy says he and was wife were terrified when they realized what happened. "They're shooting at the house!" Billy says the bullet landed about two feet from the wall. "We found fragments all the way back to the sink." He says it could have easily been much worse. "If my grandchildren had been out here. That could have been a very nasty situation. You know, if I'd been out here!" Jones and his wife called 911. Deputies say they eventually figured out the bullet came from a property nearby on Foxhound Lane where a group of people was firing into a tree in a wooded area. They were given a warning but not arrested because the sheriff's office says they did not intentionally shoot at the home. They were also told to use a proper backstop to block bullets when shooting on their property. "That's wrong." The outcome doesn't sit right with Jones. "If you're gonna have a weapon of destruction that will take a life. You need to know what you need to do to use it."
10. CHARLOTTE, NC, 4/13/14: A 3-year-old died from an apparent accidental shooting Sunday afternoon, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said. The shooting was reported about 1:20 p.m. in the 700 block of Glasgow Road, near Moores Chapel Road in northwest Charlotte, police said in a release. The 3-year-old boy, who had not been identified by police, was taken to Carolinas Medical Center and pronounced dead, police said. Police believe the child was inside a home when he was shot. Preliminary information indicates that there is no foul play involved, and family members who were inside the home at the time of the shooting are cooperating with the ongoing investigation and are being interviewed by detectives. UPDATE: Police in Charlotte have not said yet if anyone will face charges in the shooting death of a 3-year-old. They have not released the name of the boy who accidentally shot himself at a home on Glasgow Road Sunday afternoon, and they say that the family has cooperated in the investigation.
11. MILWAUKEE, WI, 4/13/14: A 20-year-old man apparently shot himself in the leg early Sunday, Milwaukee police said. He was taken to a hospital for treatment after the incident in the 2000 block of W. Maple St. about 12:40 a.m. Police said the man refused to cooperate with their investigation.
12. MOULTRIE, GA, 4/13/14: A well-placed grill averted tragedy Sunday when a shotgun accidentally went off in a home on Hopewell Church Road. Colquitt County deputies were initially called to the scene with a report of a home invasion, but there was no one inside. They were met at the scene by the residents, including a 13-year-old boy who had been shot in the leg. The reporting deputy described entry wounds that appeared to be from shotgun pellets, but the boy walked to the ambulance to be checked out. A Colquitt Regional Medical Center spokeswoman said he was seen at the emergency room and released. The homeowner, Christopher Tillman, told deputies his son had been shot with a single-shot 20-gauge shotgun that had been inside the house. The family was coming home from Wal-Mart about midnight Sunday night, he said. He opened the door, stepped inside and heard a loud bang. He turned around and saw his son, who had been standing a short way behind him, had been shot. Tillman said the shotgun was usually kept in the bedroom, but the family had had problems with people walking across their property lately. Earlier on Sunday, his dogs had acted strangely and started barking, so he retrieved the gun for protection. He had left it — loaded but not cocked — leaning against the wall behind the door. The deputy saw a hole in the wall about an inch off the floor and about 2 inches behind the door. The hole had a powder burn ring around it, he said. The shotgun was found about five feet away from the wall, but the deputy said the powder burn ring indicated the gun had been much closer when it went off. Presumably the gun’s own recoil slid it across the floor. The incident could have been much worse. The deputy said most of the  pellets struck a charcoal grill outside the residence.
13. LITTLE ROCK, AR, 4/13/14: Authorities say a Little Rock man who admitted to shooting his girlfriend in a purported accident Sunday is now charged with first-degree murder after the woman was declared brain-dead Wednesday morning. Lemen Arana, 24, of Little Rock was declared brain-dead shortly before noon, Pulaski County Coroner Gerone Hobbs said. Arana has been on life support at UAMS Medical Center since she suffered a gunshot wound in the head early Sunday morning. Little Rock Police Department Lt. Sidney Allen had said in an email Wednesday afternoon that Arana died at 11:49 a.m., but Hobbs said that was the time she was declared brain-dead by hospital officials. Hobbs indicated that Arana would remain on life support until her organs could be harvested. Police responded around 3 a.m. Sunday to an "unknown trouble" call at 8485 Stanton Road, where 25-year-old Juan Montalba of Little Rock was found "acting hysterical and screaming" as he ran at the officers' car, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported. Montalba, who was Arana's boyfriend, initially told officers that two Hispanic men shot her. However, in an interview with investigators, Montalba later admitted “he accidentally shot [Arana] when he began poking her with a pistol,” police reports state. Montalba, who had no prior criminal record, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting. He is being held in the Pulaski County jail without bail.
14. WASILLA, AK, 4/13/14: Having caught a ricocheted bullet in his foot, an 18-year-old Wasilla man drove himself to the hospital Sunday. Alaska State Troopers say they got wind of the accidental shooting at 2:38 a.m. Sunday with a call from Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. “Lane Felton-Tucker, age 18, of Wasilla had arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to his foot,” troopers report. Felton-Tucker told troopers he’d been at a bonfire at the end of Knik-Goose Bay Road, shooting a .22-caliber rifle when one of the rounds ricocheted off a backstop and hit his foot. He then drove himself to the hospital. Troopers say they don’t believe drugs or alcohol played any role in the incident.
15. COCHRANTON, PA, 4/14/14: A 2-year-old boy is being treated at a Pittsburgh hospital after state police said he was accidentally shot in the face in a Crawford County residence on Monday afternoon. The boy, whose name was not released, was shot when a 4-year-old sibling retrieved a loaded .380-caliber Ruger inside their residence on Sugar Creek Lane in Wayne Township and accidentally fired the gun, state police spokesman Sgt. Mark Zaleski said this morning. The injured boy was taken to the Meadville Medical Center and then flown to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Zaleski said. Information on the boy's condition was not available this morning. State police are investigating the incident.
16. WATERBURY, CT, 4/14/14: Police intend to file charges against a 17-year-old boy who they said accidentally shot himself in the hand Monday morning. The boy is suspected of sitting in a 1996 Honda Civic at about 2 a.m. on McDonald Avenue when the gun went off and hit him in the left hand, according to police. Friends drove the teen to Saint Mary's Hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening injury. He was later transported to Hartford Hospital for specialized treatment. Police say they recovered the gun involved in the incident, but that the teen has been uncooperative. The boy's name is being withheld because of his age.
17. RICHMOND, IN, 4/14/14: Police say an incident Monday night in which a 17-year-old male was treated at Reid Hospital for a gunshot wound to the leg did not take place as initially reported. Police were first told the shooting happened on the city’s north side, but witnesses and the victim have since told detectives it actually occurred inside apartment B1 at Southview Apartments, 1790 S. L St. “The original story was completely made up,” Richmond Police Department Capt. James Branum said Friday after detectives were able to interview the 17-year-old victim, who was not identified by authorities. “After talking to witnesses and the victim, what happened was that three young men were at the apartment with a pistol. One of the young men (identified only as a 19- or 20-year-old male) was playing with the pistol and accidentally shot the victim in the leg.” The individual allegedly responsible for the shooting also is alleged to have been involved in a hit-and-run accident while driving the victim to the hospital. During that drive from the city’s south side to the hospital, the driver sideswiped a scooter in the 2100 block of Chester Boulevard. The driver of the scooter was treated for injuries as a result of the incident, police said. Authorities have not been able to make contact with the shooter/driver, who on Tuesday failed to show up for an appointment with detectives, police said. Branum said a warrant for the suspect’s arrest will be issued in the case.
18. MIAMI TOWNSHIP, OH, 4/15/14: A woman fired a gun inside her garage – and the bullet traveled through the wall of her neighbor's house and into their bathroom. The 51-year-old woman is in Montgomery County Jail this morning after allegedly firing the gun in the 9100 block of Marquis Drive overnight. No one was home at her neighbor's house and no one was injured. Police are investigating, and say alcohol may have been involved. They say the woman was arguing on the phone with a family member when she became frustrated and fired the shot. She will likely face a charge for firing the weapon. The woman's husband heard the shot and called police.
19. FLAGSTAFF, AZ, 4/15/14: Police are investigating a suspected case of disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon. According to the police reports, officers were alerted to a possible shooting around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday after a housekeeper discovered a bullet hole in a window of one of the rooms at Motel 6, located at 2010 E. Butler Ave. Investigators located a spent 9 mm bullet near a curb about 66 feet away. Officers then tracked down the guest who had been staying in the room the previous night. He told them he was unpacking his handgun from his luggage when the gun accidentally went off. No one was shot, so he did not tell hotel staff or the police. Police collected the handgun and ammunition as evidence. The case has been forwarded to the County Attorney’s Office for review.
20. GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO, 4/15/14: District Attorney Sherry Caloia said Tuesday she is dismissing charges against James McCabe Mallin related to the shooting death last week of his girlfriend and is having him released from the Garfield County Jail while the investigation continues. Mallin, 28, had been held on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder for the shooting of Audrey Lowndes, 40, at the mobile home where they lived on South Grand Avenue, just before 12:30 a.m. on April 15. Meanwhile, the Glenwood Springs Police Department is continuing its investigation into Lowndes’ death. That investigation could take several more weeks to complete, Caloia said. “Right now, there is really a question of whether this was an accident,” Caloia added. After police were called to the scene by a third resident of the home, Lowndes was found in a rear bedroom laying face-up with a gunshot wound to the back of her head. Mallin was nearby, according to a police affidavit. Mallin told police he had been drinking with his father and the roommate when he went to check on Lowndes and found her sitting in the bedroom holding his .22-caliber rifle. He indicated in the police interview that the gun fired accidentally when he attempted to take it from her. However, the roommate indicated to police that he heard the two arguing for about 15 minutes prior to the gunshot. Lowndes was taken to Valley View Hospital and later airlifted to St. Mary’s, where she died later that day.
21. DELTA, OH, 4/16/14: Fulton County officials say a man who reportedly went out hunting for woodchucks Wednesday morning was found dead hours later. According to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, authorities were called to the scene of a possible hunting accident in Fulton Township, Delta around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday. An investigation revealed the body of 51-year-old Chad Spiess. The man's body was found on his own property on County Road H. Spiess had reportedly gone out woodchuck hunting earlier that day. He was later found dead with a gunshot wound to his chest. The case remains under investigation by Fulton County sheriff's deputies.
22. RIVERSIDE, CA, 4/16/14: A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy was hospitalized Wednesday after accidentally shooting himself in the leg when a large dog approached him at a Riverside home. A Riverside County sheriff’s spokesperson said the deputy was serving court documents to a resident in the 3000 block of Eucalyptus Avenue at about 2 p.m. when a dog came at him aggressively. The deputy, who has not been named, feared for his safety and pulled out his gun but ended up shooting himself in the process, according to the spokesperson. The deputy was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. He was not bitten. KCAL9′s Tom Wait reports the dog was not hit or injured and police will not be taking any further action against the dog or its owner, who was not the person being served.
23. CHICAGO, IL, 4/16/14: A man is believed to have accidentally shot himself in the hand at a construction office at Navy Pier this afternoon, police said. The man, age 45 to 40, was in a construction office in the area of 600 E. Grand Avenue when he shot himself in the finger about 4:56 p.m. today, said Police News Affairs Officer Ana Pacheco, citing preliminary information. The shooting was believed to have been accidental. The man went on his own to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was in good condition, she said. Area Central detectives were investigating.
24. ALBANY, GA, 4/16/14: Seven-year-old Kourtney Hicks is in the hospital after he found a gun in a hotel room. Andrea Collins says her grandson told her that he woke up before his Dad and girlfriend, found the gun under a couch cushion, started playing with and accidentally shot himself in the foot. The incident happened at the Dollar Inn on North Slappey Boulevard. Collins says she doesn’t know where the gun came from, but she’s glad her grandson is ok. She said, “When I really got the full details, I wanted to see him and just to get him to the hospital and the thing with the foot isn't as alarming as it would have been with other organs or other areas so I just thank God, it could have been a whole lot worse.” She adds he’s recovering nicely and should be released by Phoebe Putney today. Albany police say that the case remains under investigation.
25. ASHBURN, VA, 4/16/14: A Chantilly man has been arrested after a bullet went through the wall of a house in Ashburn on Wednesday. According to Loudoun County Sheriff's Office authorities, a resident of a home in the 44200 block of Litchfield Terrace reported finding a bullet had traveled through the wall of a bedroom and through a bed at 5:30 p.m. The resident also said that he or she had heard "a commotion" during the early morning hours on Wednesday. At 10:47 p.m., deputies responded to another residence where they discovered that a man had discharged two rounds from a firearm at approximately 2 a.m. One round traveled into a shared wall with the second round traveling outside the back of the home, say authorities. Authorities say they have charged 33-year-old Juan M. Ramos-Marroquin of Chantilly with unlawful discharge in an occupied residence.
26. WEST VALLEY CITY, UT, 4/16/14: A man fired a gun during an argument in the parking lot of an apartment complex Wednesday, and the bullet struck a teenage boy who was inside his home. The 17-year-old was shot in the foot while inside his apartment, West Valley police said. A man pulled into the parking lot of an apartment building at 4535 Dean Drive and began arguing with people gathered outside. The man then fired a gun from his vehicle at least two times before leaving, said West Valley police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku. Police were called at 11:50 a.m. and discovered that both rounds went through the wall of the building and into the kitchen area of one of the apartments. The boy, who was in the kitchen and not involved in the argument, was struck once in the ankle, Vainuku said. The boy was treated at a hospital for injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening, Vainuku said. Officers were interviewing witnesses to find out more about the incident. Police did not know who the man is or what his relationship is with the people outside. Vainuku said he was the only occupant of the vehicle.
27. CORRYTON, TN, 4/17/14: A Corryton man shot himself in the leg Thursday morning at his home after reaching for a cup of coffee. Howard Stuffle Jr., 48, was shot in the leg about 8:30 a.m. at his Shipe Road home, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said the initial probe shows Stuffle was seated in the living room when he reached for a cup of coffee on a kitchen counter. Stuffle’s action jostled a .22-caliber rifle leaning against a wall and the weapon fell over. When Stuffle grabbed the rifle, he placed one hand on the barrel and the other on the stock and the firearm discharged, according to the Sheriff’s Office. An ambulance transported Stuffle to the University of Tennessee Medical Center with a nonlife threatening injury, the Sheriff’s Office said.
28. CLAY CO., KY, 4/17/14: What police call a hunting accident led to two men being airlifted from Clay County early Thursday morning. Three men were hunting in a group when two of them were shot by an unknown man, according to Clay County Sheriff Kevin Johnson. The third man in that group called for help, Johnson said. Kentucky State Police and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials continue to investigate in the woods where the accident happened. Officials with the Kentucky State Police have confirmed one of the men injured in the shooting, has now died. Police say that Brian Griffin, 28 of Clay County, died following shooting.
29. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 4/17/14: An accidental shooting sends a construction worker to the emergency room on Thursday morning. Police and paramedics rushed to the scene near N.W. 50th St. and McKinley after a construction worker was shot in the hand. We’re told the man was preparing to sell the gun when it fired. He was taken to a local hospital but did not suffer any serious injuries.
30. TULSA, OK, 4/17/14: Tulsa Police are investigating a shooting at an East Tulsa apartment complex early Thursday morning. Police got a call around 2:15 a.m. that a woman might have self-inflicted gun wounds at the Cimarron Apartments near 31st and 129th East Avenue. When police arrived on scene, they learned a woman was in an upstairs apartment with a man and had a domestic dispute. Then, there was possibly an accidental shooting. Emergency crews took the woman to the hospital with a single gunshot wound to the upper chest and shoulder area. She is in serious condition. Police found a semi-automatic handgun on the ground outside near some bushes. Police believe someone tossed it down there. Detectives are meeting with the man to learn more about what happened in the apartment. "He's being taken into the detective division at this time. It will be determined later if he will be arrested or not," said Sgt. Chris Moudy with Tulsa Police.
31. RARITAN TOWNSHIP, NJ, 4/17/14: A Flemington police officer apparently accidentally shot himself this afternoon and sustained injuries that are not life-threatening, officials said. The shooting took place inside a parked police vehicle in the parking lot of a strip-mall at 299 Main St. in the township. According to people at the scene, it was near the Cook to Order eatery and take-out business. “Members of the Flemington-Raritan Rescue Squad and paramedics from Hunterdon Medical Center responded to the scene to treat the victim officer,” Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III said in a news release. The officer “was transported to the hospital in stable condition. The officer’s name is being withheld because of  to the ongoing investigation.” The shooting was reported around 2:25 p.m. County Chief of Detectives John J. Kuczynski and Flemington Police Chief George Becker joined Kearns in making the announcement. The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the incident, they said. The officer’s name and type of weapon used were not released, nor the reason he was in the township.
32. HAMPTON, IA, 4/17/14: Authorities say a north Iowa police officer suffered an injury after a handgun accidentally goes off. Hampton Police say while they were conducting handgun qualification last Thursday, when one of the officers had a malfunction with their weapon. Another officer, Al Brandt, who happened to also be the firearms instructor attempted to clear the jam when the gun discharged. Law enforcement say it hit him in the hand. He was taken to a hospital and later underwent surgery. Police say Officer Brandt is recovering at home. The case is being investigated.
33. MUDDY CREEK TOWNSHIP, PA, 4/17/14: Family and friends are mourning a young man who was accidentally killed while he and a friend were playing with a gun in Butler County. According to police, the incident happened at a mobile home on Robbie Way in Muddy Creek Township. Jeremey Bennear told Channel 11’s Amy Marcinkiewicz that he and his friend, T.J. Stockman, were playing with a rifle after watching a war scene of a movie. “We were just messing around.  As soon as he fell, I called the paramedic," he said. Bennear told detectives that the gun accidentally went off and a single bullet hit Stockman in the chest. “I lost my best friend, but it also feels like I lost a brother,” Bennear said. Bennear said they didn’t think the gun was loaded. Sources from state police told Marcinkiewicz that they are looking into this as an accidental shooting and that Bennear’s story matches up with what happened.
34. EASLEY, SC, 4/17/14: An Easley woman is dead after a six-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed her Thursday afternoon, authorities said. They were both in a Dodge SUV stopped at Hasting Circle when the boy found a gun in the backseat floorboard and fired it, said Easley police Maj. Tim Tollison. The bullet went through the passenger seat, striking Alexandra Anita Santos, 22, of 400 South D St., according to Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley. Santos died at 12:53 p.m. of a single gunshot wound to the chest, Kelley said. Two other children ages three and five were also in the vehicle but weren't injured, Tollison said. None of the children were related to the victim, he said. Police are still investigating how the weapon, a semi-automatic handgun, wound up in the vehicle, Tollison said.
35. LYNCHBURG, VA, 4/17/14: TSA officers at Lynchburg Regional Airport arrested a Bedford, Ind., man after they found a loaded gun in his carry-on baggage. The Transportation Security Administration says the .38-caliber handgun with five rounds was found Thursday as the bag passed through an X-ray machine. The TSA says the Lynchburg police confiscated the handgun and arrested the traveler on a weapons charge. The man's name was not available Friday from the Lynchburg Police Department. He was traveling to Indianapolis.
36. AKRON, OH, 4/17/14: An 18-year-old South Balch Street man was transported to a hospital after he was accidentally shot while passing around a gun with some friends in the 100 block of South Balch Street April 17, according to the police report. The gun accidently went off, grazed the top of his right leg and went into the top of his foot, the victim said. The victim would not say who was holding the gun when it went off, officers said.
37. SAN ANTONIO, TX, 4/18/14: A police officer with the San Antonio Independent School District accidentally shot himself Friday morning. According to the San Antonio Police Department, the officer was at his home on West Woodlawn Avenue shortly before 8 a.m., when a gun he was handling discharged. He suffered a minor wound to a finger, police said. The officer was treated at the scene.
38. WILLISTON, ND, 4/18/14: A teenage girl is in the hospital after being shot by a boy on U.S. Highway 2 near Williston early Friday morning. A 12-year-old boy shot the 15-year-old girl while they were in a vehicle shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, the Williams County Sheriff’s Office said. The shooting is believed to be accidental. The girl was flown to Minot and is listed in stable condition. The boy was referred to juvenile authorities. The two were described as acquaintances by the sheriff’s office. Authorities do not intend to release the names of those involved because they are juveniles.
39. CEDAR HILL, TN, 4/18/14: One man was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center Friday after being shot in a hunting accident in the Cedar Hill area. Shortly after 2 p.m., a man was accidentally shot by his son-in-law in the woods near 3991 Glen Raven Road while turkey hunting, according to Ryan Martin, Robertson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson. The man was taken to Vanderbilt by Life Flight helicopter. The shooting has been ruled accidental, according to Martin.
40. WELLSVILLE, UT, 4/18/14: A two-year-old boy was in critical condition after an accidental shooting Friday evening in Wellsville. Police and medical crews responded at 6:40 p.m. and found the boy had a single gunshot wound in the abdomen from a .22 caliber rifle. Initial evidence suggests the boy was shot by his three-year-old sister, according to Cache County Sheriff Deputy Brad Slater. The child was taken to a local hospital by ambulance in critical condition and was undergoing surgery, according to Cache County Sheriff Lt. Mike Peterson. Family members, including the child's parents, were at the residence at the time of the incident. The investigation was ongoing, police said. More information will be posted as it becomes available. UPDATE: A press release issued Saturday by the Cache County Sheriff Office said the 2-year-old boy was immediately taken into surgery after being shot early Friday night in an apparent accident involving a gun in his home. He was later flown to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, where he passed away. UPDATE 2: A 2-year-old Utah boy has died after being accidentally shot by his 3-year-old sister with a rifle.
41. FRESNO, CA, 4/18/14: Fresno police are investigating after a man was shot in the head while he was sitting inside his own home on Friday evening. Officers were also speaking with a person of interest on Friday night. The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. at an apartment near Ashlan and Feland avenues in Northwest Fresno. A couple was sitting in the living room on the very day that they moved into their new apartment. Police say a bullet shot through the sliding glass door and struck the unidentified 60-year-old man in the head. Investigators say his wife immediately began to give her husband first aid and called 911. The victim was transported to the hospital and was last listed in critical condition. There was a shell casing found outside a nearby apartment. Detectives spotted bullet holes in the fence that separates the two units. Police say it appears the bullet may have come from someone in that apartment across from the victim. A witness said that the shooter is likely a heavily intoxicated man, who didn't intentionally fire the gun. "The trajectory of the bullet it looks as though it could have been an accidental shooting, but again it's really too early to speculate," said Sgt. Mike Smith with the Fresno Police Department. Police say they were talking with the person of interest after catching up with him down the street from the apartment. They were also writing up search warrants to go into the apartment where they believe the gunshot came from. They also planned a search of two other apartments down the street. So far it appears to be an accidental shooting. If that is the case, the next step of this process is to find the weapon and determine whether the gun is legal. UPDATE: A man is dead after being shot in the head at a Northwest Fresno apartment on Friday, and the man accused of accidentally shooting him is under arrest. Coroner's officials have identified the victim as 65-year-old Gerald Perry.
42. SYLVESTER, WI, 4/18/14: A teenager was injured as a result of a firearm accident, according to a statement from the Green County Sheriff. At 12:16 p.m. on April 18, police received reports of a subject who was accidentally shot at a home on Greenbush Road in the Town of Sylvester, the report stated. A 17-year-old male was out skeet shooting with 3 others when a shotgun malfunctioned, police said. The subject was cleaning the weapon the shotgun discharged, police stated. Shotgun pellets ricocheted off the ground and hit the subject in the right facial area, right shoulder, and right wrist in numerous spots, police said. The teen was treated at Monroe Clinic Hospital for non-life threatening injures, the statement said.
43. DAYTON, OH, 4/18/14: A 16-year-old boy accidentally shot himself Friday, but did not tell anyone for more than five hours. The boy was taken to Dayton Children's Hospital early Saturday with a gunshot wound to the thigh. According to a Dayton Police Department report, the youth told officers at around 8:30 p.m. he was at Westwood Park, 611 Leland Ave., playing with a small silver gun with a slide. He said that as he was trying to put the gun inside his waistband it accidentally went off. He told officers he hopped home and went to his room. He eventually woke his aunt around 2 a.m., saying he needed to go to the hospital. According to the police report, the teen refused to cooperate with detectives. He said the gun belonged to someone else. He would not say where he put the gun or who he was with at the park.
44. FIFTY LAKES, MN, 4/18/14: A man accidentally shot himself in the abdomen in Fifty Lakes, Minn. Friday evening. According to officials, police responded to a call of a possible home intrusion around 5:17 p.m. When officers reached the house they learned the male who called had suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen. After investigating, police found no sign of a prowler. Police said the gunshot appeared to be a result of an accidental discharge of the firearm by the resident. The male was treated on the scene and flown by air ambulance to Saint Cloud Hospital. His condition is unknown.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Thu Apr 24, 2014 at 09:17 PM PDT.