Gun Fail 70

Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:12 PM PDT

Welcome to Walmart! Shoot 1 customer this week & get another of equal/lesser value FREE! GunFAIL LXX

by David Waldman

Seven of 48 GunFAILs discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country last week.
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We've fallen a little bit behind on the publication schedule, so we'll catch up with a "double issue" this week, encompassing what would have been GunFAILs LXX and LXXI, and thereby conserving precious Roman numeral resources. So bearing in mind that these figures represent a fortnight's worth of GunFAILs, we note that 26 people accidentally shot themselves, six accidentally fired their weapons while cleaning them, five dropped them while out in public (though they didn't always discharge), four accidentally blasted through into their neighbors' homes (what we call "home invasion shootings"), three shot themselves or others while at the practice range, two shot themselves or others while trying to shoot dogs they claimed were attacking them (both missed the dogs, incidentally), and one person was shot in a hunting accident.  

UPDATE: New reports from Vermont reveal that the 10-year-old accidentally shot and killed was a hunting accident as well. So that's two. That was just a neat little flourish with the descending numbers, but there were a few more counts of note. Four law enforcement officers were involved in various GunFAILs, and four other Responsible Gun Owners had GunFAILs while out and about among the consuming public—two of which were at Walmarts—and both involving injury. Thirteen minors were the victims of GunFAIL over this period, ages 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 10, 14, 15, 15, 16, 16, and 17.

Individual incidents of some particular note: an accidental shooting death during the filming of a rap music video in Las Vegas; a Fort Worth woman who drove a man to the hospital when he accidentally shot himself while trying to abduct her; and the repeat GunFAILer in Canton, MI, who reportedly had been previously cited for recklessness after accidentally shooting himself, and who's now fired a round into his neighbor's apartment while cleaning his still-loaded gun. Thanks for keeping the neighborhood safe with your Responsible Gun Ownership, Mr. Ticking Time Bomb Freedom!

Special mention is reserved for the school photographer who dropped and lost his concealed handgun in the hallway of the Queens, NY, elementary school where he was working. This would never happen with a teacher carrying a concealed weapon, though, because reasons. Also, the Honea Path, SC gang who "accidentally" shot and killed one of their friends after he asked them to help "test" his "bulletproof vest." The massive errors in judgment here were compounded by the insistence of the first-arrested female suspect that she fired the weapon, rather than give up her very courageous boyfriend. This crew, by the way, left behind some very distasteful Facebook messages and photos of themselves, too, which might be viewed by some as revealing a proclivity for the type of behavior that could well land you on the GunFAIL list.

One last incident of note, but which doesn't exactly fit within the parameters of GunFAIL:

The house where a Brentwood, N.H., man killed a police officer last week exploded because some of the bullets the man fired pierced gas pipes in the basement, and the gas released later came in contact with multiple fires he had set, authorities said today. Authorities released more details of the harrowing situation faced last Monday afternoon by Officer Steven Arkell, 48, who was killed when he responded to a domestic abuse incident and came under fire from Michael Nolan, 47.

On that note, on to the latest installment, the full list of which is found below the fold.

1. EMPORIA, KS, 5/11/14: An accidental shooting occurred in Lyon County at approximately 2 AM Sunday. According to Scott Cronk, police chief, an individual was transported to Newman Regional Health. At this time the shooting has been ruled an accident and an investigation is pending. More details will be released as they become available. The Lyon County Sheriff's office is handling the investigation.
2. BECKLEY, WV, 5/11/14: Jack Grimes was caught allowing a 4 year old boy to squeeze the trigger on a 22 caliber pistol less than 100 yards from a residential neighborhood in Beckley. Beckley Police and West Virginia State Troopers responded to a call of multiple gun shots going off at the end of King Street near uptown. Beckley Police Department said this is most definitely a child neglect case. "It was 3 adults and 1 of the adults was the mother of a 4 year old. The child basically was able to pull the trigger on the handgun while the adult held the grip, which in our definition is child neglect," Cpl. J. W. Legursky said. All of the adults were taken into custody and the child was taken by child protective services when a family member failed to pick him up. Grimes was also carrying marijuana paraphernalia. The child's mother and Grimes were both charged with child neglect creating risk of injury.
3. FORT WORTH, TX, 5/12/14: A man being treated for a self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday morning was arrested and will be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, an official said. Fort Worth police did not release the man’s name, but spokeswoman Sharron Neal said that he was brought to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth by a woman he was trying to abduct when he accidentally shot himself in the arm. “The male attempted an aggravated kidnapping on the female who drove him to the hospital after he shot himself with the gun he was using to hold her against her will,” Neal said. The man’s injury was not life-threatening, Neal said. Police did not describe the relationship between the man and woman, or provide any additional details, such as where the attempted abduction happened. A mugshot of the man will not be available until he is released from the hospital, authorities said.
4. VICTORIA, TX, 5/12/14: A woman was accidentally shot at a car wash in the 1800 block of Delmar Drive on Monday afternoon. The 21-year-old female suffered a gunshot wound to her arm and was taken by private vehicle to Citizens Medical Center where Victoria police were called at 1:29 PM, said Detective Tanya Brown. Brown said when a 23-year-old man removed a 12-gauge shotgun from the trunk of his car, it went off. Investigators went to the scene and conducted interviews, she said. "At this time, we believe it was an accidental shooting," Brown said. The woman was stabilized at Citizens Medical Center and then flown by helicopter to San Antonio Military Medical Center. The parties names were not immediately available.
5. ROCHESTER, MN, exact date unknown: Police say a man is currently recovering after accidentally shooting at his hand. Rochester authorities say the incident happened over the weekend when they got a call from St. Mary’s Hospital informing police they had received someone with a gunshot wound to the hand. Police say the 42-year-old had been shooting on a range earlier in the day and when he came home to clean the weapon, it discharged. There is no word on his injuries.
6. SUMMERVILLE, SC, 5/12/14: The Summerville Police Department says a child, about 4-years-old, accidentally shot himself. Police responded to 811 West Richardson Avenue about 4:30 Monday for a child with a gunshot wound.  Police say the child found a weapon and shot himself. The child was flown from the home for medical treatment.  An official with the Dorchester County EMS says the child is in critical condition with a gun shot wound to the head. Police say the child lives in North Charleston and was visiting his grandparents in Summerville. There is no word yet on the type of gun or where the child found it. UPDATE: A 4-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the head while at his grandmother's home last week has died, according to the Dorchester County Coroner's Office.
7. DILLON, SC, 5/12/14: Dillon police confirm a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the leg Monday afternoon at a home on South Third Avenue  in Dillon. An incident report says the child found the gun under a mattress on the floor. He picked it up, pulled the trigger and shot himself, police said. The child's uncle was in the room with him when the shooting happened, according to the police report. The uncle told police the gun belonged to him, the report said. The uncle admitted to smoking marijuana before in the incident, and officers found a small plastic bag of a green leafy like substance believed to be marijuana on the floor where the child was shot, police said. The child has been released from the hospital. The SC Department of Social Services placed the child in the custody of another relative. Police said the investigation is ongoing.
8. FREE SOIL TOWNSHIP, MI, 5/12/14: An 87-year-old Mason County man accidentally shot himself in the hand Monday afternoon, May 12, authorities said. The Fountain man was unloading his weapon shortly before 5 p.m. in the 3900 block of East Townline Road in Free Soil Township when the incident occurred, police said. The weapon accidentally discharged and injured the man in the hand, police said. The Free Soil fire department and LIFE EMS responded to the scene.
9. HUNTSVILLE, UT, 5/12/14: A man was accidentally shot by his son early Tuesday morning in Ogden Canyon. Just after midnight, near 600 Canyon Road, the 49-year-old man, who was caretaker for a cabin, was preparing it to rent for the summer season, according to the Weber County Sheriff's Office. The man's 21-year-old son and a friend came back from shooting and the son proceeded to clean his rifle, a .22 caliber Ruger. The son removed the magazine and thought that the chamber was empty. As he cleaned it, he accidentally hit the trigger and a round that was left inside went off and struck the father in the leg. The man was transported to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden with non-life threatening injuries. The man suffered a shattered femur. Police ruled the shooting an accident.
10. TORONTO, OH, 5/13/14: A city man is housed in the Jefferson County jail this morning after an accidental shooting Tuesday night, according to City Police reports. Jeromy Brewer, 34 of 1514 Madison Ave., Toronto, was charged with discharge of a firearm within city limits, using a weapon while intoxicated and child endangerment after police received a report of a gunshot at the residence at about 10:30 PM Tuesday. Police arrived to discover a small-gauge shotgun had accidentally been discharged inside the residence. Minor children were in the house at the time, according to police. A child was placed in the custody of its grandparents, according to reports. The incident still is under investigation, police said.
11. RICHMOND, IN, 5/13/14: For the second time in less than a month, a Richmond teen gave police false information about a shooting before finally admitting the wound was the result of an accident. Richmond Police Department Capt. James Branum said Wednesday a 17-year-old male was treated and released from Reid Hospital after suffering a minor leg wound from an accidental gunshot Tuesday night. Officers initially were called just before 10:30 PM Tuesday when the victim arrived at Reid Hospital. The teen told police he was shot in the leg while in the 200 block alley between North 14th and North 15th streets, RPD Lt. Curt Leverton said Tuesday night. The teen, who described two suspects for police, was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle. On Wednesday, Branum said the entire story about the incident and the suspects was made up and police determined the shooting happened in a home on the city’s west side. In April, a man was arrested on three felony counts stemming from a shooting incident on Richmond’s south side. In that case, the victim initially told police he was shot on the city’s north side, but witnesses and the victim later told police the shooting took place at Southview Apartments, 1790 S. L St. The victim told authorities Kory C. Owens, 22, of 645 S. E St. in Richmond was playing with the gun inside the apartment when it accidentally went off.
12. PATTERSON, NY, 5/13/14: A town man's handgun discharged as he was putting it away inside his condominium Tuesday afternoon, firing a round that went into his neighbor's unit, state police said. No one was injured but the gun owner, Brendan Chillemi, 24, was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor, police said. The neighboring unit did have some damage from the round, police said. The incident took place a little after 3 PM in the Patterson Village Court Condominiums. Investigators with the Brewster barracks arrested Chillemi a little after 5 PM He was released on an appearance ticket for Thursday at Patterson Justice Court. Police did not indicate what type of handgun Chillemi allegedly fired but said it was legally registered.
13. ALLENTOWN, PA, 5/13/14: An Allentown man on probation now faces a new charge after shooting himself in the pinky finger, police said. Denzel Belle walked into Sacred Heart Hospital on Tuesday afternoon with the gunshot wound to his right little finger, according to court records. After giving police conflicting stories, he finally told officers he accidentally shot himself, records say. The 21-year-old Belle told police he bought the .380 Auto handgun for $200 on the street and he was carrying it on Tuesday concealed in his pants pocket, records say. Belle also said he was initially scared to tell the truth because he is probation in Lehigh County, records say. Belle, of the 100 block of North College Street, is charged with carrying a firearm without a license. He was arraigned before District Judge Rashid Santiago and sent to Lehigh County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.
14. PHILADELPHIA, PA, 5/14/14: A 15-year-old was shot in the right hand in what police believe was an accidental firing Wednesday night in North Philadelphia. About 8:50 p.m., police were called to the 1000 block of Norris Street, where the injured teen was found in a house, police said. He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. The boy said he was shot by somebody else, but evidence in the upstairs bedroom pointed to an accident, police said. A revolver was found in the room.
15. GREEN TOWNSHIP, PA, 5/14/14: State police withheld the name of a man who was wounded at 9:32 PM Wednesday when he dropped a gun at 798 Larch Road. The firearm accidentally discharged and the man suffered a wound of his left arm. He was sent to Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown for treatment, according to police.
16. HONEA PATH, SC, 5/14/14: Deputies say an 18-year-old South Carolina woman is charged with involuntary manslaughter after a shot she fired at a friend in a bulletproof vest missed the vest and hit him in the heart. Anderson County Sheriff's Lt. Shelia Cole says 25-year-old Blake Wardell found an old bulletproof vest around 2:45 AM Wednesday in a home in Honea Path, put it on and asked Taylor Kelly to shoot him. Cole says Kelly fired a small-caliber handgun at the vest, but just missed. Authorities say the bullet went through the lining and into Wardell's heart. Kelly faces up to five years in prison if convicted. She remains in the Anderson County jail awaiting a bond hearing. UPDATE: Deputies in Anderson County have made a second arrest in a deadly shooting in Honea Path. Authorities say 25-year-old Blake Randell Wardell was shot and killed during a "game" using a bulletproof vest. Taylor Ann Kelly, 18, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with involuntary manslaughter.  Later during the course of the investigation, officials found out Kelly lied about being the one who shot Wardell.  She  told them it was Timothy Dwayne Fisher who was at fault. Fisher, 25, is now charged with involuntary manslaughter.  Kelly is charged with accessory after the fact to a felony.
17. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 5/14/14: At 5:30 PM Wednesday, Angela Juvera heard a frantic knock at her front door. She looked out and saw the little boy who lives in the house next to her. "He's like, 'Can you come next door? My brother was shot.'" Juvera scooped up some towels and ran to help. She says her 16-year-old neighbor was sitting on the porch with his leg covered in blood. Police say the teen was shot while sitting in his own living room. A 30-year-old now faces charges of reckless endangerment. Police tell 11 News Lynelle Fredeen was drunkenly handling a gun in the basement when it went off. “It traveled through the basement ceiling, which would be the floor of the upstairs living room, and struck a 16-year-old male who was seated on a couch in the living room...went through his leg and up into a ceiling portion of the residence,” explained Sgt. Richard DuVall with the Colorado Springs Police Department. The incident happened at a home on Meadowland Boulevard, near Austin Bluffs and Academy in Colorado Springs. The teen was rushed to the hospital. As for Juvera, she's just glad no one was seriously hurt. “Traumatizing. Especially when it's next door. I'm just thankful my kids were in the house because you never know, a bullet goes anywhere,” Juvera said. 11 News asked the teen's mom if she's related to Fredeen, but she did not want to comment. Fredeen is currently in custody at the CJC.
18. CANTON, MI, 5/14/14: A Canton man returned home to The Crossings apartment complex to learn that a bullet had pierced a kitchen cabinet in his residence and then ricocheted off a wall, a police report said. The incident happened between 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM Wednesday, May 14. The man told police he returned home and noticed drywall dust in his kitchen. No one was at home when the incident happened. Police learned that a neighbor supposedly had been cleaning his pistol when it was accidentally discharged. The gun owner’s wife said an attempt had been made to contact the neighbor while he was away from home. The police report indicated the gun owner had been cited previously for reckless discharge of a firearm after he accidentally shot himself in the leg, the police report said.
19. RIVERSIDE, CA, 5/14/14: 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 PM 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.
20. DALLAS, TX, 5/15/14: A woman was shot at a drive up ATM overnight in Dallas. Police are not looking for a shooter; the woman says she accidentally shot herself. The shooting occurred around 3:15 AM at 300 Bachman Drive at Northwest Highway near Bachman Lake. The victim, who was shot in the chest, was taken to Parkland Hospital. Her condition is unknown, but police say her injuries are non-life threatening. A friend, who was in the car with the woman, corroborated the story to police.
21. LAS VEGAS, NV, 5/15/14: A man charged with murder in the death of a rapper and former Marine told a friend the shooting was an accident and he intended to turn himself in to police, an arrest report stated. Documents were released Monday for 25-year-old Jim "Jones" Johnson, who was booked into Clark County Detention Center on Sunday. In an arrest report, police identified Johnson as the gunman in a shooting that killed 25-year-old Evan Plunkett, citing witnesses and surveillance camera footage. Police said Plunkett was shot in the chest during a rap music video shoot that took place at a suite inside the Palms Casino Resort on Thursday night. In documents, police stated a fight involving the victim's brother and another man preceded the shooting in the patio pool area of the suite. Many of the more than 50 people at the suite fled the room when one shot was fired, police noted. Police said the victim's brother did not see the shooting happen but gave aid to him. Evan Plunkett was rushed to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. In the arrest report, police received information from a person who attended the party that Johnson was the one who fired the shot. Another person told police he fled the room with his friend, Johnson, through a stairwell, which was confirmed in security video, documents showed. The friend told police Johnson claimed his gun fell to the ground at the time of the shooting, causing it to go off. Johnson told the friend the shooting was accidental, the report said.
22. HOLLYWOOD, CA, 5/16/14: An 18-year-old man today accidentally shot himself with an unlicensed .357 Magnum handgun in east Hollywood, police said. The weapon discharged as the man was pulling it from the waistband of his pants in the 4400 block of Lockwood Avenue just after midnight, and a bullet became lodged in his thigh, said Sgt. Melvin Gamble of the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Station. The man then walked about half a block to knock at a resident's front door and asked for paramedics to be summoned, Gamble said, adding that he initially reported someone had shot him but came clean at the hospital. "He's 18," Gamble said of the wounded man. "He's not allowed to keep or have a gun," and the weapon was not licensed, he said. Gamble said the young man can expect a visit from the LAPD, but his situation could have been worse. "If he had shot himself in the scrotum, he would have been really messed up," Gamble said.
23. WENDELL, NC, 5/16/14: Wendell Police are investigating an accidental shooting that left two people injured Friday morning. Around 9:30 AM Friday, officers responded to a shooting at 1024 Trumpet Vine Court in Wendell. When they arrived to the scene, they found two victims, each suffering from a gunshot wound to the hand. The injuries do now appear to be life threatening. Police have ruled the shooting accidental.
24. PARK HILLS, MO, 5/16/14: A Park Hills man was injured Friday afternoon in what is being called an "accidental shooting." According to Park Hills Police, police officers were dispatched to an accidental shooting at a residence at about 5 PM It was reported only one person was involved and there was no one else around. The man told authorities he was getting ready to clean his gun and he shot himself in the arm. The man was flown to Barnes hospital for treatment. The injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
25. PLEASANTVILLE, NJ, 5/16/14: No one was injured in an accidental shooting at the skyline condos in Pleasantville overnight. Police say the gun's owner accidentally discharged the weapon as he trying to set the safety just after 1:00am Friday morning. The bullet went through his floor into his neighbors apartment below. Police say no one is currently charged in the incident.
26. LITTLE ROCK, AR, 5/16/14: A Little Rock man was reportedly attacked by a pit bull Friday night. A police report details that the pit bull started attacking the victim, so someone nearby grabbed a gun and tried to shoot the dog. Instead, the victim was accidentally shot, and the dog ran off. Animal control officers later caught the dog. Police said the dog has been staying with the homeowner until its owner gets out of jail. Lt. Sidney Allen with Little Rock police told THV11 that the man who fired the gun has not been charged at this time. In the police report, the victim was said to have been in critical condition.
27. MERRILLVILLE, IN, 5/17/14: A 4-year-old boy died after he took a gun to his room and it accidentally discharged, hitting him in the head in Merrillville, Ind. police said. It happened at 8:11 AM in the 6400 block of Cleveland Street, when the child took a gun from the bedroom of his parents and went back to his room with the gun, which discharged and hit him in the head, police said in a statement. The child, Cash Irby, Jr. was pronounced dead at 8:47 AM at Broadway Methodist Hospital South after authorities responded to his home at the Cleveland Street address, according to the Lake County, Ind. coroner's office. Cash suffered a gunshot wound to the head during an accidental shooting, according to the coroner's office. Both parents were home at the time as well as two siblings – a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old, police said. An investigation is under way by police and Child Protective Services.
28. PHOENIX, AZ, 5/17/14: Police said a man accidentally shot himself in the leg while at a Wal-Mart store in Phoenix on Saturday. Phoenix police spokesman Officer James Holmes said the man had a gun on his hip and it went off. Christa Allejandro was checking out at the store near 16th Avenue and Bethany Home Road when she heard a loud bang. “It sounded like a balloon,” she said. “We were in the aisle paying for our stuff and then the next thing you know, a couple of aisles down from me, we hear a gunshot and we see a man cover his belly." Holmes said the man's injuries were not life-threatening.
29. WADESBORO, NC, 5/17/14: A deputy’s 5-year-old son got hold of his father’s service revolver and shot himself in the ear, according to the sheriff’s office. It happened at 1:15 PM Saturday. The sheriff’s office says the child fired one round. The boy was taken to Levin’s Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. He is responsive and talking. The deputy was not on duty at the time. He was the only one in the home at the time but was in another room. An officer in Wadesboro, where the deputy lives, will handle the investigation. The sheriff's office has not released his name.
30. MILWAUKEE, WI, 5/17/14: Milwaukee police are investigating after three shootings happen in just 20 minutes overnight in the city. The first happened around 11:45 PM Saturday in the 2400 block of W. Melford Ave. A 37-year-old woman was injured in what police believe be to be an accidental shooting. She is expected to recover.
31. ROANOKE, VA, 5/17/14: Roanoke police on Sunday said a rifle accidentally discharged and killed a man inside a Memorial Avenue home late Saturday. Lt. Mack Babb said few details were being released out of respect for the family as it was still notifying relatives. He said the victim had been handling a rifle at his home in the 2400 block of Memorial Avenue Southwest when it discharged shortly before 10:50 PM.
32. SANDSTONE TOWNSHIP, MI, 5/17/14: A 17-year-old went to Allegiance Health early Saturday, May 17, after he said he accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun at a home on W. Michigan Avenue. He went to the hospital with an injury to the abdomen, Michigan State Police Sgt. David Stamler said. Police were called to the residence just after midnight to investigate a self-inflicted or accidental shooting, Stamler said. Stamler said the teen was expected to be all right. He was reported to be drinking before the shooting. The sergeant did not have a lot of details about what occurred. All the information is "very preliminary," he said Monday. State police are continuing their inquiry.
33. CONVISS TOWNSHIP, MI, 5/17/14: A 65-year-old Ohio man is recovering at a Kalamazoo hospital after his friend accidentally shot him in the forearm Saturday night. Calhoun County Sheriff’s deputies were called out to the 22000 block of 15 Mile Rd in Convis Township around 9:45 PM Authorities say the victim, from Swanton, OH, was hunting coyote with his friend, a 59-year-old man from Lambertville, MI, when the Lambertville man shot the victim in his right forearm with a .22 caliber rifle. The victim was alert and conscious when speaking with deputies and his injuries are considered non-life threatening. The 65-year-old man was taken to a Kalamazoo hospital for treatment. Deputies say alcohol, drugs were not factors and foul play is not suspected in this incident.
34. TULARE CO., CA, 5/17/14: A Tulare County man is behind bars after being accused of accidentally shooting his friend to death. Detectives from the sheriff's violent crimes unit were called out late Saturday night to investigate a shooting that occurred in southern Tulare County. Deputies from the Pixley substation were the first to arrive at Delano's Regional Medical Center, where the man was taken after being shot in the chest. When deputies arrived, they learned the man had been rushed to Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, where he died shortly after. Deputies began investigating the deadly incident and became aware that the shooting occurred when friends were gathered at a house drinking and handling a firearm. Deputies said Cesilio Saucedo, 22, and the victim were hanging out when Saucedo "mishandled" the gun and fired a single shot into his friend. Saucedo was interviewed and taken into custody without incident, according to deputies. He's being held on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. The case hasn't been submitted to the District Attorney's Office, yet. But detectives are working on building a case that could lead to charges being filed. Charges must be filed by Wednesday, or jail officials would be required to release Saucedo. An autopsy Monday revealed the victim's cause of death as a gunshot wound to the right part of his abdomen. He was identified as Jose Carranza of Earlimart.
35. GRANTS PASS, OR, 5/17/14: State medical examiners have concluded that a Grants Pass man died of an accidental gunshot wound. The body of Johnny Neile Hamlin was found last Friday near a creek on property in the 4800 block of Demaray Drive southwest of Grants Pass. Police said Hamlin was living in a trailer on the property and serving as a caretaker. A shotgun was found lying near his body. Police said they believed he may have been intoxicated when he shot himself. They found no evidence of a crime.
36. SNOHOMISH CO., WA, 5/18/14: An Arlington area man was hospitalized Sunday afternoon after he was apparently accidentally shot by his friend. Snohomish County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from the 17200 block of 116th Place NE, between Arlington and Granite Falls. A 36-year-old man was working on the holster for his friend’s firearm when the gun went off, hitting his friend in the hip. The victim, a 34-year-old man, was conscious and alert when deputies arrived, and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The shooting remains under investigation.
37. COLUMBIA, SC, 5/18/14: A Columbia man is behind bars accused of accidentally shooting a man who was giving him a ride. Columbia police say the incident happened around 1 Sunday morning in the 7 thousand block of Garners Ferry Road. Police say the victim , 20 year old Shamoray Robinson gave the suspect a ride to another party after they were forced to leave an earlier one because of an argument with third individual. Authorities say 19 year old Nicholas Reed Moses opened fire when the third person pulled up next to their vehicle to continue the previous argument. Police allege Moses' gun went off unintentionally striking Robinson the driver of the car he was in. Moses now faces involuntary manslaughter.
38. DES MOINES, IA, 5/18/14: Police arrested a Des Moines man in the accidental shooting of a teen who arrived at a hospital emergency room Sunday morning and passed out, officials said. Delynn Matthew Sanders, 18, was charged with reckless use of a firearm causing injury. He remains in the Polk County Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond. Sanders told detectives he accidentally shot the 16-year-old victim at his apartment in the 200 block of Franklin Avenue, apparently while mishandling a gun, said Des Moines Police Sgt. Jason Halifax. Investigators believe Sanders' story, Halifax said. The victim arrived was dropped off at an emergency room around 9:50 AM Sunday with a gunshot wound to the chest. He fell unconscious before he could tell hospital staff what happened. A witness gave investigators the address where the shooting occurred, police reports show. The gun Sanders had was legal for him to own and no weapons charges were filed. The teen was in serious condition at the hospital Sunday.
39. SAN ANTONIO, TX, 5/18/14: San Antonio police are investigating a deadly shooting on the city's east side. Investigators said a 6-year-old girl was shot in the face when a loaded handgun went off. According to the Bexar County Medical Examiner's office, she has been identified as Jennilynn Montana. The accident happened at a house in the 1400 block of Aransas Avenue around 9:45 PM Sunday. Police said the girl was rushed to San Antonio Military Medical Center, where she died. Police on the scene said the girl was playing in a room alone, but they are testing the victim's 8-year-old sister for gun residue because it's not clear whether she may have been in the room, as well. Authorities did not say whether the girl's parents were likely to be charged in the accidental shooting.
40. SAN ANTONIO, TX, 5/19/14: Police say a shooting on the city's northeast side Monday afternoon was accidental. Sky 4 was over the scene around 4:30 Monday afternoon in a field near Loop 1604 and Nacogdoches. Officers tell us a man was working at a well when his revolver fell out of his holster and the gun went off. He was hit in the arm and taken to the hospital.
41. PALM BEACH CO., FL, 5/19/14: The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that an accidental shooting took place at the PBSO shooting range at 21500 S.R. 80. A PBSO spokesperson said a deputy accidentally shot himself in the left hand while participating in an auto pistol school for "off duty" carry. The deputy was transported to St. Mary's Medical Center via Trauma Hawk. The deputy has non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff's office said.
42. DARLINGTON CO., SC, 5/19/14: A 69-year-old man is in the hospital after he was accidentally shot by his daughter-in-law Monday afternoon while practicing shooting with his family in a backyard on East Bobo Newsom Highway in Darlington County, according to Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd. Byrd said the family had finished shooting when a relative was cleaning her 380 handgun, unaware that one bullet was still in the chamber. Her gun went off, hitting the 69-year-old in the right arm, according to Byrd. All family members say it was an accident. No charges are expected to be filed.
43. MEMPHIS, TN, 5/20/14: A 63-year-old man was arrested after a gun fell out of his pocket and discharged while the man was watching “Godzilla” in a local theater. George Gholson Jr. has been charged with reckless endangerment after the incident Tuesday at the Malco Cordova Cinema at 1080 N. Germantown. He has been released on $2,000 bond. According to police, the incident happened just before 1:45 PM his pants pocket. The gun fell out of his pocket and discharged when it hit the floor, police said. Although there were 18 people in the theater, no one was hit by the round. An off-duty police officer in the same theater took Gholson into custody, police said. Even though Gholson had a carry permit, Malco specifically bans guns from its property, theater spokesman Jimmy Tashie said. “We’re just thankful no one was injured,” Tashie said.
44. BRANDON TOWNSHIP, MI, 5/21/14: A 62-year-old Brandon Township man shot himself in the leg Tuesday while unloading a gun, authorities reported. The incident occurred around 6 PM Tuesday at Sashabaw Meadows Mobile Home Park in the 3600 block of Pinoak, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. The man had been unloading a gun that he kept in a drawer when he inadvertently pulled the trigger. The Brandon Township Fire Department responded to the scene and transported the man to a local hospital for treatment. His wound is not believed to be life-threatening. Investigators took the weapon and submitted it to the sheriff’s office’s evidence room.
45. KENOSHA, WI, 5/21/14: Three area schools were locked down after a Kenosha man accidentally shot himself in a parking lot Wednesday afternoon, police confirmed. It happened just before 3:00 PM in the parking lot of the Shalom Center near 18th Ave. and 62nd St. The man accidentally shot himself in a car with two other passengers. None of the passengers were injured. As a precaution, Brass Community School, Frank Elementary School, Kenosha School of Technology Enhanced Curriculum, and Lincoln Middle School were all locked down. Each school was on lockdown for less than an hour, and all lockdowns have since been lifted. Police say there is no threat to the public. There's no word yet on the man's condition.
46. APALACHICOLA, FL, 5/21/14:  An Apalachicola man who accidentally shot himself in the leg caused a flurry of concern Wednesday morning, including the brief lockdown of the Apalachicola Bay Charter School. According to the sheriff’s office, around 10:50 AM Nathaniel Lee, 25, 145 Sixth Street, was handling a handgun on the porch of his mother’s house on Ninth Street, near Sylvester Williams Park, when he shot himself in the leg, causing a non-life-threatening flesh wound. Because he had several outstanding warrants, “he didn’t want to get the law involved, he didn’t want to go to the hospital,” said Apalachicola Police Chief Bobby Varnes. Instead, he left his mother’s house, and was hiding in a nearby vacant house when sheriff’s deputies apprehended him within the hour. After being cleared by Weems Memorial Hospital, Lee was transported to the county jail, where he was booked on outstanding warrants connected to drug-related activities. Capt. Chester Creamer said he will be charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, also a felony. The city may charge him with discharging the weapon in city limits, he said.
47. QUEENS, NY, 5/21/14: A loaded gun fell from the ankle holster of a professional photographer at a Queens school Wednesday morning and lay in the lobby until a teacher spotted it, police said. The .38-caliber revolver was seized by police, and the license of its owner, Richard Repetti, was revoked. He was not charged in the incident but will have to apply to the NYPD to get his carry permit reinstated. He signed into Public School 60 in Woodhaven at about 7:30 AM after his colleague called him for assistance. She was at a playground taking pictures of students. At about 8:20 PM police were called to the school, where they were told a teacher had found the gun. The teacher, police said, had apparently heard the gun hit the floor after it slipped from his worn ankle holster. When police questioned Repetti, 57, he said he had a carry permit and reached down towards his holster, thinking the gun was still there. A Department of Education spokeswoman said students were not in danger. “Students were not in the lobby at the time,” said Margie Feinberg. Repetti could not be reached for comment.
48. SAN ANTONIO, TX, 5/21/14: A man is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the leg. The shooting happened just before 9 PM close to the the intersection of Starlight Terrace and Evening Way, near Interstate 35 and Thousand Oaks. The man told police he was riding his bike with a homemade gun in his pocket, and the gun accidentally discharged. The man was taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center in fair condition and is expected to recover.
49. DETROIT, MI, 5/22/14: A 22-year-old woman died Thursday after an accidental shooting at a home on Detroit’s west side, city police said. A 19-year-old man was cleaning an automatic handgun about 2 PM in the 19900 block of Muirland when the man accidentally fired the weapon, said Sgt. Michael Woody of the Detroit Police Department. The man apparently removed the magazine “but didn’t clear the round out from the chamber,” Woody said. A bullet passed through his thumb and struck the woman, he said. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The man, whose relationship to the victim was unclear, remained hospitalized Thursday night in stable condition, Woody said. Details of an investigation are expected to be forwarded to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review and determination of possible charges.
50. ROCKLAND CO., NY, 5/22/14: A Rockland County Sheriff's deputy was treated for a minor wound Thursday after accidentally shooting himself in the leg, authorities said. Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco would not identify the officer, but said he was a veteran on the force. About 1:30 PM while at the Rockland County Police Academy Firing Range, on property owned by Tilcon New York Inc., the deputy was training with a handgun when the weapon discharged, Falco said. Surrounded by other officers trained in emergency response, the deputy received quick treatment, the sheriff said. Paramedics were called and took the officer to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and later released. "It was a graze wound. Nothing even remotely damaging or life threatening," Falco said.
51. MADISON CO., GA, 5/22/14: A 15-year-old Oglethorpe County teen was killed Thursday when a gun discharged as he and his father were putting a boat in the Broad River, Madison County sheriff’s deputies said. The teen, identified as Briar Newsome of Carlton, died at the scene, Capt. Jimmy Patton said Friday. The shooting occurred about 5:30 PM at the Broad River bridge on the Elbert County line, Patton said. “There is a place where a lot of people put in boats. They had a rifle they took along in case they saw a wild hog,” he said. “Evidently they did this a lot. The dad was carrying the rifle and it discharged while they were trying to load the boat.” “Although the investigation is ongoing, all preliminary indications are that the shooting was accidental,” Patton said. “The dad is extremely distraught.”
52. SAN ANGELO, TX, 5/23/14: A 53-year-old man was taken to Shannon Medical Center after he accidentally shot himself in the hand at Action Pawn on Friday afternoon. San Angelo police responded to the call in the 2100 block South Bryant Boulevard shortly before 1 PM. The customer was inside the store and was picking up a .45-caliber handgun he had pawned, and he apparently didn’t know it was loaded, said Sgt. Greg Keeling with the San Angelo Police Department. The man was trying to load the gun when it accidentally discharged. The bullet went through his hand, Keeling said.
53. COLUMBUS, OH, 5/23/14: Police charged a 17 year old after they say he accidentally shot a man Friday afternoon. Police said the teenager brought a loaded gun to a home in the 400 block of Berkeley Road around 4:00 PM. We are not naming the suspect because of his age. Police said he accidentally shot Michael Douglas, 18, in the side of the chest. Douglas is in critical condition at Grant Medical Center. The teen is charged with tampering with evidence and carrying a concealed weapon.
54. CENTREVILLE, MD, 5/23/14: A elderly Centreville woman is in critical condition at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore after being accidentally shot by her husband Friday morning, May 23, according to the Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Office. Emergency responders found Mary O. Martin, 82, of Earle Branch Road, lying on her couch with a gunshot wound to her torso about 7:55 AM, police said. She told them her husband of more than 30 years was showing her an old pistol he had in a drawer and it went off, police said. Roy F. Martin, 84, told police he had never fired the old .38 break-top pistol and thought it was unloaded. He said he pulled the trigger once and nothing happened, but when he pulled it again, the gun fired and the bullet struck his wife, police said.
55. ARLINGTON, TX, 5/23/14: The victims of an attempted armed robbery tell NBC 5 they were held up by four youths, one of whom accidentally shot his own accomplice. At about 3 AM Friday, Arlington police officers were called to the Manchester Park Apartments on the 700 block of Ridge Glen Drive in response to a robbery and shooting. A short time later a male in his late teens arrived at nearby Arlington Memorial Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. Two people who spoke with NBC 5 said they were the victims of the robbery attempt. They said they had just returned home to the complex when they were approached by four young men who asked if they wanted to buy some speakers. When the pair said no, they said that's when the four men tried to rob them at gunpoint. When one of the robbery victims tried get the gun away from the robber, one of the armed men accidentally shot his own accomplice multiple times, police said.
56. STUART, FL, 5/23/14: A 14-year-old boy was in stable condition Friday night after he was wounded in an accidental shooting, city police said. A 19-year-old Riviera Beach man, Mikwon Brockington, was arrested on charges of resisting arrest without violence and tampering with evidence. The shooting happened at about 5 PM Friday in the 900 block of Southeast Dixie Lane, east of Dixie Highway and north of Monterey Road, said Officer Brian C. Bossio, city police spokesman. Officers found the teen with gunshot wounds to the leg and hand. He was flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach and taken into surgery. Police determined that the teen had been shot accidentally, Bossio said. A sergeant stopped Brockington as he tried to speed away from the crime scene in a black sedan driven that was speeding away. On the car’s rear seat was a rifle bag containing a hunting rifle. Officers questioned Brockington and determined he shot the juvenile by accident, Bossio said, adding that police are not yet done with their investigation and that more charges are possible.
57. PHOENIX, AZ, 5/23/14: Phoenix police say a man was wounded when he was hit by a bullet fired from inside a neighboring house. Chase Somogyi, 22, reportedly had a dispute with his girlfriend inside their home at about 9:30 AM near 23rd Street and Sweetwater Avenue, according to a police statement. When the woman tried to leave, Somogyi allegedly forced her back inside the house and threatened to kill himself, the statement says. Somogyi retrieved a .45-caliber handgun and fired six to seven bullets at a wall in his bedroom, according to the police statement. The bullets passed through the wall and went through a front window of a house across the street, striking a 39-year-old man in the wrist.
58. HARRIS CO., TX, 5/24/14: A 10-year-old accidently shot his 4-year-old cousin in the leg in north Harris County Saturday, authorities said. The boy allegedly found a rifle inside the girl's home in the 1400 block of Danby Heath Lane and discharged the weapon around 11:45 AM, said Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Thomas Gilliland. The bullet struck went through the lower part of the girl's leg, Gilliland said. Paramedics took her to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
59. CABOT, VT, 5/24/14: State police say a 10-year-old Vermont boy is dead after an apparent accidental shooting. Investigators say the child was shot in the abdomen Saturday afternoon at a home in Cabot. Medics transported him to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Detectives say a preliminary investigation indicates the death was an accident. The boy's name was not immediately released pending official identification. The investigation remains active. UPDATE: The Vermont State Police announced Tuesday that a 10-year-old boy who died of gun shot injuries on Saturday accidentally shot himself as he was hunting with family members. Police identified the boy as Logan Cookson. Police said Cookson died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot to the abdomen from a .22 caliber revolver.
60. COLUMBUS, IN, 5/24/14: A woman suffered a minor injury to her arm after a holstered handgun fell from a man’s pants, causing the weapon to discharge inside a business on the west side of Columbus. At 8:03 PM Saturday, Columbus Police Chief Jon Rohde was inside Walmart, 2025 Merchants Mile, when he heard a gunshot inside the store. He located the man and woman involved and called for additional patrol units to assist, said Lt. Matt Myers, spokesman for Columbus Police Department. Tony E. Ward, 56, of Columbus, told police that a .22-caliber handgun, for which he has a permit and was in a holster, fell from his waistband while he was shopping and discharged, Myers said. MORE: Lt. Matt Myers with the Columbus Police Department said officers were called to the Walmart at 2025 Merchants Mile around 8 p.m. Saturday. A man had the handgun holstered in his waistband; the gun fell out, hit the ground and went off. Myers said a bullet ricocheted off a soda bottle in a shopping cart and grazed a woman’s arm. The woman was pushing her son in the cart and was not seriously hurt. Columbus Police Chief Jon Rohde was in the store and heard the gunshot. He called for help. Myers said the man had a permit for the gun and wouldn’t face criminal charges. EVEN MORE: The .22-calibur pistol belonging to Tony E Ward, 56, fell out of his holster inside the Walmart at 2025 Merchants Mile and fired - just missing Virginia Thompson's newborn baby in the shopping cart.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Mon May 26, 2014 at 12:12 PM PDT.