Waldman's GunFail

Eighteen people protected themselves right into the hospital: GunFAIL CCXXXV

By David Waldman  

Friday Apr 28, 2017 · 10:40 PM EDT

Eleven of the 58 guns discovered by TSA agents in carry-on bags at airports across the country, during the week of Feb. 27-March 5, 2017.

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Still catching up on old GunFAILs. And guess what? It’s the same story this week as with any other. Forty-something stories of GunFAIL, and nearly half of them are about people who accidentally shot themselves. It’s still the most “popular” accidental target, by far. Which I suppose is fitting, though really only when the victims are “adults.” A histogram would illustrate the problem pretty well, but collecting and summarizing the stories is quite enough work for me, thank you very much. Besides, you can probably imagine what this would look like: 18 people accidentally shot themselves, there were five accidental gun fatalities, five law enforcement employees were involved in gun mishaps of one kind or another, four kids were accidentally shot, four people had gun accidents while they were out and about in public, three people accidentally shot family members or significant others, two people had gun accidents at the range, two people accidentally fired their guns into neighboring homes, and one person mistook a friend for an intruder and shot them.

This week’s “Thanks for Keeping Us Safe” award goes to the concealed carrier in Pueblo, Colorado, whose gun allegedly fell out of its holster, slid down his leg, hit the floor, discharged, and shot another patron who just happened to be passing into the “safest” area of the store at the time. By which, of course, we mean that part of the store where our hero stood ready to defend her from ISIS or any other attack. But as luck would have it, she got shot anyway. No one really knows how, or what could have been done to prevent her Freedoming. So the lesson, as always, is: don’t have any accidents. If you can just follow that simple direction, this sort of thing will not happen again until it does.

Below are about 40 more examples of things that won't happen again until they do. Though because we’re so far behind, they already have. But they’ll happen again next week, too.

1. PERRY CO., TN, 2/26/17: Officials with the Perry County Sheriff's Office confirmed a 13-year-old was shot and killed while playing with a handgun with another child. The shooting happened on Culps Bend Road in the White Oak Community on Sunday. Authorities said details were limited, but they confirmed the 13-year-old and a 12-year-old went into a bedroom, got a handgun from a family member's backpack, and were playing with it when the shooting took place. The victim was taken to Perry County Hospital where he passed away. Further details were not released as the investigation remained ongoing.
2. MARLBOROUGH, NY, 2/26/17: A 21-year-old woman was in critical condition after being accidentally shot in the face by a “good friend” at a residence in this southern Ulster County town, state police said Monday. Darren J. Olympia, 21, of Newburgh “recklessly discharged one round” that “struck the victim in the face” on Sunday, according to a state police press release. Police said the incident happened about 4:10 AM. The woman, whose name was not provided, was taken to Westchester Medical Center, police said. State Trooper Steven Nevel called the shooting “a horrible accident” and said Olympia, who he called a “good friend” of the woman, never left the scene. Police said the shot was fired from a legally owned handgun and that troopers went to the residence in response to a 911 call. Nevel said the call was placed by someone in the residence. Olympia was arrested at 2 PM Sunday at the state police barracks in Highland and charged with the felonies of assault and reckless endangerment, according to the state police online blotter. He was arraigned in Marlborough Town Court and sent to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, police said.
3. LAFAYETTE, GA, 2/26/17: A man who was playing with his gun inside a store, with a young child nearby, accidentally shot himself in the leg, LaFayette police say. According to LaFayette Police Department reports, on Sunday, Feb. 26, around 11 AM, 25-year-old Joseph R. McGill of Trion entered The Pit Stop on East Villanow Street with a young child. He reportedly pulled a .22-caliber revolver from his holster and was playing with it inside the store. Shortly before 1 PM, LaFayette police learned of a shooting and that the victim was at Cornerstone Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe. Police contacted security personnel at the hospital to learn that McGill shot himself in the lower left leg. McGill told the hospital he shot himself accidentally while inside The Pit Stop and that his gun was in his vehicle. Police went to The Pit Stop and spoke with the owner, who said he did not see anyone shot but heard a loud noise. He said he saw a man and a young child in the store at the time. The store owner asked if McGill was "okay" and McGill said, "yes," paid for his items and then left the store. Upon viewing the surveillance footage, the owner told police McGill could be seen at the counter playing with his gun, pulling it out of his holster three times, until the gun went off and shot McGill in the left leg. The small child was about a foot from McGill's left leg. According to the hospital, the bullet lodged in McGill's leg, which kept it from exiting and striking the child. The video was turned over to police. McGill has pending charges currently for reckless conduct and carrying a pistol without a license.
4. NEWPORT NEWS, VA, 2/26/17: A Newport News man was arrested after police discovered that a child was struck by a bullet in his home. On March 12, Newport News Police were called to the 700 block of Waterfront Circle to check on the welfare of a child. When officers arrived, they spoke with the girl's father, 30-year-old Maurice Anthony Jones. Jones' girlfriend came home and appeared to be very upset. Officers spoke with the woman and she told them about an accidental shooting that happened on February 26 after her children returned home from school. Maurice Jones told police that a few weeks ago, his daughters came home from school and started running around the house. He told police that one of his daughters, a 6-year-old, ran out of the room and accidentally knocked the gun off the bed. When the handgun hit the floor, the impact caused to gun to fire a round, Jones said. The round struck Jones in the leg and then hit his 6-year-old daughter in her right leg. According to police, Jones did not call 911 or take his daughter to the hospital. He treated his daughter's wound with a first aid kid. Officers looked at the girl's leg and found a healing wound consistent with a gunshot wound on her right leg. Jones also had a scar on his leg consistent with a gunshot wound. Officers took the gun from the home and also found a marijuana grinder, plastic baggies and cigarillos on a table in the living room. Jones also confessed that he had marijuana on him and wanted to hide it to prevent his girlfriend from getting in trouble. Child Protective Service was notified and responded to the scene. The 6-year-old was taken to the hospital to treat the gunshot wound. Jones was arrested and charged with possession with intention to distribute marijuana, reckless handling of a firearm and child abuse/neglect causing serious injury.
5. PUEBLO, CO, 2/27/17: Guns and alcohol became a deadly combination when a man apparently shot himself by accident during a night of drinking a motel. Police say the 21-year-old was at the Motel 6 on North Elizabeth Street with a group of friends "drinking with guns in the room" when the shooting occurred.  Officers were called to the motel around 2 Monday morning on reports of gunshots. The victim was found dead in a motel room when officers arrived. Officers are still investigating the shooting, but police say that based on the preliminary investigation it appears likely it was an accident. Police are currently not looking for any suspects. The victim has not been identified. MORE: Pueblo County’s coroner has identified the 21-year-old man who police say died early Monday after accidentally shooting himself at a Pueblo motel. David Michael Nunez died from a single gunshot wound, Coroner Brian Cotter said Wednesday.
6. LAS VEGAS, NV, 2/27/17: Police continue to investigate a shooting this morning at a residence in the western Las Vegas valley that injured two young men. The incident occurred at 11:10 AM on the 6500 block of Bannock Way, near West Charleston Boulevard and South Torrey Pines Drive, according to Officer Danny Cordero of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Witnesses say one of the victims accidentally discharged a gun, striking himself in the leg. A bullet fragment then hit the other victim in the ankle. Both were transported to UMC with nonlife-threatening injuries. The gun was impounded for safekeeping, Cordero said, and the case remains open with LVMPD’s Bolden Area Command Investigation Section.
7. WARREN, MI, 2/27/17: A Warren detective remained in serious but stable condition Monday following hours of surgery after he accidentally shot himself in the leg during a firearms training exercise. The 47-year-old detective, who has been an officer in the Warren Police Department for 22 years but whose name was not divulged by officials, was injured at approximately 9:20 AM during annual training at the indoor gun range at the police station. The pistol discharged once, striking him near the pocket area of his right leg. The bullet went through the leg, exiting his inner thigh. Other officers who were in the training session placed a tourniquet on his leg in an attempt to stop the severe bleeding, a source with knowledge of the incident said. The wounded detective remained conscious and was placed into a police patrol car and rushed to St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren, located about two miles from police headquarters, Deputy Police Commissioner Matt Nichols said. “This just seems to be a freak accident,” Nichols said. The detective and three other officers were paired with four Warren officers certified in firearms instruction. The officer’s department-issued 9 mm semi-automatic pistol discharged as he removed it from his holster or as he placed it inside, the deputy commissioner said. Other officers acted quickly to assist their severely bleeding fellow officer, according to Nichols. “They did a great job,” he said. “It was a concerted effort.” The detective was in stable condition and subsequently transferred to St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, where he entered surgery around noon, the source said. Nichols said surgery concluded at approximately 4 PM, after doctors examined the extent of internal damage caused by the bullet. The incident occurred approximately 90 minutes after the start of the day-long firearms training that is part of annual police certification. Other sessions of the departmental training include CPR training, diversity training and information about blood-borne pathogens. Like all reports of gunshot victims, the incident in the Police Department gun range will be investigated by the detective bureau. Other officers who were participating in the firearms training – either for their shooting skills or as an instructor – were interviewed Monday. Nichols, who spent three years (2010-13) as a corporal assigned full-time to the Police Department’s training division, said each individual officer attending firearms training is supervised by one certified instructor from within the department’s ranks in order to provide one-on-on attention. Police officials will review whether all protocols were followed and if changes to procedures should be made, he said.
8. HOUSTON, TX, 2/27/17: A man who opened fire inside a Wendy’s in southeast Houston was arrested Monday night. According to the Houston Police Department, officers responded at 7:30 PM to a call of a suspicious male with a weapon inside the restaurant located at Almeda Genoa and the Gulf Freeway. When HPD arrived at the scene, they went inside and attempted to make contact with the suspect. However, the suspect put a gun to his neck, so officers retreated, police said. Police said the man took money from the cash register and barricaded himself in the office where he fired several times. No one inside the Wendy’s was hurt. The suspect later ran and hid in an abandoned building next door. Police said two officers were injured when one of their guns accidentally hit the ground and went off, but they are both expected to be OK. The suspect was taken in to custody after he exited the building and put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. However, the suspect was out of bullets, so a K-9 unit was released and caught him. He faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon and other possible charges.
9. KANSAS CITY, MO, 2/27/17: A Kansas City woman told police she was shot early Monday after hearing a loud pop and then felt a stinging sensation in her lower back. Officers responded to 4200 block of Roanoke just after midnight. The victim told the officers she was getting ready for bed when the shooting occurred. The woman, who sustained a non-life-threatening injury, said she went to the bathroom and noticed that she was bleeding. There was a large hole in the ceiling of the victim’s bedroom. It appeared the bullet came from another apartment located directly above the victim’s apartment. Officers went upstairs to see if there were other possible victims. They found a handgun in the upstairs apartment but no other shooting victims were located. Police processed the crime scene. No other details were immediately available.
10. BEEBE, AR, 2/27/17: UDPATE: 7-year-old Karma Wezowicz has died, according to family Saturday (3/4). She was critically injured in a shooting Monday evening. She had been on life support, but passed away at 12:51 PM Saturday. ORIGINAL STORY: A seven-year-old girl from White County was shot inside her home and is on life support. Her family is praying she'll survive. This after her mother died just months ago from a blood disorder. The young girl's father is asking for prayers and a miracle. A beautiful family with all smiles. It's moments like that Matthew Wezowicz remembers. "Hold them tight because they can be gone tomorrow," said Matthew. Matthew's wife Renata passed just three months ago from sickle cell anemia. Now, he stands in front of Arkansas Children's Hospital while his daughter Karma is on life support. "You just think about all the good moments that you shared and you pray that you can continue to keep sharing them," said Matthew. He is visibly emotional as he explains what happened. He says he was at home in Beebe with his daughter Monday evening. They were playing games and getting ready to do homework. His last memory before she was shot was only happy. "I just remember her smiling. She was so beautiful," said Matthew. He says a friend, Jeremiah Owens, came to his house to check on him and Karma. Owens was looking a gun that Matthew says he'd recently purchased. Moments later, it went off, and Karma had been shot. "I looked back at him and I asked him, what did you do?," said Matthew. "It didn't feel real. It didn't feel real at all." Since then he's been at the hospital by Karma's side. He's a man of faith. "I'm giving her every chance for God to give me another miracle," said Matthew. "The more prayers I get for a miracle, the better, the power of prayer is real." However, he knows if she doesn't survive someone is waiting for her on the other side. "If He doesn't then at least I know she's in heaven with her mom," said Matthew. Karma's still in critical condition. Matthew says doctors have declared her brain dead.
11. ALMYRA, AR, 2/28/17: Channel 7 News has learned one person was shot Tuesday at the Arkansas County Co-op. The co-op is located on North Maple Street in Almyra. Police say the shooting was accidental. The identity and condition of the victim are unknown at this time. Authorities haven't released any other details about the shooting.
12. NEW ROADS, LA, 2/28/17: A 16-year-old is expected to survive after he was taken to the hospital with a serious shooting injury Tuesday evening. Around 6 PM New Roads Police responded to the scene of a reported accidental shooting on Highway 10. According to the New Roads Police Chief, four people were traveling in a vehicle on their way back from the Mardi Gras parades in New Roads. Police say the four were playing with a gun when it accidentally discharged, shooting one of the four in the neck. The shooting suspect was also shot in the finger. The driver immediately pulled over on Highway 10 and reported the accident. One of the teens reportedly jumped out of the vehicle and ran after it came to a stop. That teen later showed up at the New Roads Police Department with his mother and turned himself in. Police say 22-year-old Elarry Howard, who ran away, will face one count of illegal use of a firearm. He also sustained injuries to his hand during the incident. A District 5 firefighter was also involved in a crash on the way to the shooting. No one in the crash was seriously injured.
13. HANOVER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE CO., PA, 2/28/17: A woman allegedly shot a man in the neck here early Tuesday. Audrey Grinell Ducasse, 19, of New York City, told police the shooting was an accident and the result of her playing with a firearm. According to a criminal complaint: Police and ambulance personnel responded to an apartment in Hanover Village at 1:41 AM for a report of a male gunshot victim. Ducasse emerged from the apartment with her hands up and was screaming that she “shot him” and that she “did not mean to.” Ducasse and a family member of the victim were detained. Two children were found sitting on the couch inside the apartment. Police located the victim, identified as Norman Lynch, and a woman in the back bedroom of the apartment. The woman, identified as the victim’s sister, was applying pressure to the victim’s throat and told police several times the gun “just went off” and it was “an accident.” Police located a Springfield 9mm handgun on the floor between the bed and dresser. A neighbor told police she heard yelling, which she believed to be arguing, but did not hear the gunshot. The victim’s sister reported she saw Ducasse waiving the gun around when it went off. In an interview with police, Ducasse said Lynch picked her up from her residence in New York on Monday. Ducasse and Lynch then went to Lynch’s sister’s apartment in Hanover Village to watch a movie. Ducasse told police she was drinking alcohol called “gasoline” and smoking marijuana. Ducasse said she then began to play with Lynch’s gun and waved it around near him, and it went off while pointed in his direction. Ducasse again said she did not mean to shoot Lynch. Lynch was transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center for treatment. His condition was not immediately clear. Ducasse was arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person. District Judge Rick Cronauer set bail at $25,000, with added conditions that she avoid drugs, alcohol, and weapons. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Joseph Halesey at 9:30 AM March 14.
14. SAVANNAH, GA, 2/28/17: Savannah-Chatham Metro Police responded to two separate accidental shootings overnight. The first one happened in the 900 block of Mohawk Street. Police say one man was shot and has non-life-threatening injuries. They say the victim and suspect knew each other.
15. SAVANNAH, GA, 3/01/17: The second accidental shooting happened in the 300 block of East 52nd Street. SCMPD sent out an alert on Twitter about the shooting around 3:15 AM Wednesday morning.
16. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, CLARION CO., PA, 3/01/17: Marienville-based state police have identified the victim of the apparent accidental shooting that occurred on Wednesday evening in Washington Township, Clarion County. State police say the victim has been identified as 22-year-old Katrina Renee Seaburn of Curwensville, Pa. She was a Clarion University student. The incident occurred around 5:30 PM along Lake Lucy Road, just off state Route 208. A representative with Marienville-based state police confirmed that multiple troopers were dispatched around 5:40 PM to Hartzell Trailer Court in Lake Lucy. Clarion County Coroner Terry Shaffer was called to the scene around 6:15 PM, and he pronounced the victim dead at the scene. The shooting is believed to be accidental in nature, according to state police. State police say the investigation is continuing. Chief Deputy Coroner Randall Stom told exploreClarion.com that an autopsy will be performed Thursday afternoon in Erie. MORE: Katrina Renee Seaburn, 22, a senior at Clarion University where she was expected to graduate in May with a Bachelor’s degree in accounting, died as a result of a gunshot wound to the chest.
17. LOUISVILLE, KY, 3/01/17: A Jefferson County sheriff's deputy has been transported to University Hospital after accidentally shooting himself in the arm. Jefferson County PIO Carl Yates said the officer was off duty and in plain clothes when the shooting happened in the parking lot of the ValuMarket in Iroquois Manor Shopping Center off South Third Street. Yates said the officer was heading into his other job. He was putting his off-duty weapon in his holster when the gun apparently slipped in his hand and discharged. His injuries don't appear to be life-threatening, but he's currently in surgery. No one else was involved or hurt. The shooting is under investigation.
18. LOVE CO., OK, 3/01/17: The wooded area is where the Love County Sheriff's Office says an accidental shooting occurred Wednesday night around 7 PM near Oswalt and I-35. We spoke with someone that was in an RV close by, who says someone came to his camper asking for help. "I peaked [sic] out and he came around the corner and he said 'hey can I borrow your phone we need to call 911 because we had a kid that just got shot,'" says RV owner Denver Sanders. Sanders says it happened just a few feet into the wooded area. "It went in right under his jaw and pierced his tongue in the back of his throat and came to rest in his vertebrae," says the victim's aunt Kathy Potter. That's what Potter says happened to her nephew, Blayke Dean. She says the 18 year-old and his friends were doing target practice alongside a ravine. "And the boy who shot him had spurs on and caught his spur in a tree root and when he did he dropped a 22 pistol he was carrying and shot him in the neck," says Potter. Sheriff Marty Grisham says they will not be pursuing any charges against the shooter. "Use gun safety in the wooded areas and make sure its unloaded if you're not actually hunting and don't be horse playing with the weapons in your hands," says Sheriff Grisham. Potter says Blayke will go through surgery Thursday night. "We love him and we're all praying for him, he's a strong kid. He's gonna pull through," says Potter. Deputies say although this was a terrible accident, people need to make sure they're using proper gun safety at all times.
19. GLOUCESTER, MA, 3/01/17: No one was hurt when a loaded handgun was fired in an elevator at the Pond View Village housing complex, but the 29-year-old Gloucester man who told police he accidentally pulled the trigger faces charges. Ramon Suarez, of 75 LePage Lane, Apt. 503, was charged by Gloucester police with discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and destruction of property worth more than $250. He was arraigned last week in Gloucester District Court and freed on his own recognizance. Het faces an April 10 hearing on charges stemming from the incident. According to police reports, Officer Stephen Lamberis responded to a 10 PM call March 1, when a woman who lives in the Pond View complex said she heard what sounded like a gunshot inside one of the buildings. The woman heard a shot, and then, as she was poised to get into the elevator, she described it as smelling like gunpowder and noticed what appeared to be a bullet impression, Lamberis wrote. She also said she found a 9mm shell casing on the elevator floor. The woman said she had seen a man get out of a taxicab and go into a building accompanied by his girlfriend, and then get into the elevator. She provided police with descriptions of the couple, and said she thought they lived in the complex. Lamberis forwarded the information to the department's detective bureau, and five detectives—including bureau head Lt. Joseph Fitzgerald—executed a search warrant on Suarez' apartment. In an interview with the detectives, Suarez—who has a firearms identification card, court documents show—said he had been carrying his 9mm handgun. After arriving home and getting into the elevator, he pulled the gun and holster out of waistband of his pants because it was "digging into him." But as he brought the gun in front of his body, his finger "touched the trigger" and the gun "accidentally discharged," Quinn's report continues. Suarez told police that, when the gun went off, "it scared him" and was "extremely loud." He told the detectives that he "panicked," and retrieved the spent bullet that did not penetrate the elevator door but landed on the floor. According to Detective Thomas Quinn's report, Suarez said the incident "has shaken him up." "He expressed how lucky it was that no one else was inside the elevator or got hurt," the report adds. The destruction of property charge stems from damage to the elevator door. Police seized the gun, two boxes of 9mm rounds of ammunition, and the holster as evidence. Detectives executing the search warrant found that Suarez had kept the gun inside a locked case within the apartment, Quinn's report states.
20. NEW HAVEN, VT, 3/02/17: On March 2 were alerted by Porter Hospital that a man with a self-inflicted, but not serious, accidental gunshot wound being treated there was from Vergennes; police learned he had moved to New Haven, where the incident occurred.
21. MOBILE, AL, 3/02/17: On Thursday (Mar. 2) at approximately 9:00 PM officers responded to Circle K located at 1395 North University Boulevard for a report of one shot. Officers located a female victim who stated she accidentally shot herself in her left foot.
22. JOPLIN, MO, 3/02/17: Breaking new this Friday morning. Joplin Police confirm that an 18-year-old man was killed by accidental gun fire Thursday night. Around 9:30 PM emergency services responded to 2400 Block of South Pennsylvania in regard to a shooting. Upon arrival it was learned that Ronnie Daniels had been shot and was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Daniels died as a result of his injuries. Next of kin has been notified. Joplin Police Detectives are currently investigating the incident. No other information is available. News Talk KZRG will provide more details as information is released.
23. BURLINGTON, NC, 3/02/17: Police say an officer who fired his handgun during a foot chase Thursday did so accidentally after falling. Detective DeMario Chavis, an Elon officer with the Alamance Narcotics Enforcement Team, has been placed on administrative leave, likely just until the first of the week, Chief Cliff Parker said. Chavis suffered an eye injury during the chase and received treatment. The team arrived at 721 Cameron St. at 1:52 PM Thursday to serve a narcotics search warrant at the house. Burlington Sgt. Todd Long, part of the team, said officers believed they would find cocaine in the house. When officers arrived, David Wendale Williams, 32, of the home ran from the front yard and Chavis and a Burlington officer chased him. Williams turned toward the Burlington officer and grabbed his gun, Parker said. The officer jerked his gun back, and Williams continued running. Chavis chased Williams behind a house, past chained pit bulls, over a fence, over a creek and under a chain-link fence with an opening cut at the bottom. Chavis tried to put his gun back in his holster to go under the fence, Parker said. The gun had been out throughout the encounter, which Parker said was standard for executing a search warrant in a “potentially dangerous situation.” Chavis stumbled to the ground in the process and discharged the weapon toward the ground, Parker said. The bullet struck the brick foundation on the back of a nearby house. Officers found a chip in a brick but could not locate the bullet. Chavis continued chasing Williams, who surrendered moments later in the area of Avon Avenue and Cameron Street. “It was not an intentional shooting at the suspect,” Parker said of the firing of the weapon. Williams, who was not in possession of a firearm at the time, faces multiple charges for allegedly grabbing the Burlington officer’s firearm. Parker said the officer quickly recovered the gun after a brief struggle.
24. ALMA, NE, 3/02/17: Law enforcement is searching for a man in Harlan County who allegedly shot himself Thursday evening. The Harlan County Sheriff’s Office was called around 10:45 PM Thursday for a person who was possibly shot in Alma. Officers met with a 22-year-old man who stated he and his brother, 26, had been in an argument over cigarettes when it escalated to a gun being involved, according to a press release from the Harlan County Sheriff’s Office. According to a Harlan County dispatcher, during the scuffle the 26-year-old man shot himself and fled. Sheriff’s officers, the Nebraska State Patrol and a K9 unit searched the immediate area and were unable to find the suspect. The extent of his injuries was unknown earlier today. A search warrant was conducted on a residence and controlled substances were recovered. One man was taken into custody for felony possession of a controlled substance and is being held at Phelps County Jail.
25. FRUITA, CO, 3/02/17: Officers received a report of shots fired at a home in the 600 block of Pinyon Drive. A bullet had traveled through a wall and doors but no one was injured. A juvenile who lived next door received a summons for reckless endangerment for allegedly accidentally discharging a weapon on March 2.
26. SPRINGDALE, AR, 3/02/17: A 15-year-old boy was arrested after he accidentally shot an 18-year-old in the neck Thursday afternoon at a house in Springdale, police said. Officers arrived at a house in the 100 block of Sunny Dale Drive around 2:45 PM Thursday to find 18-year-old Ibel Doradea shot in the neck, according to a Springdale Police Department Facebook post. Police said Doradea was taken to Northwest Medical Center in Springdale for treatment and that he was in critical condition. After interviewing a 15-year-old at the scene of the shooting, officers found that the shooting was an accident, the post said. Authorities then arrested the 15-year-old on charges of first-degree battery, firing a firearm inside city limits and possession of a firearm by a certain person, according to the post. A message left with police seeking additional information wasn't immediately returned Friday afternoon.
27. LITTLE ROCK, AR, 3/03/17: A man with a gunshot wound to his shoulder showed up at a Taco Bell Friday night asking for help. Police and medical responders were immediately called to the Taco Bell in the 8100 block of Geyer Springs shortly after 6 PM Friday. They say his injury appears to be non life-threatening. Police say the shooting is believed to have been accidental, but are still investigating.
28. CHICAGO, IL, 3/03/17: A 22-year-old man who showed up at a hospital on Friday morning and said he was shot in the Albany Park neighborhood actually shot himself, police said. Just before 6 AM, he showed up at Swedish Covenant Hospital with a gunshot wound and told investigators he was attacked in the 3700 block of West Lawrence, according to Chicago Police. He was transferred to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in serious condition.He told investigators that he was driving in the alley when he got into an argument with two males, police said. During the argument, one of them fired a gun, striking the man in the chest and the two males ran away. On Friday night, police said an investigation showed the gunshot wound was self inflicted. His condition had stabilized, police said.
29. OWATONNA, MN, 3/03/17: Back in early March, Thissen, of Waseca, told cops in Owatonna that he'd tussled with a gun-toting black man outside an Owatonna bar, having learned the dark-skinned would-be criminal was plotting to attack the bartender. During the ensuing fight, the black man's gun went off, striking Thissen in the arm; the mystery black assailant and a female companion then ran off. Use a little imagination, and you can almost hear the wounded Thissen yelling, "AND DON'T COME BACK!" In fact, it seems a vivid imagination is what got this whole thing started. According to the Owatonna People's Press, after Thissen gave his version of events, police reviewed surveillance tapes from outside the bar. (Oh do they, uh... do they have a camera out there?) This couple, and the moment Thissen bravely confronted and scared them off, was nowhere to be found. Cops then searched the story-teller's car, where they found a small revolver consistent with the shooting wound Thissen had sustained that night. In a subsequent police interview, he changed his story, admitting he'd been at Owatonna's Doug Pound Bar until close. Arriving at his vehicle, he told cops he "found" the revolver in there, and tried discerning "if it was loaded." It was, as proven by the bullet he accidentally shot into his arm. Now it's Thissen who's in some trouble, charged with "reckless discharge of a firearm in a municipality," a felony, and false reporting of a crime to law enforcement, a gross misdemeanor, GoMN reports. The firearm charge brings a maximum penalty of two years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine, while the false report could carry up to 90 days and/or $3,000. The court can also levy a restitution charge on Thissen for the false report, of up to $3,000, to reimburse local cops for expenses incurred investigating the crime he claimed. The black man described in Thissen's original story is still at large. He is a suspect in hundreds of other police investigations, historically, and is expected to continue popping up at the scenes of crimes that did not happen.
30. PUEBLO, CO, 3/03/17: A woman received minor injuries after a gun accidently discharged in the parking lot of the South Side King Soopers early Friday evening. Captain Chris Noeller of the Pueblo Police Department informed The Pueblo Chieftain that the gun discharged after it hit the ground. He said a man was wearing the weapon in a concealed fashion when it fell out of its holster and slid down his leg. The gun discharged when it hit the ground, and the woman was hit in the ankle by shrapnel. Noeller said the man was not arrested. However, the matter was sent to the District Attorney’s office for review, and charges may be filed at a later date.
31. MACON, GA, 3/03/17: A 19-year-old was taken to the hospital after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh, according to a Bibb incident report. It says a deputy arrived at Bibb Sheriff’s District 2 office to investigate a person shot around 11:30 AM Friday. He found Joseph Stubbs in the backseat of his grandmother’s Chevy Impala with a gunshot wound on his inner thigh. He told the deputy he accidentally shot himself and then threw the gun into the woods near her home on Mutual Avenue. The crime lab determine Stubbs shot himself while putting the gun in his waistband to hide it. No charges are expected.
32. KEYSVILLE, VA, 3/03/17: Lunenburg County Police and Rescue responded to 8557 Lunenburg County Highway after receiving a report of an accidental shooting at 10:30 AM March 3. On Friday morning Daniel Lee Hanks, 31, of Keysville was shooting his almost new Springfield M1A when he had a misfire. According to Hanks he followed the recommendations in the owner’s manual. He waited longer than the recommended three minutes before attempting to clear the weapon. He then placed the stock on the ground with the barrel pointed away from him and manually retracted the receiver. At the point where the shell casing was entirely out of the barrel but the bullet was still inside, the shell exploded for no apparent reason. Part of the casing penetrated three inches into Hank’s stomach and another piece of shrapnel lodged in the web of his right hand between his thumb and fingers damaging an artery. The bullet remained in the barrel. Police and Rescue were called and Hanks was med-flighted via the Virginia State Police Helicopter to MCV where he was immediately taken to surgery. He was released from the hospital on Monday and continues to recuperate at home.He will have at least one follow-up surgery to remove another piece of shrapnel from his hand that cannot be removed until the blood vessels have healed, and will need therapy for his hand. Hanks is the son of Patty and Tommy Hanks. Hanks said he still doesn’t understand how the bullet fired but says, “I’m lucky to be alive. If I hadn’t been holding the gun away from me I would be dead.”
33. TURTLE CREEK, PA, 3/03/17: A 23-year-old woman was critically wounded when police say she was mistaken for an intruder and shot in a house in Turtle Creek early Friday morning. The shooting took place around 3 AM in the 200 block of Brown Avenue, according to Allegheny County emergency officials. The woman was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville, where she is in critical condition but is expected to survive, Allegheny County police said. Investigators said the woman, who was a girlfriend of one of the residents of house, went to the basement to retrieve a comforter and was returning upstairs when a roommate mistook her for an intruder and shot her. The roommates called 911. The victim’s identity has not been released.
34. CHAMBERSBURG, PA, 3/03/17: On 3/3/2017, at approx. 2046 hrs, the Chambersburg Police Dept. responded to the Chambersburg Hospital for an individual being treated at that location for a self inflicted gun shot wound. The victim reported that he accidentally shot himself in the foot as he was attempting to tuck his pistol into his pants while in the 200 block of W Queen St. The victim's injury is non-life threatening. Further investigation by CPD continues.
35. CHELTENHAM TOWNSHIP, PA, 3/03/17: MAN INJURED >> A man accidentally shot himself in the hand at 8:02 PM March 4 outside Shop Rite, 2471 W. Cheltenham Ave., police said. The victim was waiting for his wife in a vehicle and was playing with the gun when he shot himself, police said.
36. LLANO, TX, 3/03/17: An employee at the Llano County Sheriff’s Office accidentally shot their gun in an office on Friday. The department says no one was injured in the incident. There was some damage, however, and the office will need a window replaced. Additional details on the accidental shooting were not immediately available. In May 2016, a University of Texas at Austin police officer was shot after accidentally firing his holstered weapon. The officer was taken to the hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. In 2014 and 2015, Austin police suspended several officers for firing their guns accidentally.
37. WICHITA FALLS, TX, 3/04/17: An accidental shooting Saturday morning in Wichita Falls sends one man to the hospital. According to police, it happened on the 1700 block of 7th Street just before midnight. They said the man accidentally shot himself in the leg. Officers said other people were involved, but they have no reason to believe it was not an accident. That man is expected to be okay.
38. CHICKASAW CO., MS, 3/04/17: A dropped gun discharged late Saturday night and struck a Woodland man who was rushed to a Tupelo hospital and later died. Chickasaw County Sheriff James Meyers said Maurice Chandler, 24, was struck once by a .40-cal bullet shortly before midnight at a home just outside of Woodland. Family members bundled Chandler into a car, called deputies and drove to a helicopter landing zone set up at the intersection in Woodland. “It looks like the gun was bought that day, three men were looking at it and it was dropped,” said Meyers. “It was an automatic and when they grabbed at it, it went off.” Meyers said the shooting has been ruled an accident.
39. TEXAS COUNTY, MO, 3/04/17: A representative of Texas County Memorial Hospital called March 4 to report a 21-year-old man was there with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An investigating officer made contact with the man and he said he had been putting up his .22-caliber revolver and accidentally shot himself in the leg. The bullet went through his leg and he was treated for minor injuries.
40. THE DALLES, OR, 3/04/17: Police responded to the hospital Saturday evening after staff reported a patient was in the emergency room after accidentally shooting himself. The shooting took place in the 3300 block of West 6th Street. A report was taken.
41. WEWAHITCHKA, FL, 3/04/17: On Saturday, March 4, 2017, at approximately 9:06 PM Eastern Time the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) received a 911 call reporting a female has been shot in the 100 block of Old Dairy Farm Road in Wewahitchka. Deputies arrived within minutes and discovered an adult female laying on the ground being treated by EMS for an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was transported to Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City where she underwent emergency surgery. The GCSO Criminal Investigations Division (CID) responded to the scene and began an investigation. Based on statements made by the victim and witnesses the shooting is being considered an accident at this time. Investigators are continuing the investigation and will learn more when the victim is able to give an in depth interview. The victim is still listed in critical condition.