Fri Oct 17, 2014 at 07:51 PM PDT
100 More GunFAILs, which brings us to GunFAIL LXXIX, but we're still not caught up.
by David Waldman
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Five of 39 guns "forgotten" by their owners and found by TSA agents at airports across the country, Oct. 10-16. A total of 268 guns were discovered since the last GunFAIL list was published in mid-September.
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Okay, it's time to get out of the summer doldrums, already. It's October, and time to get caught up and back to the weekly posting schedule. By the way, if you were keeping score at home, we would be somewhere around GunFAIL XCI if we'd published weekly during the summer.
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Anyway, here's a quick and dirty rundown on the numbers in our most-frequently reported categories. From around mid-August to early September, we saw 11 "home invasion" shootings, that is, where someone has accidentally fired into their neighbors' home or property, not counting two additional instances of firing into a neighboring hotel room. There were also 11 target shooting accidents of various kinds, five hunting accidents, five accidents while cleaning still-loaded guns, six various FAILs involving law enforcement or security officers, three shootings of people mistaken for intruders, two accidental shootings arising from attempted interventions in ongoing attacks or robberies, three accidental discharges while out shopping or dining in public, and the first accidental discharge in the classroom of the still-young school year.
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The really alarming numbers, though, were among those who accidentally shot themselves (33), those who accidentally shot a family member or significant other (11), and kids who were accidentally shot (29). Among all the carnage, 17 of the 100 incidents on the list resulted in fatalities.
Which were our most spectacular GunFAILs this time around? Number 14, which demonstrates the need to keep track of your weapon at all times and not accidentally throw it into a bonfire. Number 32, in which a grandmother mistook her 7-year-old grandson for an intruder and shot him. Number 37, in which a son argued with and then shot his father and fled, the mother called police, and when a deputy arrived, mom shot him, thinking it was her son returning. Number 52, in which an angry driver attempting a road rage shooting of a nearby driver accidentally shot himself in the head and killed himself. Number 91, the Idaho State University professor who accidentally shot himself in the foot in the middle of chemistry class. Number 65, in which a cameraman from the long-running TV reality show Cops was accidentally shot and killed during filming, by a cop. And finally, number 17, in which a man carrying his gun under Georgia's new "guns everywhere" law to a German-style biergarten in the Bavarian-themed tourist town of Helen accidentally shot himself in the hand, and the same bullet killed a visitor across the street.
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That's some Responsible Gun Ownin', people. Details on the Hot 100 below the fold.
PIEDMONT, OK, 6/14/14: Neighbors in Piedmont had to dodge bullets after they were fired into a nearby lake June 14. “You can skip a rock on a lake, same thing with a bullet, only it goes a lot faster and goes a lot further,” said Piedmont Police Chief Alex Oblein. On June 14, Piedmont police received a frantic call for help. “I got a neighbor that's out here shooting a high-powered rifle or gun. He zinging bullets over my head. Get me a policeman out here or there's going to be a killing. I mean it. I need someone now,” the 911 caller told the dispatcher. An officer rushed to the Falcon Lake neighborhood while the gunfire continued. The bullets flew by children playing outside. One bullet pierced a home’s roof. The gunfire didn't stop once the officer arrived. “While he was standing out there he heard a shot fly over his head also,” Oblein said. Investigators said the bullets were coming from the southern side of the lake traveling about a quarter mile northward. Police tracked down the suspected shooter, who told them he had been firing a gun but was aiming at the water. He said he did not realize the bullets ricocheted. Police arrested Sebastian Olejniczak in connection with the shooting. They recovered 49 shell casings, an AK-47, an AR-15, an “Uzi” style pistol and a couple other pistols according to a police report. Police said Olejniczak didn't live in the area but did get permission from the land owner to be on the property. Public records indicate Olejniczak has no previous criminal history in Oklahoma.
DELAWARE TOWNSHIP, NJ, 6/29/14: An Arabian horse continues to recover after she was struck by a stray bullet fired from a neighboring property in late June. Juno, a Straight Egyptian Arabian mare valued at $250,000 spent several weeks at Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in Ringoes after being injured on June 29. She returned home to Thornewood Farm on Aug. 19. Although she went off her feed for a time, she started eating again and she is slowly getting better. She will be on stall rest for a little while longer, co-owner Lisa Cifrese said. Cifrese also warns other horse owners to be aware that hunting season is on the horizon, although this was not a hunting accident. "I would never have imagined moving to New Jersey that my horse would get shot," she said. Thornewood attorney John R. Lanza said on July 16 that multiple bullets had since been found that pierced the metal shed wall. Police and private investigations have led authorities to believe that the shooting was accidental. No charges had been filed as of Sept. 9 that Cifrese was aware of. More than one person was target shooting nearby when the horse was hit, Lanza said. "There were bullets from an AR-15, .223 caliber rifle found in the shed. "We have the bullet" that hit Juno, and "the police have interviewed the subjects and obtained their firearms. They're matching bullets to the firearms." Lanza said the people believed to have been target shooting are "very remorseful that anything like this happened. It's a shame for everybody."
BERTHOUD, CO, 7/11/14: Bob and Darla Starman were in their front yard getting ready for a garage sale on July 11 when Bob thought he heard a bullet whizz past his head. Then they heard a second shot, and Darla screamed. A.22-caliber bullet had lodged in her leg above the knee, not far from the femoral artery. "It's a hurt I've never felt before," said Darla, who still suffers aches and soreness from the injury, which is healing. "It hurts really bad, and it burns and it stings." The Starmans knew right away that Darla had been shot, but they didn't know who had fired the shot or why. The answer was one rural property away, with neighbor Matthew Kuber, who reportedly was shooting at rabbits that had been feasting on his garden. His shot instead hit an unintended target — the woman having a garage sale next door.
SAN ANTONIO, TX, 8/14/14: A 12-year-old boy who was shot in the face early Thursday morning inside an East Side townhome later died at University Hospital. Police said the boy, Julian Karnazuta-Gomez, was with his 14-year-old cousin at the younger boy's home in the 4600 block of East Houston Street when the gun went off around 2 AM. Police responded to the Place at Houston Street Townhomes. According to police, Karnazuta-Gomez, the 14-year-old shooter and two other children were playing with the gun when it was fired. The boy's cousin reported that he discovered the gun near the home. "They were walking in a field, and they found a handgun. They returned the gun to the victim's residence, went to his room, and the suspect started playing with the gun," said Doug Greene, public information officer for the San Antonio Police Department. According to police, Gomez's parents told investigators they were downstairs when the shooting occurred putting two other little children to bed. They told police they had no idea the gun was brought into their home. SAPD officials took the alleged shooter and another teen who was inside the room in for questioning.
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, 8/14/14: Police determined a man who walked into a hospital Thursday night saying he had been shot by someone else instead accidentally shot himself, according to a news release. Corpus Christi police were called to Christus Spohn Hospital South about midnight Thursday. A 22-year-old man had a gunshot wound in his right thigh and said he had been shot and robbed at a convenience store, according to the release. His story changed as officers questioned him, according to the release. Officers went to the man’s apartment in the 5200 block of Weber Road near Carroll High School. Witnesses there said he was handling a .22 caliber rifle and was intoxicated when he accidentally shot himself, a police spokesman said. The man remained in the hospital Friday morning with injuries that weren’t life threatening and was charged on suspicion of discharging a firearm, a class A misdemeanor, according to the release.
MIDWEST CITY, OK, 8/14/14: A 14-year-old boy is dead after being shot in the chest with a rifle. On Thursday, Midwest City police say they received a 911 call about a possible shooting in the 4200 block of N. Shadybrook Dr. When officers arrived, they found the body of a 14-year-old in the garage of the home. Two other teenagers, who were at the home at the time of the shooting, told investigators the victim shot himself. A short time later, both admitted they were all in the garage when the 14-year-old was handling the rifle. Authorities say it unintentionally went off and hit the 14-year-old in the chest. The rifle that was allegedly used in the shooting was reported stolen from a Midwest City home in 2011. So far, no charges have been filed in the case. Updated: Initial reports were the victim was 13 but the school tells KFOR the victim had recently turned 14. UPDATE: Police have released the name of a 13-year-old boy who was found dead after a shooting incident at a Midwest City home last week. Police received vague 911 calls about 1:30 PM Thursday about a possible shooting at the 4200 block of N Shadybrook Drive. When officers arrived, they found Lebron Davis dead in the garage. Police said they think Davis was shot once in the chest with a rifle. Davis attended Crutcho Public Schools, according to a statement on the school district’s website. He would have started eighth grade Tuesday.
ATLANTA, GA, 8/14/14: A 3-year-old boy was in stable condition Friday after what police believe was an accidental shooting overnight in northwest Atlanta. Authorities said the shooting occurred just before 10 PM Thursday in the 2900 block of Middleton Road at the Allen Hills Apartments, a gated complex off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The preliminary investigation indicates the boy may have been playing with a handgun and shot himself in the face, Officer Officer John Chafee with Atlanta police said. The child was transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. Neighbor Ivey McMullen told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she heard people screaming, “the baby shot himself.” Charges are possible in the incident, Officer John Chafee said.
LONGVIEW, WA, 8/14/14: A Longview teen is in a Portland hospital after his friend accidentally shot him in the face Thursday, Longview police said. A 15-year-old resident in the 200 block of 26th Avenue told officers he found the hidden key to his parents’ gun safe and was handling the gun about 3 PM Thursday. As he was placing the gun back into the safe the gun fired into the face of his 14-year-old friend, according to Longview police. The friend, bleeding from his head, was taken to St. John Medical Center and later to Oregon Health and Sciences University by Life Flight helicopter. The boy’s condition was unavailable Thursday night. The 15-year-old’s parents told officers they were working during the time of the shooting. They were not aware their son knew where the key to the gun safe was hidden, police said.
VALLEJO, CA, 8/14/14: A Vallejo man died Thursday morning after he accidentally shot himself in the chest while he was cleaning a firearm. The man, described as a Caucasian man in his 70s, was in his garage on the 100 block of Sunrise Way, when according to Vallejo police, the weapon accidentally discharged and was legally owned by the man. Police said that no foul play is suspected. There were no other injuries reported.
CLARION TOWNSHIP, PA, 8/14/14: Clarion-based State Police say around 10:20 AM on August 14, an accidental shooting occurred on Fisher Road, in Clarion Township. According to police, a 21-year-old Fisher man had just purchased a handgun and was on his way back to his residence when he accidentally shot himself in the foot. The name of the individual was not released. No other information was provided.
NEWTON, KS, 8/15/14: A 2-year-old child is expected to recover after accidentally shooting himself in the hand at a Newton home. Officers were called to Newton Medical Center at 10:39 AM Friday. Police say the boy was at his grandparents' house in the 900 block of Cherry Hills Drive, where a handgun had been left on a table. As the boy's grandmother went to answer the telephone, police said the child picked up the handgun and fired one shot, grazing his finger. The bullet went through the front door and hit a neighbor's house. The child was treated and released. The Harvey County Attorney will determine if the grandparents will face charges in the case.
FARMINGTON, UT, 8/15/14: A 45-year-old man is expected to recover after he was accidentally shot in Lagoon campground. The man and his 43-year-old brother were showing each other a small handgun inside a motor-home Friday night when, about 9 PM, a round discharged and hit the older brother in his lower abdomen, said Farmington Police Lt. Parish Snyder. Emergency responders arrived at the campground, located just south of the amusement park, and took the wounded man to Intermountain Medical Center. He is expected to survive the injury, Snyder said, adding that the shooting was an accident.
WALLA WALLA, WA, 8/15/14: Detectives are continuing their investigation into the shooting death of a 20-year-old Walla Walla man. Ramiro Lopez Jr. died Friday morning from a single gunshot wound to the head. The shooting took place at a home on the 300 block of West Chestnut Street. Police say the shooting was witnessed by a least three other subjects who were with Lopez at the time. The witnesses are cooperating with officials conducting the investigation. No suspects are being sought at this time, and it is possible the shooting was accidental. The weapon used in the shooting, a semi-automatic pistol, had been reported stolen to the police department earlier this month.
NORTH BEND, OR, 8/15/14: A handgun accidentally thrown in a fire discharged 3 rounds, hitting one man in the leg and grazing another man's abdomen, the Coos County Sheriff's Office said. Dustin Shermer, 27, of Grants Pass called 911 around 9:42 PM Friday to report he had accidentally shot himself in the leg. Deputies met Shermer at the hospital. Shermer said he and 2 friends had built a fire with brush they'd brought with them to the North Spit, north of North Bend. He told deputies he had placed his 38 Smith and Wesson pistol on the tailgate of his truck. At some point, the gun got caught in the brush and was thrown into the fire. Once the fire heated up the gun, it fired three rounds. One hit Shermer in the thigh. Another grazed the abdomen of 25-year-old Matthew Parker of North Bend. Deputies determined Shermer's account was accurate and that no criminal activity took place, the sheriff's office said.
BIRMINGHAM, AL, 8/15/14: Birmingham Police are investigating a shooting at Kingston Projects in the 900 block of 44th Place North that left a 5-year-old girl wounded late Friday night. Police say the girl was an innocent bystander when a gun was fired during an altercation nearby. Authorities say she was taken to Children's of Alabama and doctors expect her to recover. No suspect has been named.
LOUISVILLE, KY, 8/16/14: Just before 2 AM Saturday, emergency officials received a call about a shooting on Routt Road in Jeffersontown. "They were at my son's mother's house on Routt Road. They're friends of my son's," Joe Mohr, of Frankfort, told WDRB. Mohr says his son, the suspect and the victim, 18 year-old Dillon Walker, all of Franklin County, were good friends. He said they were at his house Friday night before heading to J-town to stay the night. "What happened was the other two boys were out after my son had gone to sleep. He woke my son up and said he had accidentally shot Dillon," Mohr told WDRB. According to the coroner's office, Walker died at University Hospital from a gunshot wound to the head. "We didn't know for a long time whether he was going to make it or not," Mohr said. Police have charged a 17-year-old juvenile with Walker's murder. "This murder charge has just really floored everybody. That's much more serious than I think anyone's going to find it to be. It's a serious situation and there's maybe carelessness involved but that's the worst. It's a terrible, terrible accident. It's a tragedy for many people," he said. Mohr said he isn't sure where the boys got the guns but knows many people shoot recreationally in that area. "They need to live a little more cautiously," he said. Mohr said Walker will be missed. "Dillon was getting ready to go to college Sunday. This was a weekend with his friends and there was certainly no mal intent amongst those boys," he told WDRB. "This is just a terrible tragedy. There are a lot of broken hearts here in Franklin County right now. A lot of the young people are just sick over this," he said. Clark Legacy Funeral Home in Frankfort will hold services this week.
HELEN, GA, 8/16/14: A Texas woman died late Saturday after she was struck by a stray gunshot in the town of Helen in North Georgia. Police said the bullet came from a small-caliber handgun carried by a 53-year-old man from Jasper, Ga. The gun accidentally discharged, and the bullet traveled across Helen’s tourist-laden Main Street and struck the woman in the side. Bystanders attempted to administer first aid, police said, but authorities pronounced the woman dead at the scene. The shooting took place outside the Old Heidelberg restaurant and bar, one of many Bavarian-themed businesses in Helen, a town of about 500 residents in White County, 90 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. The town’s main route, Ga. 75, is often crowded with visitors, many of them motorcyclists attracted by the area’s twisting mountainous roads. Officers from the Helen Police Department responded to a call of shots fired at 10:41 PM Saturday. They first found the 53-year-old man, identified as Glenn Patrick Lampien, sitting on a bench, his hand bleeding. Officers then learned of a second victim, the Texas woman across the street, apparently struck by the same bullet. Authorities did not release the woman’s name Sunday. In a statement Sunday, the police said Lampien would be charged with involuntary manslaughter. An employee who answered the telephone Sunday at the Old Heidelberg said the police had instructed the restaurant’s staff not to speak to reporters. In a brief telephone interview, Lampien’s wife, Valerie, said her husband was recovering. She was not with him Saturday night in Helen. “I don’t know what happened myself,” she said. “It’s an unfortunate situation.” Lampien is the owner of Lampien Mechanical Services in Jasper, which installs and services commercial and industrial air conditioning systems. Public records indicate he was convicted of driving under the influence in 1999 and sentenced to probation. The shooting occurred less than two months after a new law took effect in Georgia that greatly extended gun owners’ rights to carry weapons in public places. Bars are among the locations covered by House Bill 60. In an online forum sponsored by GeorgiaPacking.org, a gun-rights advocacy group, one commenter said Sunday: “Of course, HB 60 will be blamed.” A woman posting to the Helen Police Department’s Facebook page took a different view: “Guns everywhere! This is our brand new law in action.”
SAN DIEGO, CA, 8/16/14: Four people who were out shooting may have sparked a 20-acre brush fire Saturday afternoon in Otay Mesa about a mile from the state prison, authorities said. Cal Fire air tankers and helicopters worked with ground crews to control the blaze, burning off Kuebler Ranch Road near Otay Mountain Truck Trail, Cal Fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser said. No structures were threatened. The fire was reported about 4:20 PM about two miles north of the Mexican border and a mile east of Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility on Alta Road. Several sheriff’s jails lie further north along the same road. Fire officials initially said the blaze had charred about 100 acres in the first hour, but then scaled back their estimate to 20 acres. The fire was said to be dying down by about 5:40 PM. A Border Patrol helicopter crew saw a vehicle leaving the area near the fire, and agents stopped the vehicle nearby at Alta Road and Paseo de la Fuente, sheriff's Lt. Christine Robbins said. She said deputies said the people in the car had been shooting guns. Cal Fire is investigating the cause of the fire.
LAKE CO., CA, 8/16/14: A Petaluma man on a deer hunting trip with family and friends in the rugged Mendocino National Forest was accidentally shot and killed Saturday evening, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The 52-year-old man was airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward, said Lake County acting Undersheriff Chris Macedo. “There’s nothing to make us believe foul play has occurred,” acting Undersheriff Chris Macedo said. The victim’s family members phoned for help at about 5 p.m., according to Cal Fire Capt. Amy Head. Emergency crews from Calstar and Cal Fire arrived on scene — about eight miles northeast of Upper Lake — by air while the Northshore Fire Protection District and Forest Service personnel arrived by ground after determining where the victim was located. While the victim’s family had cell phones, the signals weren’t strong enough for their GPS systems to be utilized and they had difficulty communicating their location because they spoke only Spanish, said Pat Brown, Northshore’s deputy fire chief. “There was a huge language barrier,” he said. The victim was located near French Ridge, just below the High Glade lookout tower, he said. Cal Fire’s crews lifted the victim out by helicopter, then transferred him to the Calstar helicopter, which flew him to the hospital, Brown said. At least 16 emergency workers responded to the location, he said. “It takes a lot of people to do this,” Brown said.
NASHUA, NH, 8/16/14: New details about a weekend shooting that left a woman in critical condition reveal the victim told police she was shot twice, while the man who shot her said he was cleaning his gun when it accidentally fired, according to court documents released Monday. Christopher Martini, 41, of 3 Balcom St., Apt. A, Nashua, was held on $25,000 cash or surety bail following his arraignment at Nashua district court. He was charged with first-degree assault, reckless conduct and criminal threatening, all of which are domestic violence-related and are felonies, according to court documents. Police were called to 1011⁄2 Gilman St. shortly before 7:30 p.m. Saturday for a report of shots fired. Officers found Martini sitting on front porch with blood on his hands. They also found a trail of blood spatter leading from an upstairs bedroom that led out the front door and to a basement residence.
HONOLULU, HI, 8/16/14: The family of a 39-year-old Honolulu police officer said his death Monday morning was due to a gunshot wound from an accidental discharge of a handgun at his Wilhelmina Rise home Saturday evening. Jens Magelssen, a Honolulu police officer, was showing his handgun to a friend during a barbecue at his home on Sierra Drive when it accidentally discharged, his uncle Mark Magelssen said. "There was no intention for anyone to get hurt," he said. "Jens was just showing the gun to someone, and it accidentally went off. No one else shot him and he was not attempting to shoot himself. It was just a terrible, tragic accident. "It's carelessness on Jens' part, which is unusual because he's usually a very careful person," he said. Jens Magelssen died Monday morning at the Queen's Medical Center Monday after he was taken off life support, his uncle said.
ELGIN, SC, 8/16/14: An Elgin man was shot in the arm on Saturday after the rifle he was cleaning misfired, according to an incident report filed with the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department. The 24-year-old said he was in a shed and had taken out his father’s .22-caliber rifle to clean. The victim was struck by a bullet in the right arm after the rifle he placed in his lap to clean misfired, the report said. The report said the victim then drove himself to a local emergency room in Camden, where officials determined the bullet had broken a bone in his arm and would need to be fixed with surgery. The victim said he was the only one in the shed when the rifle misfired. Officers investigating the incident determined it was an accidental shooting.
ANDALE, KS, 8/17/14: A stray target shooting bullet sent one man to the hospital Sunday afternoon. It happened west of Wichita near Andale, and now Sedgwick County deputies are urging gun owners to know their surrounds before they shoot. Around 2 PM Sunday a homeowner was walking in his backyard when he was hit by a bullet fired from a half-mile away. The victim's family said it was a very scary situation. "He was just out in the yard, his son Ryan was out here with him," said the victim's sister-in-law Brenda Mies. The homeowner was struck by a bullet in his behind. Sedgwick County Officers said it came from across a farm field behind his backyard. Five men ages 18-20 were shooting several rounds from the other side of the field. They were aiming at a dead stump with no back stop. Sedgwick Co. Sgt. Kevin Berry said it was a wreckless mistake. "When you're shooting rifles that are made for long distance shooting you definitely need to know what's behind your target when you shoot," said Berry. Fortunately the victim was released from the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Mies said this isn't the first time bullets have wound up on her brother-in-law's property. "Sheds have been shot out here, our cars have been shot," said Mies. It's not illegal to shoot guns on private property in the country, but everyone who does needs to know the dangers. "Hunters have to know where they're shooting at, it's the same thing with anybody that has weapons," said Berry. "You have to know what's on the other side of those trees before you shoot." Mies hopes this accident can serve as a lesson to be learned for everyone who uses sporting guns. "It's dangerous, people need to learn that guns aren't toys, said Mies. "Go to shooting ranges where it's safe." The five target shooters were brought in for questioning with investigators Sunday afternoon. Berry said they could face aggrivated battery charges. KAKE-TV also spoke with the home owner where the target shooting took place. He said his son and friends will no longer be shooting long distance rifles from that spot until he builds a back stop. The shooters were brought in for questioning. Berry says they could face aggravated battery charges.
CLARKSVILLE, TN, 8/17/14: A 4-year-old boy died Sunday in Clarksville after police said he accidentally shot himself. Officers with the Clarksville Police Department were called a home on Arthurs Court around 5:45 PM When officers arrived, they found the 4-year-old with a gunshot wound to the chest. The child was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he died. The preliminary investigation showed the child got access to the loaded handgun and accidentally fired the fatal shot. The investigation was ongoing. The child's identity was not immediately released.
CALHOUN, GA, 8/17/14: A Georgia man was arrested Sunday in Calhoun after firing a gun inside a hotel room police say nearly struck a sleeping child. According to the Calhoun Police Department incident report: Police officers about 12:42 AM were dispatched to the Holiday Inn Express at 125 Hampton Drive, after a patron staying in Room 228 reported a bullet hole in the wall caused by a projectile that came from the room next door. The men who were staying in Room 226 were found in the parking lot sitting in a gray 2013 Ford Fusion. After first denying having a gun, the two told police they wanted to tell the truth. The duo said they had been to a wedding in Ranger and a friend brought them back to the hotel. One of the men stayed in the car while Chadwick Monroy Langway, 25, of Big Canoe, Ga., went to the room to get his friend’s 9 mm pistol. Langway said he “was holding the pistol in his left hand and playing around with it,” the report says. “He did not think it was loaded and pulled the trigger.” The gun was loaded and Langway fired a round. He told police he panicked and knocked on the door to the room next door, but no one came to the door. He knocked on other doors then ran to the parking lot to tell his friend what happened. The two sat in the car until officers arrived. Police found the spent round in a bag of clothes on a table in Room 228. “If the bags had not stopped the round it would more than likely have struck a 4-year-old male (who) was lying on the bed asleep,” an officer wrote in the report. No one was injured. Police believe the shooting to be accidental, but reported Langway and his friend smelled strongly of alcohol, had bloodshot and watery eyes, and slightly slurred speech. They arrested Langway on charge of reckless conduct causing harm or endangering safety.
GRAND TERRACE, CA, 8/18/14: A 63-year-old woman was arrested Monday after she shot her own hand during a dispute over an Xbox console, authorities said. Bonnie Rucker, a Grand Terrace resident, was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to kill her relative, Scott Adcock, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The argument over the Xbox broke out about 12:40 PM in a home in the 12000 block of Honey Hill Drive when Rucker allegedly pointed a loaded .357 caliber handgun at Adcock, threatening to shoot him, authorities said. A struggle ensued, and the handgun discharged into Rucker's hand, authorities said. Adcock was not injured in the shooting. Rucker's hand was treated at Loma Linda Medical Center and she was later booked at the West Valley Detention Center.
AURORA, CO, 8/18/14: Police say they're surprised no one was hurt after an Aurora homeowner mistook an insurance adjuster for an intruder and fired his gun. Aurora Police Sgt. Chris Amsler says 63-year-old Maurice Giles fired two rounds into an empty bedroom after hearing strange noises Monday morning. Amsler says the noises were actually coming from the roof, where an insurance adjuster was studying recent storm damage. No one was struck, and the bullets did not damage the home. Amsler says Giles was issued a ticket for discharging a firearm in the city, a misdemeanor code violation.
BRACKEN CO., KY, 8/18/14: A 17-year-old Bracken County boy is expected to recover after being shot in the chest with a hunting rifle. An ambulance was called to Belmont Road Monday night, August 18 at around 9. Investigators believe the shooting was accidental. Officials have not yet been able to talk to the teen. He is in critical condition. UPDATE: Local 12 learned the 17-year-old boy has died after being shot in the chest with a hunting rifle Monday.
FLAGSTAFF, AZ, 8/18/14: A Kansas man was taken to Flagstaff Medical Center this week after accidentally shooting himself in the finger. According to police reports, Flagstaff police and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the parking lot of the Sizzler restaurant in the 3500 block of East Route 66 Monday around 6:50 PM in response to a report of a weapon being discharged. The victim, who had been trained in the safe use of firearms, told police he was walking back to his car after eating dinner at the restaurant when he decided to clear the live ammunition from his firearm for the sake of safety. He grabbed the 9 mm Springfield handgun and locked the slide back, but when he released the slide, the gun accidentally went off. The bullet shot through the middle finger on the victim’s right hand, causing soft tissue damage but not severing the finger. He was transported to the hospital for treatment. Officers removed the handgun from the scene and held it at the police station. They told the victim he would be able to retrieve it after he was discharged from the hospital. No charges have been filed.
TAYLOR, AZ, 8/18/14: A man accidentally shot his wife while handling a shotgun on Aug. 18. Police responded to a residence on Indian Village Road in Taylor at 11:17 AM following a report of a woman who had been shot. Officers discovered her husband had been handling the firearm when he accidentally shot her, police said. The husband told officers he was looking for numbers on the shotgun while putting it back together when he accidentally pulled the trigger. “The shot went through the wall and hit (the wife) in the leg and the shoulder while she was sitting at the table in the next room,” the police report stated. She sustained a buckshot wound to her leg and shoulder. She was transported to the hospital for treatment. No arrests were made nor were charges filed against the man.
STOUGHTON, MA, 8/18/14: Mike Everett was working in his yard Monday afternoon when, he says, a bullet whizzed by his head. The sound of gunfire is common on Highland Street in Stoughton with the Ames Rifle and Pistol Club just a mile through the trees in Easton, but this one came close. When two more bullets sped through his wooded yard, Everett called police. Police from Easton responded to the range and his house. “The last thing you want to do is catch a round in the hip or the head,” said Everett, who was building a rock retaining wall along the side of his yard. When police visited Everett’s home Tuesday, the officer told him two men were shooting at a metal target, 300 feet away. Everett looked for the round that came close to him, but he couldn’t locate anything in the dirt and leaves. Everett has lived in the neighborhood since the house was built in 1997. The range was already there. He made it clear he had no problem with the rifle club, but was concerned the bullets got so close. In almost two decades at the house, Everett said he has found four bullets. He’s also had two unexplained leaks in his roof that may be related to flying bullets. Two years ago, he found a round stuck in the back of his garage. In the past, Everett has been told bullets at his house are likely from hunters, not members of the club. He said the direction the bullets come from tell a different story. “If the bullets are coming from that way, they’re coming from the gun range,” said Everett, motioning toward the trees, in the direction of the range. No one was available for comment at the Ames Rifle and Pistol Club after the police call Tuesday. Multiple phone calls and an email were also not returned.
TOWN 'N' COUNTRY, FL, 8/19/14: A woman accidentally shot her grandson early Tuesday morning in Town 'n' Country, Hillsborough deputies confirmed.
The report of the shooting at 6505 Altamonte Drive came in at about 1 AM. Deputies said Linda Maddox, 63, who lives at the address, was asleep with her twin grandsons. The boys' dad had gone to work and Maddox put a chair against the door for extra protection. Suddenly she heard the chair sliding against the wood door. She thought it was an intruder. She grabbed the loaded .22 [cal] revolver she always keeps by her bed and fired one shot towards the door. Seconds later she heard her grandson Tyler Maddox, 7, scream. She had shot him in the upper body, Hillsborough deputies said. Paramedics took the boy to St. Joseph's Hospital. He is in critical condition but stable.
ORLANDO, FL, 8/19/14: A bullet from the gun of an Orlando police officer killed an innocent woman in a downtown bar early Tuesday morning, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said. The shooting happened at the Vixen bar at Pine Street and Orange Avenue. Mina said Maria Godinez, 22, was inside the club when she was struck and killed by a bullet from the gun of Officer Eduardo Sanguino. "The preliminary indication is that during this situation a bullet was discharged from Officer Eduardo Sanguino's firearm and fatally struck Maria inside the establishment," Mina said. Officers said that a little before 1 AM Tuesday, they received a call that an armed man was in the downtown area making threats. Several 911 calls were made by different witnesses who were in the area just prior to the shooting. Police said when they arrived, an officer got into an altercation with the man, Kody Roach. Police said Roach didn't respond to commands to get on the ground, and didn't respond when they used a Taser on him, so they opened fire. "I heard six loud, consecutive gunshots" said Chris Dinger, who said he witnessed the shooting. Another witness told Channel 9 that Godinez was standing inside the bar because after Roach was thrown out of the bar, the bouncers kept other patrons inside. Roach was shot multiple times during the incident and is at Orlando Regional Medical Center in stable condition, according to Mina. Orlando Police Lt. Frank Nunez was also struck by one of the bullets during the incident. He was treated at ORMC and released. Roach has been charged with carrying a concealed firearm and other charges, including felony murder, are pending, Mina said. Mina said none of the shots fired came from Roach's gun.
JACKSONVILLE, NC, 8/19/14: A Havelock man was arrested on Tuesday after what police described as an accidental shooting that sent one person to the hospital. Police responded to a call of shots fired at a mobile home near Lejeune Boulevard. There, Desmond Hill, 21, of Glen Drive in Havelock, was charged by the Jacksonville Police Department with discharging a firearm within the city limits and resisting, delaying or obstructing a police officer. He is being held in lieu of $1,000 bail at the Onslow County jail. Capt. Patricia Driggers, a spokesperson for the Jacksonville Police Department, officers were called to the mobile home at 336 Helen St. at about 1:30 AM on Tuesday. Investigators believe the shooting was accidental, Driggers said, but added that the case is still under investigation. Driggers said one person was injured during the shooting but was not seriously injured. The victim was taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, she said.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP, PA, 8/19/14: A Jackson Township woman was injured after accidentally shooting herself in the right foot with a small caliber firearm in the 100 block of Della Lane, Jackson Township, at 12:30 PM Aug. 19. Police said the woman was taken to Harrisburg Hospital by Blain EMS.
WHEATON, MD, 8/20/14: Police said a teenager accidentally shot a dog in Wheaton, Maryland Thursday afternoon. Montgomery County Police said the incident happened around 1 PM in the 12000 block of Bluhill Road. The dog survived the injury and is reportedly at a local vet discharge clinic. The teen was handling the gun inside a home when it went off and hit the dog, according to police. Police officers are investigating to see if any adults were in the home at the time and whether any laws were broken.
WASHINGTON CO., AR, 8/20/14: The Washington County deputy who was shot in the chest Wednesday night is in good spirits while awaiting surgery scheduled for Friday, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Another man shot the same night in a related incident died from his injuries. Cpl. Taylor Reed was walking toward a house on South Whitehouse Road outside of Fayetteville on Wednesday night to investigate a shooting inside. The woman who called 911 to report the initial shooting—Roberta Hill—accidentally shot Reed in the arm through the darkness with a .38-caliber revolver. The bullet then traveled into Reed’s chest, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Reed, 29, was wearing a bullet-proof vest and holding a long-rifle at the time of the shooting, but the bullet missed the vest and hit him in the armpit area, according to the Sheriff’s Office. His K-9 unit dog Cody was not injured, a family member told 5NEWS. An investigation into the situation revealed 26-year-old Sam Hill shot and killed his father Wednesday night following an argument at 12397 S. Whitehouse Road, according to the Sheriff’s Office. His mother Roberta Hill, 55, escaped out of a window during the shooting and later accidentally shot Reed, thinking he was her son in the darkness. She was not arrested and may not face charges, although the investigation is ongoing, according to the Sheriff’s Office. A representative for the Sheriff’s Office told 5NEWS deputies believe Roberta Hill legitimately feared for her life at the time she shot Reed.
PIKE CO., MO, 8/20/14: A Pike County Missouri man was arrested on multiple charges following a shooting in rural Pike County Wednesday. Steven Rusher, 47, was taken to the Pike County Jail. According to Pike County Sheriff Stephen Korte, he was arrested after calling the sheriff's office saying he accidentally shot his wife, 42-year-old Colleen Rusher. She was taken to a hospital in St. Louis in serious condition by Air Evac helicopter. Rusher is charged with domestic assault, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and felony armed criminal action.
DETROIT, MI, 8/20/14: A 40-year-old woman suspected of having an affair was shot by a police officer's 58-year-old wife. The shooting took place around 4:00 AM Wednesday in Detroit on the off-duty officer's boat, Police said. WXYZ learned that the officer's wife thought he was out of town, but she wound up finding him on his boat named "Market Driven." Detroit Police Officer Kevin Chambers, 58, was on the boat with his reported mistress when his wife walked in carrying her .38-caliber revolver. Chambers' wife reportedly told investigators that she happened to be driving by early Wednesday morning and noticed the light on and went to investigate with her gun drawn. The wife is licensed to carry a concealed firearm. We're told Detroit Police investigators are trying to get to the bottom of exactly happened next. What we know for sure is that the officer's reported mistress was shot in the thigh. Detroit Police say their investigators are trying to determine if the shooting was intentional or an accident. Police had told WXYZ that the officer's wife was locked up pending a possible arraignment, but we learned late Wednesday afternoon that the officer's wife was not in custody and had not been arrested. A Detroit Police spokesman confirmed that the officer's wife was not in custody, saying that until they talk to the shooting victim, they don't have probable cause to think it was anything other than an accident. Police say they are investigating the possibility that officer Chambers tried to grab his wife's gun and it accidentally discharged causing a round to strike his reported mistress. We're told the officer's wife rendered first aid to the woman. Online records show she is a registered nurse. Police say they will also be asking the shooting victim if she wants to pursue criminal charges.
CORBIN, KY, exact date unknown: A Laurel County man is in jail after allegedly shooting a gun from his apartment into his neighbor's home, narrowly missing the occupants. It happened on the 800 block of American Greeting Card Road in Corbin. Karen Hollin says she left the living room of her home just ten minutes before a bullet hole appeared in her living room ceiling. "The ceiling was lying like, on the floor and on the couch. It was really scary," says Hollin. Police say her upstairs neighbor, Kenneth Adams, accidentally fired the bullet into his floor while he was cleaning up a spill. Adams told police he was cleaning beer off his gun case when the gun went off. Police say that's not the only place alcohol was present. They say Adams had a strong odor of alcohol and there were several beer cans on his coffee table. The bullet hole was shot through his coffee table and his floor into Karen's apartment, right where she and her granddaugther sleep at night. Adams is charged with first degree wanton endangerment and second degree criminal mischief.
BANDERA CO., TX, 8/21/14: An accidental shooting ended with gruesome repercussions for a Bandera County teenager. An emergency 9-1-1 came through at 9:12 PM, Thursday, August 21, requesting EMS personnel to be dispatched to Mountain View Lane, off Highway 46, according to Bandera County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Matt King. According to information in the law enforcement report, three teenagers were getting ready to go hog hunting that night. During preparations, an 18-year-old male was attempting to unload a 20-guage shotgun. He was aware that the shotgun was loaded, but was having trouble with the firearm. "Apparently, the rounds were not ejected when he racked the gun and the guy fired the gun accidentally," King explained. "When the shotgun discharged, the shells hit a 16-year-old male in the groin." After a consultation, EMS had arranged to meet the injured teen and other members of his party at the intersection of Highways 16 and 46. However, AirLife was called and transported the injured teen to University Hospital in San Antonio where he remains. His medical condition remains unknown at this time.
HARLINGEN, TX, 8/21/14: Police are investigating an officer involved shooting that happened inside their department. Harlingen city officials are releasing limited information on the incident since it's a personal matter, but we're told no one was injured in the accidental shooting. According to city spokesman Dave Ralph, Harlingen police officers were at the San Benito shooting range Thursday training all day. On Friday when the officer in question returned to work, he was cleaning his police issued gun when it accidentally went off. At this time the officer's name and rank are not being released, and it's unclear if the officer is on patrol right now as an internal investigation is ongoing. When the weapon discharged, Ralph says, the bullet hit a metal beam on the ceiling then ricochet once, but again no one was injured. Right now, the Harlingen Police Department also not saying how long the officer has worked with the department as they continue an internal investigation and the officer's name will not be released until that's completed.
BANGOR, ME, 8/21/14: A 59-year-old man was arrested Thursday afternoon after he fired a bullet into the ceiling of his Bangor apartment in front of his caseworker, according to Bangor police. Officers arrested James Corbett, 59, of 60 Cumberland Street about 3:45 PM, about three hours after he allegedly raised a Glock 9 mm over his head and fired off a round inside his apartment. Corbett was upset about a dispute with a neighbor and brandished the handgun while “making several threatening statements about the neighbor” to the caseworker, who was in the room at the time, according to Bangor police Sgt. Tim Cotton. The caseworker is employed by OHI, a mental health services organization in Bangor. The gun was loaded, but the caseworker managed to talk Corbett into dropping out the magazine, according to Cotton. However, there was still a round in the chamber. At some point in the conversation, Corbett raised the gun over his head and pulled the trigger, firing a round into the ceiling. The space above Corbett’s apartment is an attic, and no one was there at the time. No one was injured, and only one round was fired, Cotton said. Corbett faces charges of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and terrorizing. He is being held at Penobscot County Jail.
CHICAGO, IL, 8/22/14: A 3-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital Friday evening after an accidental shooting in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, police said. The incident occurred in a residence in the 4300 block of West Monroe Street around 7:30 PM. Police say the boy discovered a gun, which went off while he or a playmate was handling it. The 3-year-old sustained a head wound. The weapon was not recovered; its male owner is being sought, police said. The child was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition. He was in surgery late Friday.
RYE BROOK, NY, 8/23/14: An Englishman staying at the Hilton Westchester suffered bruises from a bullet accidentally fired through the wall Saturday by another hotel guest in the room next door, village police said. The two were in their respective rooms about 1 PM when one of the guests, described as an upstate New York man at the hotel to attend a wedding, unintentionally discharged his gun as he went to put it away, Rye Brook police said. The wall slowed the bullet and so, by the time it came out the other end and struck the other man's leg, it only bruised him, police said. The upstate man had all the necessary permits to own and carry a gun, said police, who were at the hotel investigating until close to 4 PM. Police released no further information on the shooting. A hotel manager said no one was available on the weekends to comment on the incident.
WINSLOW, ME, 8/23/14: A Winslow man is in the hospital after his wife accidentally shot him with a handgun on Saturday night, according to police. Paul Labrecque, 55, is recovering in a Bangor hospital from injuries that weren’t life-threatening, according to Winslow police who responded to Labrecque’s home on Morrill Road about 10:30 PM Saturday. His wife, Jane Marie Aucion-Labrecque, 53, called 911 after she said she shot him in the elbow. “We found Jane hysterical, stating she had shot her husband,” Winslow Police Chief Shawn O’Leary said Sunday morning about the officers’ arrival at the house. Winslow EMS and Delta Ambulance also responded to the emergency 911 call. Inside the home, first responders found Paul Labrecque sitting a chair with a gunshot wound to his elbow. He was taken to the Thayer Waterville campus of Maine General Medical Center initially for treatment but was transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center, O’Leary said. O’Leary said police are conducting a full investigation into the shooting, and have requested assistance from the Maine State Police evidence team. He said that officials will forward a final report to the Kennebec County district attorney’s office. “It looks like it’s going to be accidental,” he said. At this point, police are not releasing any information about the circumstances of the shooting.
MILTON, FL, 8/23/14: The shooting of a 7-year-old in Milton on Saturday is being called "accidental" by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office. A release from the Sheriff's Office says the shooting appears to have occurred when the child found a gun inside the home. The injury was not life threatening. The shooting happened on Trailer Park Court off Carroll Road in Milton, according to spokesman Rich Aloy. According to Aloy, the investigation "could take several ... days."
HAYDEN, ID, 8/23/14: Police in northern Idaho say a 7-year-old boy has been shot in the head after two unsupervised children played with a handgun and it discharged. The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded at about 7 AM Saturday to the Midtown Mobile Park in Hayden. Police say the boy was struck by a small caliber bullet. He was taken to Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene and then transferred to Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital in Spokane, Washington. A hospital spokeswoman on Sunday said he was listed in critical but stable condition. The sheriff's office didn't release details about which child was holding the gun when it fired. Names haven't been released.
MEMPHIS, TN, 8/23/14: A man has been charged after he left a gun in a home Saturday, and a 4-year-old girl was shot in the foot after she and her 2-year-old brother found it. Charles Sanders, 25, is charged with reckless endangerment resulting in serious injury or the use of a deadly weapon and child abuse and neglect. He has been released on $50,000 bond. According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, the incident happened in the 1500 block of Bridgewater on Saturday. The children were playing in the living room when they found a gun under the couch. It’s uncertain which child fired the gun, however. The boyfriend of the children’s mother allegedly told deputies he brought the gun into the house two weeks before the shooting and hid it without telling his girlfriend. Deputies found the gun in a wooded area behind the house. The child was taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in stable condition.
NEWPORT, KY, 8/24/14: A 25-year-old man was shot in the leg early Sunday morning on West 10th Street in Newport. Newport police said the shooting that happened in a third floor apartment was accidental. The victim, who police did not name, was transported to a local hospital for treatment. A 26-year-old was questioned Sunday morning. Police had not charged anyone in the incident.
POTOSI, WI, 8/24/14: Authorities say charges will be filed after a rural Potosi, Wis., man was accidentally shot at his home Sunday. As of this morning, however, online court records do not indicate any new charges against either man in the incident.
SAN ANTONIO, TX, 8/24/14: The man fatally shot in the head Sunday during a race between pickup trucks on Loop 410 might have accidentally shot himself, according to statements from four witnesses. Casey Blanton, 23, of Abilene, had just left the downtown area and had stopped by a Whataburger to use the restroom after 1:30 AM, his passenger told police. The passenger told police he thought Blanton got onto Loop 410 from the Interstate 10 area. As Blanton was driving his pickup truck home, he and his passenger saw two people in a silver Dodge Ram pickup "taunting them as if they wanted to race," police wrote in a report released Tuesday. As they were passing Highway 151, the passenger in the Dodge Ram leaned halfway out the window and flashed a handgun toward Blanton's pickup, Blanton's passenger told police. Blanton then reached under his seat and grabbed an unspecified weapon, his passenger told police. Blanton's passenger turned to look at the other truck when he heard "a loud pop and the sound of glass breaking," according to the report. Having lost control of the truck, Blanton slammed into the concrete barrier in the middle of the highway. His passenger then noticed Blanton had been shot in the head, according to police. Blanton's passenger said he never saw anyone fire a weapon from the Dodge Ram. He said he wasn't sure how Blanton got shot, or if he "might have shot himself accidentally," according to police.
ODESSA, TX, 8/24/14: A stray bullet landed right here after striking a young woman as she sat in her room Sunday night. "She just felt like something hit her on the side of the head," said Christabel Rios. Rios thought a bug had bitten her stepdaughter. But quickly realized a stray bullet was to blame It's something she never expected. "At night, you know, every now and then we do hear like, loud bangs and stuff, but we think it's fireworks," Rios said. Ector County Sheriff officials say this marks the second time a stay bullet recently struck someone. "They're not an intentional act as far as trying to shoot these people, it's an intentional act that they shot the firearm in the air," said Ector County Sheriff Donaldson. Sheriff Donaldson says the first recent incident happened about a month ago. A stray bullet hit a 15-year-old boy working outside on a car with his father. "Apparently somebody fired a weapon up in the air. Of course the bullet's gonna go somewhere and gonna come down," Sheriff Donaldson said. "Those people were probably just fooling around or they probably don't even know where it hit," Rios said.
SACRAMENTO, CA, 8/24/14: A 12-year-old boy is recovering from his fifth surgery after allegedly being accidentally shot by his babysitter. “It just hurt me because I just asked Doug to watch my baby, and I just can’t believe he just really did that,” the victim’s mother Bridget Townsel said. On Aug. 24, Townsel was invited to a friend’s 49er game viewing party. So she asked her boyfriend’s acquaintance, 26-year-old Douglas Houghland to watch over her son, Keyonte Townsel and his friend. However, just minutes after kickoff, Townsel received a call saying Keyonte had been shot. According to her son, the boys were playing video games and with toy g