FRI NOV 07, 2014 AT 08:11 PM PST
Taylorsville teacher takes out toilet & 99 other stories: GunFAIL LXXX
byDavid WaldmanFollow
Twenty of a record-breaking 1,855 firearms discovered so far this year by TSA agents at airports around the country. The previous record, set just last year, was 1,813. And it's still early November.
We're back with another 100 GunFAILs, and just as we found when we've broken them down into increments of 100 in the past, we're looking at the most significant chunks of GunFAIL falling into the usual categories:25 people who accidentally shot themselves, 24 kids accidentally shot, 22 fatalities, 17 people shot by family members or significant others, and 10 shot by friends.
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One tier down, we find a seasonally appropriate 10 people shot in hunting accidents, 9 accidental discharges while cleaning still-loaded weapons, and 9 incidents of "home invasion" shootings, in which people find their homes accidentally shot up by neighbors, hunters or other passers-by (not generally including drive-by shootings, which are more often intentional, even if mistaken). We saw two "reverse home invasions" this time around as well, involving accidental discharges inside the home that send bullets outdoors and hit someone on the outside. Eight more bullets flew while gun owners were out shopping, dining, or otherwise mingling with the public.
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And of course, there's always the smattering of other, oft-repeated mistakes. Two accidents occurred during sales of guns. Five GunFAIL incidents on school campuses. Seven accidental shootings inside cars or other vehicles. Six GunFAILs involving law enforcement or security officers. Four gun range accidents. Four dropped guns. Two suspected intruders that turned out to be a spouse in one case, and no one at all in the second, though that didn't stop the gun owner from shooting herself in the foot, anyway.
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Among the most notable stories this time, there was the now-infamous Taylorsville, UT elementary school teacher and "enhanced concealed carry" permit holder who accidentally shot and shattered a toilet in the school's faculty restroom just before class. This one really did break all the rules, apparently allowing the pupils to spy her carrying the gun (a big no-no), removing the gun her person while on school grounds (another big no-no), and of course, blasting a toilet to bits (though this one was never explicitly and specifically prohibited). She has since entered a no contest plea, and has been fined $700 plus the cost of a replacement toilet, and ordered to complete a concealed carry permit holder's gun safety course. But of course, she had already completed that before she shot the toilet. It was supposed to be what we were banking on to keep her from doing what she did, barely three weeks into the school year. But, whatever!
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Other notable events: #35, in which a man showing off by spinning his pistol on his finger (also a big no-no since the invention of the double-action revolver, not to mention semi-automatic handguns) claims to have dropped the gun, causing it to discharge upon hitting the concrete floor, and shooting his sister through the neck, killing her in front of her entire family at her own 40th birthday party. Thank you for protecting the family, sir. In #41, a careless target shooter sparked a 2,000 acre wildfire. In #49, the bullet from a man's attempted suicide passed through his apartment wall, nearly taking out three neighbors with him. (It should also be noted that his suicide attempt was unsuccessful.) In #91, a man accidentally fired into his neighbor's home, and told police that firing the weapon was the only way he knew to empty it.
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Finally, this group of GunFAILs, like all that have come before and will come in the future, had a large group of child victims, including seven victims under the age of five. But incident #83 is our youngest GunFAIL victim to date, and it's likely to stand for some time. Thayne Iverson was just five days old when a hunter's stray bullet crashed through his home and struck him in the head while he was in his father's arms. He survived his wounds (his father was also grazed by the bullet), but was blinded in the accident.
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On that sad note, I present you with the full list of 100 GunFAILs, covering the period of September 5 through September 28, below the fold.
FERGUSON, MO, 9/05/14: No one was hurt in an accidental shooting on the Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis Community College. A college spokesman says the gun accidentally fired as two people were discussing the sale of the weapon. Those two people are in police custody. The campus spokesperson does not think those involved are students.
SPRINGFIELD, MO, 9/05/14: The game will go on at in the wake of a firearm incident Friday afternoon at Central High School. Three Central students were questioned by police after a handgun reportedly went off in the school's commons area at 11:15 AM. No injuries have been reported. The Bulldogs' home football game against Carthage is still on as scheduled, said Mark Fisher, athletic director of Springfield Public Schools. Carthage's administration has been notified of today's incident, Fisher said. The game is scheduled for 7 PM at Harrison Stadium. Carthage R-9 School District officials arranged to robocall parents in their district to inform them of the incident at Central High School, and to tell them that the football game would proceed as planned.
CHARLESTON, SC, 9/05/14: A North Charleston man was arrested Friday for filing a false police report and telling officers he had been assaulted and shot while at a park in downtown Charleston. According to police, 26-year-old Arthur Lee Love is charged with filing a false felony police report, possession of a stolen handgun, discharging a firearm and unlawful carrying of a handgun. Love told investigators after he was shot he called a friend who drove him to the hospital. Investigators spoke with the person who said she picked up Love in Brittlebank Park. The woman also told police she saw Love put something in the trunk of her car and gave police consent to search the trunk. The officers found a pistol wrapped in a bloody t-shirt hidden in the tire wheel well. They also found a spent shell casing on the front passenger floor board near a pool of blood. Police said the investigation revealed Love accidentally shot himself in his left ankle while inside of his friend's vehicle at Brittlebank Park. Police are still investigating the incident.
MEMPHIS, TN, 9/06/14: A man is in jail after accidentally shooting his friend in the car at a Mapco Gas Station in Frayser Saturday morning. Police say 19-year-old Vinell Ayers and Fontaine Craft was playing with a gun while sitting in the back seat of a Ford Explorer. The gun went off hitting 20-year-old Derrick Glasper, who was sitting in the driver seat. Glasper was hit in the back and upper chest and died at Regional Medical Center. Police say they were playing with a gun and pointing it at each other. In the police report, video surveillance from the store showed Ayers hiding the gun underneath a storage shed in the back of the store. Ayers was arrested Saturday afternoon and has been charged with reckless homicide, and tampering with or fabricating evidence. He will be in court on Monday.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA, 9/06/14: A man reportedly accidently fired his weapon while he was at a Heavenly Village restaurant with his wife and two small children Saturday evening. “The male subject was very apologetic and went back to his seat where he sat for 10-to-15 minutes before paying their [sic] bill and leaving the restaurant,” according to a South Lake Tahoe Police Department Police report based on witness statements. There were no injuries reported during the incident, Lt. Brian Williams said on Tuesday. The authorities were not called until after the man and his family left the restaurant. The incident took place at about 9:45 PM at the FiRE + iCE restaurant. Police have not been able to identify the man, but he was described as Hispanic, approximately 6-feet-4-inches tall, 280 pounds, with a bald head, tattoos on both shoulders and a muscular built. According to the police report, it is believed that the man accidently fired the gun while it was in his pocket. Police found two marks on the concrete floor where the man was reportedly standing, a bullet fragment and what appeared to be a nickel, which was stuck by the bullet. They also found a piece of cloth believed to be from the man’s shorts. A witness told police that the music in the restaurant was loud, but the shot was louder. He also said the man was noticeably stiffened following the shot, then regained his composure and continued to wait for his food. The witness was sure the man had shot himself in the leg and expected blood to start gushing out, but all he saw was a hole in his shorts. He added that he was surprised no one called the police, but that later several patrons complained to staff and the police was eventually called. According to the police, several witnesses were surprised that nobody called the police until several minutes after the gun was shot. Williams said it was unclear whether the man was carrying the weapon legally. He added that the investigation is ongoing.
HONOLULU, HI, 9/06/14: An off-duty Honolulu police officer accidentally fired his gun inside the Target store in Salt Lake. It happened at around 9 PM Saturday. No one was hurt, but it brings up safety concerns about how Honolulu Police Department officers handle their weapon. KHON2 was notified of the incident through the Report It feature on our website. HPD confirmed the officer has been with the department for two years. He was off-duty at the time, but was carrying the gun issued by the police department. A witness, who did not want to be identified, told us the officer was in the men’s bathroom when his gun accidentally fired. The bullet appears to have ricocheted off the door and hit the wall of the next stall. “Everybody was startled because of just hearing a gunshot in the store,” the witness said. “It’s kind of shocking to think that something like that would actually happen in the store.” KHON2 spoke with employees who did not want to go on camera but said they had to close the bathroom for about an hour as other police officers investigated the incident. It’s not clear if anybody else was in the bathroom. Customers are uneasy with the thought that a trained police officer could accidentally fire his gun inside a store. This is the third time in the past month an HPD officer’s gun accidentally went off. The other two incidents happened last month. One left an officer dead and, in the other, an officer was trying to make an arrest when his gun fired.
EAST HAVEN, CT, 9/06/14: Police Officer Robert Nappe, the president of the local police union who had fought for years to regain his job following a controversial stint training police in Iraq, retired last week after allegedly leaving his gun belt unattended during a bathroom break at Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, multiple sources said. Nappe was assigned to guard a prisoner and was working his third straight 8-hour shift at the time of the Sept. 6 incident, sources said. Several sources inside the Police Department confirmed that Nappe retired on Sept. 10. He had served as a police officer in the department since 1984. Board of Police Commissioners Chairman William Illingworth on Monday confirmed Nappe’s retirement, calling it “abrupt,” but would not comment on any matters pertaining to the incident that reportedly occurred days earlier at Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital. Hospital spokesman Mark D’Antonio deferred all questions and requests for comment to the East Haven Police Department. Lt. David Emerman, who serves as the department’s public information officer, and Chief Brent Larrabee have did not return messages requesting comment. Reached Monday, Nappe declined to comment. Records show that Nappe was assigned to guard George Street resident Edgar Claudio. Police arrested Claudio on June 28, charging him with disorderly conduct and assault. Claudio was arrested again on July 25 and charged with larceny. He was charged with failure to appear on Aug. 29. Claudio was to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. While the gun belt was not touched, the incident was reported by hospital staff, sources said.
UNION CO., KY, 9/07/14: A Western Kentucky man was listed in good condition Monday after a hunting accident in which he was shot. Shane Helvey, 33, Paducah, was flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Evansville after the accident, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Helvey was injured around 1 PM Sunday while squirrel hunting with family in the Uniontown area, the sheriff’s office said. While attempting to get across a fallen tree, Helvey accidentally discharged his .22-caliber rifle into his shoulder, authorities said. He was treated by emergency responders before being flown to St. Mary’s.
BOONE, IA, 9/07/14: A young girl suffered minor injuries and the window of a downtown business in Boone was broken after a gun was discharged Sunday. The incident occurred at approximately 3:07 PM Sunday, Sept. 7, in the 700 block of Story Street, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the Boone Police Department. Ryan Buman, 32, of Des Moines, placed a 9mm Glock handgun in the center console of his vehicle. After stepping out of the vehicle, his 2-year-old daughter picked up the gun and discharged it. The bullet hit a window at U.S. Bank, 724 Story St. Boone Police Department Commander John Sloter does not believe anyone was in the bank at the time. The girl sustained a laceration on her lip as a result of the recoil of the weapon when it was discharged. She was treated at Boone County Hospital and released. No other injuries were reported regarding the incident. Sloter said it is “extremely” fortunate that no one was hit by the stray bullet, considering the Pufferbilly Days celebration was wrapping up at the time. Buman was arrested and charged with child endangerment.
MOUNT CLEMENS, MI, 9/08/14: A 20-year-old Mount Clemens man collapsed in the parking lot of Mount Clemens High School on Monday morning after he was accidentally shot in the back by a backseat passenger in the car he was driving, according to police and school officials. Police said the alleged shooter was in the back seat of the victim’s car when his weapon accidentally discharged and struck the driver. The driver continued on to Mount Clemens High School where his mother is employed. “The driver got out of the car and collapsed and the man with the gun ran off,” said Macomb County Sheriff’s Lt. John Michalke. The victim told investigators he was driving a Pontiac Aztek on Orchard Street in Mount Clemens with an acquaintance who was in the back seat. At some point, the backseat passenger pulled out a handgun and the weapon accidentally discharged, police said. Despite being struck in the back, the driver continued on, heading to the high school, where his mother works in the cafeteria. Once at the school, the alleged shooter got out of the car and fled on foot. He is being sought by police for questioning and could face criminal charges, Michalke said. Someone drove the victim to the hospital.
TYLER, TX, 9/08/14: A 20-year-old man was shot accidentally in the upper thigh by a friend Monday, Tyler Police said this morning. The shooting took place at the Varsity Place Apartments, 3400 Varsity. Investigators determined that Chavis Gregory, 20, of Center, Texas, was shot once in his upper thigh accidentally by his friend. Investigators were told that a 9 mm handgun was accidentally discharged after they thought the gun was unloaded. Gregory along with another friend from Center, were visiting at the apartment. Gregory was discharged from the hospital and did not wish to pursue charges, police said.
LOWER CUPSUPTIC TOWNSHIP, ME, 9/08/14: A 67-year-old New York man accidentally shot himself in the hand during target practice session late this morning. The Maine's Warden Service and the Franklin County Sheriff's Department responded to the report of the accidental shooting in the Rangeley area on Monday. The man, whose name was not available at this hour, was practicing at a firing range when he accidentally discharged the .45 caliber gun. The bullet went through his hand, said Cpl. John MacDonald of the Warden's Service. The man was transported to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington with an injury not considered life-threatening, MacDonald said. While emergency crews from Franklin County responded, the accident actually occurred just across the line in northern Oxford County. Authorities there will be investigating the incident.
FRESNO, CA, 9/08/14: Fresno police have arrested a 15-year-old on suspicion of shooting a friend and dropping him off at Community Regional Medical Center where he later died. The teenager was identified as the driver of a BMW X-5 who was involved in a hit-and-run traffic collision at Fresno and G streets on Sept. 8 before dropping his 16-year-old friend off at the hospital. The friend was accidentally shot once in the back, said Lt. Mark Salazar. The suspect turned himself in on Sept. 10. He admitted that the shooting was accidental and that it happened inside the car at Walnut and Annadale avenues, Salazar said. The BMW, which belonged to the victim, was found abandoned in southwest Fresno and towed for evidence. The gun has not been found. The suspect and the victim are friends who belong to a West Fresno gang, Salazar said. The 15-year-old had a prior conviction in 2012 for having a gun on school grounds. He was booked into the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Campus charged with manslaughter, possessing a loaded firearm, and hit-and-run.
MEMPHIS, TN, 9/08/14: A 14-year-old in Memphis was killed by a stray bullet while sleeping in his own bed. Family members identity the victim as Rico Taylor, a Ridgeway Elementary student. Work drowned out the silence on Quince near Ridgeway roads, mere hours after gunshots woke up the neighborhood. "I heard about four, five, might be five shots right in a row and it really scared me, but I didn't come outside. I'm not stupid. Because I didn't know what was going on out here," a neighbor said. Police say they got the call around 1 AM that a 14-year-old who was sleeping in his bed was shot dead after bullets flew through wall. Daylight shows one bullet hole through the window by the front door and two more through another window on the front of the house. As of Monday afternoon, one person as in custody. According to MPD, "Homicide investigators received information on a possible suspect who is possibly known to the family who resides at this location."
CAÑON CITY, CO, 9/09/14: A male party in the 300 block of U.S. 50 reported an accidental discharge of a firearm. Officers took information for a report.
CUMMING, GA, 9/09/14: A man came home to find a bullet resting on the bottom of his kitchen cabinet, according to a Forsyth County Sheriff's incident report. The man in the 5000 block of Aspen Drive called deputies when he came home and made the discovery about 4:30 PM Sept. 9. The man said the bullet came from outside, went through the home's siding and the back of a kitchen cabinet finally stopping at the cabinet door. The man said he heard gunshots in the area a few hours before he found the bullet. Deputies said there are several hundred acres of woods behind the victim's home.
MUNCIE, IN, 9/10/14: One person was rushed to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital on Wednesday after city police responded to a shooting call. A 15-year-old male was shot in the leg while handling a loaded firearm, according to city officers on the scene. He was transported to the hospital but his injuries were believed to be non life-threatening. Police responded to the shooting around 4:30 PM in the 300 block of East Ninth Street. Personnel from Muncie Fire Department and EMS were also on hand, and detectives and officers were still assessing the area about an hour after the accidental shooting was reported. The shooting was deemed an accident, officers said.
SAVANNAH, GA, 9/10/14: Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police spokesman Julian Miller says the department is investigating the shooting of a 19-year-old male in what was reported as an accident Wednesday night. The victim was transported from the 100 block of Chippewa Drive, behind Oglethorpe Mall, after the 8:39 PM shooting for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. A 17-year-old male at the scene advised the two were handling the handgun in the back yard of the victim's residence when it fired. Violent Crimes detectives continue to investigate.
NORTH TONAWANDA, NY, 9/11/14: An accidental shooting in North Tonawanda has sent a 37-year-old man to the hospital. North Tonawanda Police say they received a call just before 1 AM Thursday morning for a report of a shooting at a home next door Betty's Bar and Grill on Main Street. The victim was taken to ECMC with a gunshot wound to his leg. He has already been treated and released. His name is not being released at the time. Lesley Maziarz of North Tonawanda is charged with assault. She will be arraigned in North Tonawanda Court. Police say she has been cooperative during the investigation. Police say the gun used is legally registered to Maziarz.
TAYLORSVILLE, UT, 9/11/14: A Taylorsville elementary school teacher somehow shot herself in the leg while in the school restroom. The woman, who was not immediately identified, was in a restroom at Westbrook Elementary School (3451 W. 6200 South) on Thursday morning when her handgun went off, said Ben Horsley, spokesman of Granite School District. The gunshot occurred a little before 9 AM, before school started. No students were around when it occurred, Horsley said. The bullet entered and exited her leg, and she was taken to the hospital. Granite School District police are still investigating how the handgun discharged. The teacher — a concealed carry permit holder — was allowed to have the weapon on campus per school district policy, Horsley said. Classes are proceeding as normal as they can, Horsley said. A substitute has been brought in for the teacher’s class, though Horsley declined to say which grade she teaches. MORE: Michelle Ferguson-Montgomery, who teaches sixth grade at Westbrook Elementary School in Taylorsville, Utah, was in good condition on Thursday after she was hit by stray bullet and toilet fragments during the incident, according to a spokesperson for the Granite School District, the Associated Press reports.
CLEVELAND, OH, 9/11/14: A Cleveland man legally carrying a concealed weapon missed his intended target and struck another man when he opened fire during a road rage incident, police said. The 27-year-old suspect opened fire about 2:30 AM Thursday on the 1400 block of West 116th Street. According to Cleveland police: A Ford Focus was traveling on West 116th Street when the car ahead made an abrupt turn without using a turn signal and backed into his home's driveway. The Focus stopped and the three people inside -- a 19-year-old man, a 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman behind the wheel -- argued with the offending driver, a CCW permit holder. The trio in the Focus left after the argument, but soon returned. The 22-year-old passenger got out of the Focus and hurled a bottle at the permit holder's car, cracking the windshield. The permit holder shot at the man as he sprinted away. The shooter missed his target and struck the 19-year-old man sitting in the Focus' passenger seat. The victim was driven to MetroHealth Medical Center with gunshot wounds to his upper body and ankle. The shooter was arrested. No charges had been filed as of noon Thursday. A criminal damaging report was filed for the shooter's cracked windshield.
POWELL, WY, 9/11/14: Park County Sheriff's deputies need your help after they answered a call about an apparent bullet hole in the side of a child's upstairs bedroom. It was reported around 11:00 AM at 1161 Road 9 in Powell. Luckily, the family had been out of town for a week. Investigators say the bullet appeared to have come through the wall and struck a dresser next to the wall. The direction of the bullet seems to have come from the area of the dog ponds near the Shoshone River.
OAKLAND, CA, 9/11/14: Oakland police are investigating a possibly accidental shooting that injured a 1-year-old boy Thursday. Officers were notified at 12:25 PM that a child had been shot on the 2600 block of 77th Avenue in East Oakland. The child was taken to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. "The child was in the presence of family members at the time of the shooting," said Officer Johnna Watson, an Oakland police spokeswoman. "Investigators are determining whether the incident was accidental."
ALEXANDRIA, LA, 9/11/14: A 17-year-old boy has been charged with negligent homicide after what appears to be an accidental shooting death Thursday night of a 15-year-old boy, according to the Alexandria Police Department. Police were called to the 600 block of Richmond Drive at 10:55 PM for a shooting. When officers arrived, they found the wounded boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The unidentified boy suffered a single gunshot wound, according to the release. "Investigators and crime scene officers conducted the investigation and, at this time, the shooting appears to have been accidental – in that the firearm unintentionally discharged while being recklessly handled," reads the release. An autopsy is pending, and an "additional investigation is underway." Police charged L'Darius Hicks of Alexandria will one count of negligent homicide.
WICHITA, KS, 9/12/14: Two people are hurt following an accidental shooting in south Wichita. Emergency crews were called to a home in the 5300 block of south Broadway at 4:30 PM Friday. Wichita police say a man and a woman were injured after a gun accidentally went off. They say the two were going through old things of someone who passed away, when they found an antique gun. The woman set the gun in the bed of a truck when it went off. Police say one bullet went through the man's hand and then hit the woman in her forearm. Both were taken to Wesley Medical Center with minor injuries.
NEW YORK, NY, 9/12/14: Cops swatted a .40-caliber Glock out of a drunken state narcotics agent’s hand Friday night after he shot two drinking buddies on the Upper West Side, authorities and witnesses said. Amsterdam Ave. erupted in gunfire and blood-curdling screams just after 9 PM when Victor Zambrano Jr., 49, shot a 31-year-old woman in the left foot and the woman’s 42-year-old boyfriend in the right calf during an argument over his weapon, neighbors and police sources said. The three pals had been drinking together and were walking on Amsterdam Ave. near W. 82nd St. when the woman asked the New York State Bureau of Narcotics enforcement agent for his pistol, a police source said. Zambrano handed it over, but quickly demanded it back, cop sources said. As the argument became increasingly heated, the agent fired a round. The bullet ricocheted off the concrete and hit both the woman and her boyfriend. “We do not know if he was shooting at them or just shooting,” a police source said. “Everyone involved is really drunk.” As diners along Amsterdam Ave.’s restaurant row ducked for cover, the narcotics investigator bolted. The boyfriend chased after him, and Zambrano allegedly turned to shoot but misfired — causing a live round to fall to the ground as he ran toward W. 83rd St., stunned witnesses aid. “(The shooter) was f----- up ... he was drunk,” said one witness, who did not want to be named. Plainclothes cops surrounded Zambrano outside Bustan on Amsterdam Ave. near W. 84th St., but the suspect wouldn’t give up his gun, which he now was holding under a Yankees jacket. After a few tense moments, a cop knocked the gun out of Zambrano's hand and tackled him, witnesses said.
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, 9/12/14: A 10-year-old boy is recovering tonight after accidentally shooting himself in the arm. Virginia Beach dispatch said they received the call for the accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound around 10:20 PM Saturday night. The accidental shooting took place in the 5800 block of Echingham Drive. Dispatchers said that the bullet grazed the child’s arm and that the boy has been transported to the hospital to receive treatment for his injury.
FERGUSON, MO, 9/12/14: A Riverview man is facing charges after a fatal shooting in Ferguson Friday. According to police, 19-year-old Jerry Lee Underwood is charged with manslaughter and armed criminal action. Police say it appears the shooting was accidental. Authorities say Underwood and the victim were discussing the sale of a gun, when Underwood allegedly pulled the trigger, killing the victim. Officials say the victim’s body was discovered around 3:00 PM Friday near Airport Road and Henquin Drive.
SANDY SPRINGS, GA, 9/12/14: Two people are in custody for the shooting death of a man during a robbery involving his video game console. Police said 28-year-old Danny Zeitz was found dead when officers responded to the 5300 block of Treelodge Parkway at about 9:30 PM on Sept. 12. According to Sandy Springs police, Zeitz had arranged to sell the couple a video game console on Craigslist. Police said they showed up to his apartment intending to rob him of the game console and ended up shooting him to death. Police say the shooter is a 16-year-old girl, who at this moment, is still charged as a juvenile. Her boyfriend, 20-year-old Nathaniel Vivian, of Stone Mountain, has been charged with murder. Police said they were able to track down the suspects after Northside Hospital called them to say Vivian was being treated for a gunshot wound at the hospital. During the robbery, the 16-year-old accidentally shot him in the hand, police said. They said the bullet passed through his hand and struck Zietz in the side. The incident is still under investigation.
CONYERS, GA, 9/12/14: A gathering at a home in Conyers resulted in a 17-year-old being sent to the hospital for an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to a home on Laurel Woods Lane just after 1 AM Friday, Sept. 12, to a report that a person had been shot. When they arrived, the found the teenaged victim sitting on the back of a car in extreme pain surrounded by blood due to a gunshot wound to his left calf. Deputies reported that the scene was very chaotic, with several people outside the home, many giving conflicting statements about what happened. The victim initially told deputies he didn’t know what happened or where the gun was and “kept yelling in pain to avoid answering any questions,” according to the incident report. Deputies then spoke with other witnesses at the scene, most of whom said they were inside the home when they heard a gunshot. “As I stayed with (the victim) and kept asking him questions, he finally stated that he accidentally shot himself and threw the gun in the right front area on the grass toward the next door neighbor’s home,” Murrain reported. Investigators later found the .40-cal. Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol near the corner of the house, behind a chain link fence. The deputy then spoke with the victim’s step-brother, Ambrose Starks, who said he was smoking a cigarette on the front steps of the home when he heard the gunshot and insisted he didn’t know anything about the gun. After the gun was found, the 23-year-old Starks said that he saw a couple of the other people at the home move the weapon. However, other witnesses said it was Starks who moved the gun, according to the report. The victim was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital and Starks, of 2980 Brittan Drive in Rex, was arrested and charged with obstruction of officers and tampering with evidence. Deontee Guffie, 23, of 2885 Priscilla Way in Morrow, who was also at the house when the gun was fired, was charged with possession of marijuana less than 1 ounce after a deputy located a small plastic bag of marijuana in his shirt pocket.
SILOAM SPRINGS, AR, 9/12/14: Siloam Springs Police Department and EMS responded to a calling regarding an accidental shooting at a home on S Seward St. Friday night. Police said a 16-year-old boy was shot in the head after he and a friend, 15, were upstairs handling a pistol when the gun discharged. The victim was stabilized at the scene and transported to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville. He was later transferred to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, police said. The investigation is continuing and no additional information will be released at this time., according to Siloam Springs police.
CHARLOTTE, NC, 9/13/14: On Saturday, police were notified by Carolinas Medical Center staff members of a gunshot wound to a 7-year-old girl. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers arrived at CMC and spoke to the victim’s mother, Heather Davenport, 27. Davenport told police while she was sleeping her children, ages 5 and 7, found a loaded firearm in the residence on Bank Street. While the 7-year-old was handling the firearm, she accidentally shot herself, causing a non-life-threatening injury to her hand. Davenport told officers she drove her daughter to CMC for treatment. Police responded to the scene. Davenport was transported to police headquarters. After completing her interview, police said she will be charged with failure to properly secure a weapon.
ALICEVILLE, AL, 9/13/14: Sheriff's officials in western Alabama say they've investigating the death of a woman who was shot during a hunting trip. Pickens County Sheriff David Abston tells the Tuscaloosa News 29-year-old Heather Garner was killed when someone accidentally discharged a gun during a dove hunting trip on Saturday. Authorities say Garner and her friends were hunting south of Aliceville - which is about 45 miles west of Tuscaloosa. Abston says Garner was airlifted from the scene to the DCH Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
RANDOLPH, UT, 9/13/14: A 49-year-old man was accidentally shot and killed while hunting near Little Creek Reservoir over the weekend. On Saturday, two brothers were hunting antelope near the reservoir when one brother took a shot at an animal, but did not see his brother nearby. The man was shot in the head and killed. The man's name was not immediately released. UPDATE: The man shot and killed during a hunting accident during the weekend has been identified as 49-year-old James Townsend, of Weber County.
TALLAHASSEE, FL, 9/13/14: There was a stillness in the air at La Sorelle Salon this morning as employees returned to work without their boss. Employees had to let Renee Chaires' clients know that she would no longer be able to be their stylist. Chaires was fatally shot Saturday night while she was at a birthday party for her and her daughter. Chaires would've turned 40 this week. To celebrate, police say, they were holding a cookout at her older brother Eric Stayton's house. "During this gathering there had been an accidental discharge of a firearm which resulted in, ultimately, the death of one of the persons there at the cookout" says Leon County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson James McQuaig. Police say that Stayton was twirling a gun around. He went to re-holster the gun, it slipped out of his hand and onto a concrete floor. When the gun hit the floor, it fired, shooting Chaires in the neck. She later died at the hospital. Friends of the family have started up a GoFundMe account to help the family with anything they may need. Since it's creation 15 hours ago, they have already received over $6,000 in donations. As of today, LCSO is still investigating. Once they are finished, they will put it in the hands of the State Attorney to see if charges will be filed.
MURFREESBORO, TN, 9/13/14: A Drexel Drive resident will have to have some walls in his home patched after a neighbor's 9mm handgun was accidentally discharged, according to Murfreesboro Police Jason Sexton was allowing Ashley Wiseman to look at his handgun on Saturday, he told police. But when she took the magazine from the gun, she did not check the chamber, according to the police report. She pulled the trigger and a "negligent discharge" sent a round through Sexton's garage into his neighbor's house where it came to rest in a bedroom wall. No on was injured in the incident, which police declared an accident.
WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA, 9/13/14: A woman who lost her gun at the Big E appeared in court Monday… after being locked up over the weekend. West Springfield’s police chief tells ABC 40… Gabrielle Emerson of Keene New Hampshire was drunk when she approached him at the Big E Saturday, saying she lost her purse and there was a gun in it. Two women had already discovered the purse in a bathroom and turned it over to police. The chief says Emerson wasn’t licensed to carry a gun, so she’s facing charges on that. She’s expected to come back at some point in the near future to face the charges.
DALLAS, TX, 9/13/14: A 19-year-old West Dallas man was shot and killed over the weekend, according to Dallas police. The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office said Paul Lopez was pronounced dead about 3:15 AM Saturday at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. The office concluded he died of a gunshot wound to the head, ruling the case a homicide. Dallas police are looking for a 29-year-old man they say is responsible for Lopez’s death. Pete Guzman Gonzales faces charges of criminally negligent homicide. He was not in police custody as of 3:10 PM Tuesday, police said. Witnesses told police they, along with Gonzales and Lopez, were driving around in Oak Cliff early Saturday, drinking and shooting at stop signs, according to an arrest affidavit. Gonzales was driving and Lopez was sitting in the front passenger seat. Witnesses told police the two were “good friends,” according to the affidavit. During questioning by police, Gonzales said he stopped the car to drop off two of his friends who were sitting in the back of the car. While the car was stopped, Gonzales moved his handgun from the front seat of his car to the back seat. The gun discharged and a bullet struck Lopez in the head. Gonzalez drove his injured friend to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Gonzales’ arrest affidavit states. Police didn’t immediately arrest Gonzales because they didn