Apparently zombie TV shows need 'Do Not Try This At Home' warning labels: GunFAIL LXXXII
attribution: The TSA Blog
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Seven of the 56 guns discovered by TSA agents on the person of passengers boarding flights at airports around the country during the week ending Dec. 12.
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It's been a few months since I started publishing the GunFAIL stories in lots of 100, and I've noticed that many of our regular categories reveal a remarkably consistent pattern from one post to the next. This time around, for instance, 39 of our 100 GunFAIL incidents involve people accidentally shooting themselves. In our last post, there were 41. This time, there were 17 fatalities. Last time, 15. This time, 22 kids accidentally shot. (Including the youngest in some time, but not the youngest of the year, a 9 month old shot and killed by his father while cleaning a still-loaded gun.) Last time, 20. This time, nine "home invasion" shootings. Last time, nine. This time, seven accidental discharges while cleaning guns. Last time, five. And so it continued on down the line. In other words, these accidents are regular and predictable.
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The exact circumstances, though, are often varied and unpredictable. For instance, entry number 10 is one of nine accidental shootings among family members in this compilation (there were eight last time), but the individual circumstances set it apart. A 16-year-old boy was killed by his 24-year-old brother, because his brother likes to watch The Walking Dead while he fondles his gun. Presumably because it's a scary TV show, and he likes to fantasize about killing the zombie bad guys. Smart.
Have you ever wondered whether anybody accidentally shot themselves in their sleep, with a gun they kept under their pillow? We've seen it a few times, and we've got another one here, in item number 15. A plain vanilla "home invasion shooting" at home becomes a somewhat thornier political issue when, as in entry number 57, the shooter is a city councilman. On the other hand, while the whole world likely already has heard about former baseball player Jose Canseco having accidentally shot his finger off while cleaning his gun, here in GunFAIL world, it's merely entry number 71 out of 100.
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Below the fold, 96 more stories.
EDNEYVILLE, NC, 10/18/14: A young Henderson County man is in the hospital following a shooting this weekend and authorities believe it was accidental. Authorities say 18 year old Aaron Phillips is the victim in the shooting. Mindy Rodgers lives just across the street from Edneyville elementary, where MAMA landed. Mindy tells News 13, Aaron and two friends were headed to spend the night at Aaron's house Saturday afternoon when the shooting took place. Police believe it was an accidental shooting that took place Saturday around 5:15 PM. Mindy says it happened just down Pace Road. Police believe Aaron dropped the clip out of the pistol he was carrying as he was walking down the road. With the clip out of the gun he thought the gun was unloaded. Aaron stuck the pistol to his chin and pulled the trigger. The bullet came out of his eye. Mindy says her relative is now being called a hero because he jumped into action to save his friend. Mindy Rodgers, "His first instinct was to take off his shirt, ball it up and put it on his face and they say he saved his life. He applied the pressure." Police say Aaron was taken to Wake Forest hospital yesterday for reconstructive surgery. There are injuries to his face, mouth and eye.
AURORA, CO, 10/18/14: Police say an adult man was seriously injured in an accidental shooting Saturday night. Investigators say the shooting happened around 9:30 PM in the 1300 block of Biscay Street. The victim was taken to the hospital and is in serious condition. Police released no other details but say it appears to be an accident.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 10/18/14: An 18-year-old Colorado Springs man who was shot and killed Saturday night had been drinking, smoking pot and playing with a gun with friends when it went off and fatally injured him, according to an arrest affidavit. Nickolas Vera was with two friends, including the suspect, 19-year-old Estevan Meehan, on Saturday night in a detached garage at the 1000 block of Norwood Avenue, near Southgate Road and Lake Avenue, when the gun went off, court documents state. Meehan told investigators they had taken apart and put together a black handgun several times. He also told investigators that he "believes" he handed the gun to Vera after taking it apart and putting it back together. While he was breaking up marijuana to smoke, the gun went off and he saw Vera's "head go back," court documents state. According to the affidavit, responding officers told detectives that Vera was shot in the eye. According to court documents, Meehan ran into the house, and told Vera's 21-year-old sister, Victoria Vera, what happened. She called 911, and the two of them provided CPR until police arrived minutes later. Vera was transported to Memorial Hospital, where he died of his injuries, police said. During the investigation, police asked Victoria Vera what Meehan said to her after the shooting. "I'm so sorry, Vicki. I'm so sorry," she said.
She also asked him who did it. "I did it, by accident," he told her, according to court documents.
Meehan was arrested Sunday on suspicion of reckless manslaughter and will be advised of the charges
Oct. 29, according to online court documents.
NEWTOWN, CT, 10/18/14: Early Saturday night a Newtown man was taken to Griffin Hospital after accidentally shooting himself. Paul Byron, 53, was cleaning his .22 caliber pistol in his home, police said. As he tried to unblock a jam in the gun, it suddenly went off, shooting him in the index finger. Byron did not lose his finger and is on the mend. Police did investigate and found the gun was registered in Byron’s name.
FORT MYERS, FL, 10/18/14: A teen was shot accidentally Saturday in Fort Myers at 6131 Meadowview Circle, police announced Thursday. The 16-year-old was found in the driveway with a single gunshot wound to the chest. He told police he had been taking out the trash when someone he didn't know in a passing vehicle shot him. In critical condition, the teen was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital, and told police he couldn't describe the vehicle from the shooting. Police talked to three other teens, which were at the house when the shooting happened. At first they told police they were inside the house, did not see a shooting, and did not see any vehicles. They told police the injured teen came into the house saying he was shot, so they took him back outside and called 911. The stories changed, though, according to police. Police say after interviewing everyone again they determined a drive-by shooting had not happened, and one of the three teens had accidentally shot the victim inside the house. Police charged that teen with possession of a firearm by a juvenile. Two days after being shot, police say they talked to the injured teen and he confirmed the other teen shot him accidentally, and declined to pursue criminal charges.
GRESHAM, OR, 10/18/14: A 10-year-old girl was struck by a bullet in the leg while she was playing inside a Gresham apartment at about 9 AM Saturday, Gresham police said. Police first received a call that shots had been fired near Southeast 190th Avenue and Southeast Yamhill Street. Police said within a few seconds another caller reported that a girl in a nearby apartment had been hit by a bullet that came through the wall. Several apartments at the Raintree apartment complex at 878 S.E. 187th Avenue were damaged. The girl was rushed to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. Police said her injuries do not appear to be life-threatening. Police don't think the shooter intended to hit the girl. The suspect is a man wearing dark clothing who was last seen running east from Southeast 190th Avenue and Yamhill street, police said. Gresham Police detectives, crime scene technicians, a canine team and gang team officers are investigating.
DAYTON, OH, 10/18/14: A bullet went through a kitchen window of a house early this morning and damaged a tile wall. Police were called around 3:30 AM to the 1900 block of Emerald Court after its resident reported that a bullet damaged his window, window blind and tile on a back wall in his kitchen. Officers said the damage was caused by a single shot, according to a Dayton police report. No casings were found, and no arrests were made.
COLLEGE PARK, MD, 10/19/14: A bystander was shot and injured after an altercation at a Prince George’s County McDonald’s restaurant early Sunday morning. Police said two suspects attacked a security guard inside a McDonald’s in College Park. An employee tried to use pepper spray on the subjects, but it did not work. During the struggle, the security officer fired his weapon, striking a woman. She was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The two suspects are still at large.
CLARKSVILLE, NH, 10/19/14: State police say a Clarksville man accidentally shot himself in his left hand after hunting Sunday. State police contacted New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation officers at 2:30 PM Sunday to report a hunter-related shooting. Conservation Officer Glen Lucas responded to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital and spoke with a patient there, Robert L. Gadwah, 54, of Clarksville, who said he had accidentally shot himself earlier. According to Lucas, at noon Gadwah said he was on the side of West Road in Clarksville after he finished hunting. While unloading his .22 caliber pistol before going home he took the magazine out and assumed the gun was unloaded, forgetting there was a live round still in the chamber. Gadwah put the pistol into his holster with his right hand, while holding the bottom of the holster with his left hand. Lucas said when Gadwah pushed the gun into the holster he had a finger on the trigger, and fired a .22 caliber round through the middle finger of his left hand. The bullet entered the tip of the finger, and exited the hand between the first and second knuckle. Gadwah was transported to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital by a family member, where he was treated and sent to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for additional care.
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, 10/19/14: A family is mourning the loss of their 16-year old son after police say he was accidentally shot by his 24-year old brother at around 11 PM Sunday at a home on Reynosa and Tasco. Investigators said the 24-year old was removing a handgun from its holster when it accidentally discharged, striking his brother in the chest. The brother liked to keep his gun close while watching the popular television show "The Walking Dead." Police said no arrests have been made and that the case appears to be an accidental shooting.
DOVER, DE, 10/19/14: At least two people exchanged gunfire at an American Legion in Dover, injuring one man. Dover police say the 1 AM Sunday shootout occurred as a party was going on inside the American Legion, which had been rented out by a group unaffiliated with the veterans' organization. When officers arrived, they found a 26-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the hip. He's in serious condition. While officers were trying to clear the parking lot, a gunshot was fired from inside a nearby vehicle. Police say a man had accidentally fired the gun as he was trying to hide it. He was taken into custody. In all, police say shell casings from three guns were found at the scene and that they're working to identify everyone involved. Charges are pending.
MERIDEN, CT, 10/19/14: The Sunday night shooting at a Franklin Street apartment that injured a tenant in the apartment below was the result of an argument, the building supervisor said Tuesday. The supervisor, who lives next door, said two men who lived on the third floor of 108 Franklin St. came home Sunday night and were arguing as they got out of a car and all the way up the stairs. He said they wrestled with a gun, which fired through the floor. The building supervisor said that the victim told him she had been sitting down watching TV when she was struck with the bullet from above. He added that moments before she had been leaning forward to change the channel on the TV set, avoiding the bullet by leaning back just seconds before she was injured. “A couple more seconds and she would have been dead,” the building supervisor said.
ARCATA, CA, 10/19/14: According to Detective Sgt. Todd Dockweiler of the Arcata Police Department, a residence in the Fickle Hill area was hit by a least one bullet when multiple gunshots were fired about 6:20 yesterday evening. No one was injured. Officers responded and, according to Dockweiler, “did an extensive check into the neighborhood and into the wooded area nearby.” He explained that no one was able to say definitively where the shots had come from. He said, “The residents [of the home struck by a bullet] didn’t believe that it would have been directed purposefully at them. It could have been a reckless discharge. We’re still sorting that out.” “There will be further investigation determining what caliber the bullet was and what trajectory it was fired,” Dockweiler stated. He added that “there doesn’t seem to be a sign of an altercation.” Nor, he said, was there any sign of illegal activity at the residence that was struck. Dockweiler pointed out, “These homes are located along the edge of a wooded area. We definitely have to consider the possibility that these were just random shots of someone shooting the gun in a reckless manner. It is hunting season.” UPDATE 4:13 PM: “Through further investigation,” said Detective Sgt. Todd Dockweiler of the Arcata Police Department, “we determined that a neighbor had fired the shots at a deer. And we’ll be forwarding the case to the District Attorney’s Office for review.”
AUGUSTA, GA, 10/19/14: One person is hurt after an accidental shooting in Augusta, dispatch said. The shooting happened on Dyer Street around 9 PM, dispatch said. Someone dropped a gun sending a bullet into a person's leg. Deputies are investigating the incident.
HOT SPRINGS, AR, on or about 10/19/14: Police say a Hot Springs man shot himself while he was sleeping. According to a report filed with Garland County Sheriff's Office (GCSO), the 38-year-old male complainant, of Fox Pass Cut Off, stated that while he was sleeping over the weekend, he reached his hand under his pillow and accidentally shot himself in the left middle finger. The complainant told police that it was a .32 caliber pistol. The man was treated at St. Vincent's Medical Center.
MORGAN CO., IL, 10/19/14: A Morgan County sheriff’s deputy is recovering and expected to return to duty soon after being injured in an accidental shooting. Sheriff Randy Duvendack said Deputy Derek Suttles was on duty Sunday when a personal firearm in his cargo pocket inadvertently discharged. The deputy was with an off-duty corrections officer about 11 PM Sunday on Illinois Route 100 near the Scott County line north of Bluffs. The two were waiting to meet with a Scott County deputy while investigating a theft that originated in Chapin. Duvendack said that while the deputy was sitting there, he had a holstered personal firearm in a pocket on the side of his pants. He had recently received the firearm and was in the process of taking it home once he was off-duty. While waiting, he had his hand in his pocket and somehow triggered the firearm, causing a bullet to shoot completely through his thigh. “Thankfully, it didn’t hit a bone or artery,” Duvendack said. “He’s overall pretty lucky.” An emergency crew responded and took Suttles to Passavant Area Hospital before he was transferred to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. He was treated and had returned home by the morning. Duvendack said the deputy would have a checkup with a doctor Friday but he was expecting to return to work within the next week.
NEW ORLEANS, LA, 10/20/14: A shooting reported Monday night on General Taylor Street has been deemed an accident after New Orleans police determined the victim shot himself in the leg, authorities said. The shooting was reported around 10:30 PM Monday, Oct. 20, in the 2200 block of General Taylor Street (between South Liberty and Loyola streets and about a block from Crocker Elementary), NOPD Officer Frank Robertson III said. The victim’s gunshot wound was in his leg, and he was taken to the hospital for treatment, Robertson said. On Tuesday morning, the incident was recorded as a negligent injury, after “the victim accidentally shot himself,” said NOPD Officer Hilal Williams.
PITTSBURGH, PA, 10/20/14: Police are investigating after a gunshot was fired into a Spring Hill home Monday night, narrowly missing the couple inside. Jerry Lorenz told Channel 11’s Renee Kaminski that he and his wife of 20 years dodged a bullet inside their Goehring Street home Monday around 9 PM. “(I was sitting) over here right in front of that bullet hole. I sit right here and watch TV all the time, so I felt it,” Lorenz said. “I said, ‘Man, that was a big gun!’” Lorenz, 67, said his wife was nearby on the couch. “My wife was sitting right there and she got covered with glass. It came through right under there,” Lorenz said. The single shot came through the living room, shattered the glass on a book case, pierced the wall 6 inches from Lorenz’s head and came out through their cabinet on the other side of the living room wall. “The policeman was saying, ‘Hey, you’re pretty calm.’ And I said, ‘I don’t even know what to do. You can’t go out and grab somebody, you know?’” Lorenz said. So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to contact police. The scene of this shooting was near another shooting last week where a teen was shot in the back.
UPPER DUBLIN, PA, 10/20/14: A husband and wife were held over for trial Nov. 25 on charges related to an Oct. 20 armed robbery of the Rite Aid in the Ambler section of Upper Dublin. Tanitra R. Thompson Carpenter, 34, and William K. Carpenter, 33, residents of the extended stay Marriott Residence Inn in Horsham, appeared for a preliminary hearing before Upper Dublin District Judge Patricia Zaffarano, who dismissed one charge against William Carpenter, but held all charges against Tanitra Carpenter. At 5:13 AM Oct. 20, Upper Dublin police responded to the Rite Aid, 1201 Bethlehem Pike, for a report of an armed robbery, according to the affidavit of probable cause. Tanitra Carpenter allegedly held a gun on the pharmacist and presented a note demanding narcotics before accidentally shooting herself and leaving with more than 7,000 pills, according to the criminal complaint and testimony at the hearing.
MEMPHIS, TN, 10/20/14: Several police cars swarmed a North Memphis apartment complex after several gunshots were fired Monday evening. Officers were called to The Villages apartment complex on Jackson Avenue after police report a woman accidentally shot herself. When WREG news crews arrived on the scene, more shots rang out, and they were caught on camera. The woman was rushed to Regional Medical Center in non-critical condition. A red car was towed away from the scene, but police have not confirmed how the vehicle was involved. Police said this is an ongoing investigation.
MEMPHIS, TN, 10/21/14: Memphis police said a child accidentally shot himself in the leg at A. Maceo Walker Middle School Tuesday. The student, a 13-year-old boy, reportedly had the gun in a backpack. He was showing the gun to friends when he dropped it and the gun discharged, striking him in the leg, said Memphis police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph. The student was transported to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and is in non-critical condition, police said. Memphis police issued a juvenile summons to the child's mother. Shelby County Schools officials are on the scene and say school is still in session. According to initial reports by police dispatchers, the child was handing over the gun to a school resource officer when it fired around 7:45 AM at the school in the 1900 block of East Raines.
CHICAGO, IL, 10/21/14: A man suffered an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound early Tuesday in the Streeterville neighborhood on the Near North Side. The 25-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the leg in the 100 block of East Ohio about 4:10 AM, police said. He took himself to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition had stabilized. Police said the shooting appears to be self-inflicted.
WASHINGTON, IL, 10/21/14: Police said a man wearing a gorilla mask robbed a Washington gas station at knifepoint Tuesday morning, leading to a lockdown of schools, an accidental gunshot and the arrest of a Eureka man. Araon C. Taghan, 28, of Eureka was in the Tazewell County Jail in Pekin on Tuesday night. He was booked on charges of armed robbery, aggravated battery and resisting arrest, according to the jail. Washington Police Chief Don Volk said a masked man entered the Quick Stop gas station at 802 Peoria St. about 11:30 AM. He approached the clerk at the register, pulled a knife and demanded all the money in the register. The clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of money, and he fled on foot. Schools in Washington were on lockdown for about an hour while police were looking for the robber, Volk said. Police saw a man with the same build as the robber’s run into a nearby house, Volk said. When police entered the house, one officer accidentally fired a shot that went into a wall. No one was struck by the bullet. Taghan was taken into custody about 12:30 PM.
BELLBROOK, OH, 10/21/14: Police and a medic crew in Bellbrook are responding to a report of an accidental shooting in the 2000 block of South Linda Drive. The call for service came in at around 12:20 PM indicating a female shot herself in the leg. A woman was clearing out a closet and forgot about a loaded, .22-caliber gun that was on the shelf, according to Bellbrook police. The gun fell and discharged a bullet into the woman’s right calf, police said. She was taken by squad to Miami Valley Hospital for treatment. She was the only one in the home, said police, who advise residents not to keep a loaded gun unsecured in your home.
MORGAN, UT, 10/21/14: Firefighters encountered a grass fire Tuesday night after a deer hunter accidentally shot a power line. Firefighters responded to Interstate 84 at mile marker 92 in Weber Canyon where an area of half an acre was burning, Morgan Fire Warden Boyd Carrigan said. A hunter was reportedly aiming at a deer, but accidentally shot a nearby power line. The line arced and fell to the ground, lighting the nearby shrub on fire. The flames came several feet near two homes. The hunter called firefighters and also attempted to put the flames out, Carrigan said. Fire crews arrived and were able to contain the fire within an hour, without any damage to structures. The incident is still being investigated, but is being considered as accidental, Carrigan said.
ARDMORE, OK, 10/21/14: An Ardmore man is behind bars after police say he lied about how he got shot. 25-year-old Brian Houser is accused of possession of drugs, drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm. He is a convicted felon. Ardmore police say Houser answered the door Tuesday at a home in the 300 block of 10th street. They say Houser claimed he'd been shot. It turns out, officers say Houser made the whole story up and accidentally shot himself. He is now in the Carter County jail. MORE: [Ed. note: Just in case you were wondering...] Initially, police say Houser, and another person at the home stated a black male shot him in the chest, then fled.
CLARK, WY, 10/21/14: A Clark man shot himself in the leg and then claimed a prowler did it, according to the sheriff’s office. Ronald Derocher, 54, called 911 at 1:52 AM Oct. 21 claiming an unknown person had shot him in the leg outside his home on Burns Road earlier in the evening, sheriff’s spokesman Lance Mathess said. Deputies found Derocher appeared to be intoxicated at his home. He was described as being “happy and laughing” as deputies questioned him. Deputies stated in a report he showed no concern the prowler might return. Derocher claimed he had let his dog outside about 10:30 PM. Shortly after, he heard a commotion between the dog and an unknown male voice. He also claimed to have heard several gunshots. Derocher told deputies he went outside with a baseball bat to investigate. That’s when he claimed he was shot by a person 20 feet away while kneeling to go through a gate. Deputies saw a small, one-inch long, notch wound on Derocher’s left leg. They believed it was more consistent with a self-inflicted or accidental wound, Mathess said. Derocher changed his story several times throughout the questioning. He told deputies he was a convicted felon who was not allowed to own a handgun. Deputies conducted a search of the area and were unable to come up with evidence of a prowler. They determined Derocher’s claim to be unfounded based on the lack of evidence and inconsistent information.
DERBY, KS, 10/22/14: A Derby man who accidentally shot himself in the thigh has been arrested on suspicion of criminal possession of a firearm, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday. A little after midnight Wednesday morning, deputies responded to a shooting in the 3000 block of East 79th South, the office said. The deputies found a 29-year-old Derby man with a gunshot wound to his left thigh, and he was taken to a hospital. An investigation determined that the wound was accidentally self-inflicted, and when the man was released from the hospital, he was booked into jail on suspicion of criminal possession of a firearm; he also had two warrants for his arrest, the office said.
PORTLAND, OR, 10/22/14: A stray bullet traveled through the floor of one apartment unit before lodging in the ceiling of another. Officers were notified of the suspicious activity around 1:15 AM after the victim and her boyfriend called emergency dispatchers from a nearby grocery store. They had fled the apartment before calling police. The woman later said she was sleeping when the shooting occurred. Her boyfriend was in the living room and noticed debris falling from the ceiling, she said. “We woke up and saw the hole in the ceiling and saw that it had traveled into the wall,” the woman said, describing the sound as a “loud crack.” No one was hurt in the incident. The woman said after she and her boyfriend heard the shooting, they heard several people rush out the apartment above them. Police said they are still investigating the matter. Officers said the shooter could face charges of recklessly endangering, criminal mischief, unlawfully discharging a firearm in city limits and potentially more serious weapons charges.
MILLER CO., AR, 10/22/14: A Texarkana, Texas man is dead after a hunting accident in Miller County, Arkansas. The body of James Druhan, 54, was found around 12:15 AM Wednesday with a gunshot wound near his deer stand in a remote area. Authorities believe the incident is the result of an accidental discharge from a muzzleloader rifle and say foul play was not involved. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission assisted in the recovery of Druhan's body which was transported to the Arkansas State Crime Lab. The investigation is ongoing.
KOKOMO, IN, 10/22/14: A baby has died after being accidentally shot by his father earlier this week. The 9-month-old died Thursday at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health in Indianapolis after being taken there from Kokomo, according to the Marion County coroner. On Wednesday night, police received a call that a man and his baby had been shot at a home in the 400 block of Fawn Drive in Kokomo. They found John Hambaugh III, 31, and his 9-month-old son shot. Hambaugh said he was cleaning a handgun. A round left inside the gun discharged, striking Hambaugh’s left thigh and hitting the child in the head. Police said the shooting was accidental. The case remains under investigation.
ATLANTIC, IA, 10/22/14: An Atlantic man was hospitalized after he accidentally shot himself in the leg Wednesday evening. Atlantic Medivac and local authorities were sent to 803 Cedar Street shortly before 7:30 PM Upon arrival, authorities discovered 26-year-old Jarred Johnson of Kimballton with a gunshot wound in the lower left leg. An investigation determined Johnson was cleaning his weapon when it accidentally discharged. Johnson was taken to Cass County Memorial Hospital by Medivac, then transferred to a Des Moines hospital for further treatment.
LAREDO, TX, 10/22/14: A U.S. Border Patrol agent fired his weapon on accident Wednesday as he approached a group of immigrants who were trying to cross the Rio Grande, Laredo police said. Police said the weapon discharged when the agent slipped on muddy terrain.
HIGHLAND VILLAGE, TX, 10/22/14: Oct. 22 – Ordinance/Code Complaint – 2000 block of Butterfield Stage Road – Individual accidentally discharged a weapon inside his home.
LAKE CO., MT, 10/22/14: Law enforcement are calling the shooting death of a 3-year-old boy in Lake County an accident. The Lake County Sheriff's Office said the shooting happened Wednesday night near the Ninepipes area. The boy's name has not yet been released, and officials have not provided details of how the shooting happened. However, one person was being detained. The incident happened at a residence on Eagle Pass Trail just before 8:30 PM. Lake County dispatch received a call that a 3-year-old child was being driven to St. Luke's Medical Center in Ronan in a personal vehicle. The boy arrived at the hospital alive, but later died of a single gun shot wound to the torso. No charges have been filed in the case as detectives continue to process the home where the shooting happened and interview several people who were there when the gun went off. "It's in the preliminary stages of the investigation," sheriff's spokeswoman Karen Sargeant said. Sargeant said the boy was shot with a small caliber handgun and the incident was not associated with hunting season. MORE: Galen Hawk, 26, appeared in a Polson courtroom Friday afternoon on a negligent homicide charge. Court documents say Hawk shot and killed 3-year-old Lonato Moran-Allen in a Ninepipes-area home Wednesday night. Investigators say Hawk and two others took the boy to a Ronan hospital, where he died. Court documents say Hawk and Moran-Allen were playing "gun tag." Moran-Allen had a toy gun and Hawk had a real one.
COACHELLA, CA, 10/22/14: A deputy accidentally fired a gun while searching for a suspect in a Coachella home, Riverside County Sheriff's officials said. The incident began at about 4:30 PM Wednesday, Oct. 22, near Sylmar Lane and Genoa Street where deputies in the Violent Crime Gang Task Force spotted Jose George Guzman, 26, a wanted man with multiple outstanding felony warrants, officials said in a news release. When deputies tried to stop him, he ran away into a residential neighborhood. As deputies searched for Guzman, a resident in the 84000 block of Sylmar Lane alerted them that somebody was hiding in her home. Deputies went in and while searching the house, one of them accidentally fired his gun, the release said. Nobody was struck or injured, it said.
NEWARK, NJ, 10/22/14: A West Runyon Street man was arrested shortly after authorities said he shot two 15-year-old girls Wednesday night, Sgt. Ron Glover said in a statement. Police responded to the 100 block of Hillside Avenue in the South Ward after receiving a report of shots fired around 6 PM. One of the victims had been shot in the arm and the other teen in the leg, Glover said, adding both remained hospitalized in stable condition Thursday and were expected to make a full recovery. Police quickly identified Alphonso Austin, 19, as a suspect in the shooting. Austin allegedly told police during questioning he found the gun and it accidentally discharged when he dropped it while playing with it in a bedroom, striking the two girls. Austin has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a defaced firearm and possession of a prohibited weapon.
FORT PIERCE, FL, exact date unknown: A man in the first block of Harbour Isle Drive East accidentally shot himself in the left hand while cleaning a handgun.
NEW YORK, NY, 10/23/14: A man went after a group of NYPD officers with a hatchet in Queens this afternoon in what the department called a “completely unprovoked attack.” One officer was struck in the head and another in the arm before police chased down and opened fire on the suspect. He died at the scene, the Daily News reports, while a 29-year-old female bystander was hit in the back by a stray bullet, in a chaotic mess on the Jamaica Avenue shopping strip.
HENDERSONVILLE, NC, 10/23/14: A Hendersonville juvenile was taken to the hospital after being shot by another juvenile in a home while they were left alone. It happened around 5:30 PM Thursday evening at 308 Resort Street. Police say the shooting victim was taken to Pardee Hospital with a non life-threatening injury. Investigators tell News 13 the shooting happened when one of the juveniles gained access to the gun in the home and it accidentally discharged into the other juvenile. Detectives say charges are pending further investigation. Police are not releasing the juveniles or their parent's names. In North Carolina, it's against the law to allow an unsupervised minor access to a firearm.
BAINBRIDGE TOWNSHIP, OH, 10/24/14: Weapon Offense, West Rivers Edge Drive: A man who is an Alzheimer's patient accidentally discharged a firearm under his daughter's bed 6:54 AM Oct. 23, according to the man's wife. Both the mother and daughter were sleeping at the time. No one was injured. A hospital squad called to transport him for evaluation was refused by the family. Officers took several weapons from the house for safe keeping.
GRANITEVILLE, SC, 10/24/14: Officers responded to a shooting incident on Hillview Drive in Graniteville on Thursday, where a man said he accidentally shot himself in the leg. The man was taken to Georgia Regents Medical Center for treatment.
CAYUGA, ND, 10/24/14: A Twin Cities area man was taken to the Oakes hospital Friday morning after a hunting accident near the Tewaukon Wildlife Refuge. Sargent County Sheriff Travis Paeper says the 47 year-old man was struck in the head with BBs. He says the injuries are not considered extremely serious. He was in a hunting party of three and was caught in crossfire when a flock of ducks flew over.
SARGENT CO., ND, 10/24/14: Another hunting accident has been reported in Sargent County. Sheriff Travis Paeper says a 17-year-old boy was struck in the face by shotgun pellets while hunting ducks with another 17-year-old boy. The accident hapened at around 9 am Saturday. Both hunters are from Wahpeton. The injured teen was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Wahpeton with non-life-threatening injuries.
LEDYARD, NY, 10/24/14: A 12-year-old girl has been taken by helicopter to Upstate University Hospital after she was accidentally shot in the stomach at a home in the town of Ledyard. Emergency dispatchers confirmed that the incident occurred on Levanna Road in the town of Ledyard. They say she was shot with a shotgun. Dispatchers did not know the girl’s condition. They say State Police are investigating the incident.
DEERFIELD, MA, 10/24/14: A Deerfield man is facing charges after he accidentally shot his wife. Deerfield Police say in a statement that just befoon Friday, officers were called to a Hillside Road apartment for a report of a gunshot wound. Both people at the apartment – a husband and wife – reportedly told officers that a gun was being cleaned went it accidentally went off. “However, officers’ suspicion was raised due to several inconsistencies,” the statement adds. A round from a Glock .40 caliber handgun had struck the wife in the lower abdomen and exited through her upper thigh. She was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of her injuries and is expected to be okay. The investigation continued by Deerfield Police and Mass. State Police, and it was reportedly found that the pair was not cleaning the gun. Rather, Deerfield Police say that it was concluded that the husband, identified as Michael Snyder, “was demonstrating how to load the firearm and accidentally discharged a single round,” which hit his wife. Police have requested a summons for Snyder for discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, possession of a large capacity firearm without a permit, and misleading a criminal investigation. All firearms have also been seized from the residence.
WEST FARGO, ND, 10/25/14: West Fargo Police are investigating an accidental shooting overnight near the 800 block of Homestead Court in West Fargo. Officers responded to a medical call just before 4 AM Saturday morning and found an 18-year-old man with a gunshot wound. The name and condition of the man has not been released and the incident is under investigation. West Fargo Police say there is no apparent danger to the public. UPDATE: West Fargo Police have not officially confirmed, but according to friends, Zachary Myogeto has died after an accidental shooting. Just before 4 Saturday morning, officers responded to a medical call at Homestead Court where they found the 18-year-old with a gunshot wound. Posts have been filling social media with condolences, memories and disbelief. One 16-year-old says she and other friends were there at the time of the shooting. She says Zachary was showing them a gun when it appeared to have accidentally misfired. The group of friends went to the hospital after the family. When they learned of his death, the friend says Zachary's parents gave everyone bracelets, reading "Donate Life."
CHICAGO, IL, 10/25/14: About 11 AM a 13-year-old boy was injured in the 7200 block of South Campbell Avenue in the Marquette Park neighborhood, police said. The boy sustained a gunshot wound to his thigh and was found outside, police said. He was taken in good condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Police believe the boy may have accidentally shot himself.
FRESNO, CA, 10/25/14: Just before 10:00 PM last night Patrol Officers responded to the area of Maple and Tulare in the Southeast Fresno regarding a man with a gun. When officers arrived they learned a man was sitting in his vehicle outside a liquor store. A man drove his car next to the victim's vehicle pointed a revolver at him and stated, "I will kill you!" the man then drove away. A short time later a victim of a shooting was reported near Huntington and Sierra Vista. Officers arrived on scene and found male who was shot appeared to match the description of the suspect in the earlier incident. Officers also found a large black revolver lying near the male who was shot. Police learned the man's name was Edgar Navarro-Chavoya 31 years of Fresno. Navarro-Chavoya, for unknown reasons Edgar allegedly became upset at the victim at the store. Possibly over a road rage incident. Navarro-Chavoya pointed his gun at the victim threatened to kill him then left the area driving home. Once at his residence Navarro-Chavoya began drinking beer while sitting in front of his apartment complex and still possessing the revolver. Navarro-Chavoya accidentally fired his gun striking himself in his leg causing non-life threatening injuries. He was later identified by the victim as being the person who pointed the gun at him. Navarro-Chavoya is a self admitted Sureno gang member. After being treated at CRMC he was booked into Fresno County Jail for various weapons charges including possession of a loaded unregistered firearm, assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats.
REMSEN, IA, 10/25/14: An 18-year-old hunter has been wounded in an accidental shooting in northwest Iowa. Authorities say 18-year-old Ross Arens was flown to a Sioux City hospital after the accident Saturday morning in a field south of Remsen. Authorities say Arens, of Remsen, was shot in the abdomen by his own weapon after he handed it to a fellow hunter while crossing a creek.
HOUSTON, TX, 10/25/14: A gun falls out of a sleeping man's pocket...Stop us if you've heard this one. Houston police are investigating the apparent accidental shooting of 20-year-old Patrick Sanders Saturday after a gun fell out of his pocket during a nap and landed in the hands of an infant. Sanders was napping on the couch in the living room of his apartment on the 4700 block of Wenda Street Saturday morning, according to an HPD report, when the gun stashed in his pocket slipped out and onto the floor. The man awoke to find it in the hands of the three-month-old [sic] boy, HPD Homicide Division Sergeant R. Rodriguez and W. Gilbert reported. Sanders apparently tried to grab the gun from the infant, which caused the gun to fire. Sanders was shot in the face. The gun-toting child was not injured during the incident, police report. Sanders was transported to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. MORE LIKELY CORRECT: As Sanders woke up, a three-year-old boy picked up the gun. Police said Sanders saw the child with the gun and as he tried to grab it from the boy the gun went off and Sanders was shot in the face.
NEWBURG, PA, 10/25/14: Paul Witter, chair of the Southampton (Franklin) Township Board of Supervisors, suffered an accidental shot to his left shoulder around 6:30 PM Saturday in the 1500 block of Roxbury Road. According to Pennsylvania Game Commission spokesman Travis Lau, Witter was riding an all-terrain vehicle through a grass field when a 78-year-old Chambersburg man shot at him with a .300-caliber rifle. The game commission is investigating the accidental shooting, and is currently treating it as a “mistaken for game” incident. Charges could be filed against the shooter by the game commission, according to Lau.
KINGSPORT, TN, 10/25/14: Emergency responders descended on Preston Park Drive after a man, 82, accidentally shot himself. He was reportedly in a bedroom and attempting to cock a .40-caliber pistol when it discharged, firing into his hand. He was transported to the hospital for treatment.
JACKSON, MS, 10/25/14: A woman who hid a gun in her baby’s stroller and two male associates appeared in court on Monday after the weapon accidentally discharged on Saturday, although fortunately, the baby was unharmed. According to Jackson, Mississippi’s WBBJ-TV, Ashonti Kidd, Erin Donaldson and Derricus Price were arrested on Saturday, although there are conflicting reports about exactly what happened and how the gun went off. Police responded to a report of a shooting on Saturday on East College St. in Jackson. A caller told the Madison County Sheriff’s Department that a man had dropped a gun, which discharged, then hid it in a baby’s stroller. Kidd told authorities that she was holding her 1-year-old baby and moving items around in the stroller when the weapon accidentally fired. Police said they found a bullet-hole in the stroller. All three suspects are being held in the Madison County Jail on $40,000 bond each. WBBJ reported, “Kidd and Donaldson face child abuse and neglect, weapon, and reckless endangerment charges. Price is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.”
BUCKEYE LAKE, OH, 10/25/14: Maple Bay resident Joe Miller said duck hunting season is like “World War III” for some lake front residents. “Duck hunting’s been a problem,” he said. On Oct. 25, a duck hunter, who illegally shot too close to homes, shattered a window and damaged his home’s siding. “You get used to it, but this time they were standing in the water,” Miller said. He said he heard a shot, and then his window cracked. “I was sitting about eight feet behind it,” Miller said. Miller said he has about 20 feet of glass on the back of his house, and the duck hunter caused extensive damage to the outer panes. He said a sheriff’s deputy saw the hunter take a horizontal shot and the hunter was detained. “There will be a court case,” Miller said. “You can’t shoot within 400 feet of a house, and that was way under 400 feet. It’s getting a little wild out there.” “It’s not really dangerous to live in the area,” said Licking County wildlife officer Patrick Muldovan. “People were violating the law, and that’s what caused it to be dangerous.”
SARATOGA, CA, 10/25/14: Negligent discharge of a firearm--On Oct. 25 at 2 PM in the 18000 block of Paseo Lado. Deputies responded to a report of gunshots near a residence and found that the suspect was shooting a firearm in a back yard within city limits without safety backstops. The suspect was arrested.
UEHLING, NE, 10/25/14: A shot from a high-powered rifle tore through two homes several weeks ago in Uehling, Nebraska about an hour northwest Omaha. Nobody was hurt but the man who pulled the trigger resigns from his position as a city councilman as a result. Mowing instead of making lunch saved Margie True’s life. There's a bullet hole in her kitchen cabinet. Margie says, "I feel 100 percent lucky that I was out doing the yard." A .223 caliber bullet from a high powered rifle blasted through her house and landed in the neighbor's next door, about the time she's usually in the kitchen. Margie says she could have also been sitting in the living room doing a jigsaw puzzle. The hole from the ricochet on another wall and there's a fragment dent on her table. The shot fired by neighbor Bruce Brandenburg. While installing a flag pole to honor his son serving overseas, he used a barrel for an anchor. But before he could fill it with concrete and plant the pole he needed to drain rainwater from it. Neighbor Margie True says,” There are other ways to get holes in your barrels. He could have used a drill, he could have used anything else but a gun." The longtime Uehling city councilman declined and on camera interview but tells Fact Finders by phone, "I resigned because of this deal it bothered me that bad. All I could think about was what if that had hit her." He called it an accident.
BUTTE, MT, 10/26/14: A 56-year-old man was seriously wounded after being shot in the abdomen in an hunting accident Sunday morning near Butte. Butte Sheriff Ed Lester told KXLF that the victim was shot by another person in his hunting party about 10:30 AM at Telegraph Gulch Road near Brown's Gulch Road north of Butte. The hunter was unloading his rifle when the shot was fired and hit the victim. One of the hunters called 911 and drove the victim in an all-terrain vehicle to Brown's Gulch Road, where an awaiting ambulance transported the victim the rest of the way to St. James Healthcare in Butte. Lester said the victim underwent surgery and was in serious condition. The sheriff said the shooting appears accidental, but remains under investigation. UPDATE: Police say the 56-year-old recovering from a hunting accident over the weekend was accidentally shot by a 13-year-old boy. He was last listed in critical condition Sunday night. Police said Monday he was still alive but didn't release other details about his condition. A 13-year-old boy in the hunting party was unloading a hunting rifle when it discharged and hit the man in the abdomen.
CHICAGO, IL, 10/26/14: A teenage boy is facing felony charges after another boy was seriously wounded in an accidental shooting in the South Lawndale neighborhood on Sunday afternoon. A 16-year-old boy was showing a 17-year-old boy a handgun about 3:50 PM in the 3200 block of South Kedvale when it accidentally went off, striking the older teen in the chest and arm, police News Affairs Officer Ana Pacheco said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition, police said. The 16-year-old faces felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm and reckless discharge of a firearm, Pacheco said. He was taken to the police department’s youth division for processing.
SUNRIVER, OR, 10/26/14: One Bend duck hunter accidentally shot another in the leg on Sunday as they climbed over a downed tree during an outing along the Deschutes River near Sunriver, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deschutes County 911 dispatchers received a report around 11:30 AM of the accidental shooting, said sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Bilyeu. Deputies were joined by Sunriver police and fire medics and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement in responding to the area between Sunriver and Benham Falls, northwest of the resort community. Colton Nye, 21, and Jesse Derrick, 22, had been duck hunting on the river and were returning to their vehicle when the incident occurred, the sergeant said. Nye was in the lead as the two walked single-file along a trail beside the river, Bilyeu said. Nye crossed over a downed tree and continued up the path. As Derrick crossed the same tree, the 12-gauge shotgun he was carrying discharged a single round, striking Nye in the back of his left leg at close range, Bilyeu said. Derrick quickly called 911 to report the shooting and began first aid on Dye. Nye was treated at the scene by Sunriver medics and flown to St. Charles Bend with non-life-threatening injuries. He was listed in fair condition Sunday night, a nursing supervisor said.
GREEN BAY, WI, 10/26/14: When Nicholas Heyrman heard that a loose dog was acting aggressively in the neighborhood, he rushed his child into the house and got his AR-15 rifle to "defend his property," police say. Heyrman then shot eight rounds at the animal from 32 feet away, missing it each time but hitting a house and a Jeep, according to police. Heyrman, 33, was charged Monday in Brown County Court with first-degree recklessly endangering safety, a felony carrying a penalty of 12 ½ years in prison. The incident happened about 2 PM when neighbors notified police someone was shooting a rifle near S. Oakland Avenue and Ninth Street on Green Bay's west side. While officers headed to the scene, Heyrman apparently called police dispatchers, who directed him to get on his knees in his own driveway and wait with his hands up. As one officer approached, he saw three neighbors out raking leaves, and he directed them inside. The officer arrived at Heyrman's to find him, wearing a Packers jersey, kneeling as ordered in his driveway. Heyrman had returned his rifle to the garage prior to the officer's arrival, the complaint says. Heyrman told police a passerby had warned him of an aggressive dog in the area, and Heyrman took his child inside and armed himself. He told police he shot several times but was unsure whether he'd hit the dog. Police noticed strike marks in the road from where bullets had ricocheted, a criminal complaint says. Police discovered eight cartridge shells and found a bullet lodged in the siding of a house. They also found dents and a bullet hole in a neighbor's Jeep, the complaint says. Officers estimated the damage at $2,000 to the vehicle and $500 to the house. Police found the stray dog and turned it over to a local veterinarian. An animal control officer planned to evaluate whether the animal had a history of aggressiveness, police said.
OSKALOOSA, IA, 10/26/14: A New Sharon man suffered minor injuries in a hunting accident Sunday morning. According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Kevin Flander, 51, sustained injuries to his face, chest and hand when he was hit by shotgun pellets. The gun was fired by a member of his party during a pheasant hunt southwest of Barnes City. Flander was taken by private vehicle to Mahaska County Hospital in Oskaloosa where he was treated and released. The incident was one of two non-fatal hunting accidents shot during the opening weekend of pheasant season.
EVANSVILLE, IN, 10/26/14: A 16-year-old former Central High School student died Monday after being shot in the head Sunday night. On Monday, police officials said they are investigating the incident as an accident, but noted that the investigation is still ongoing. Logan Burke died late Monday morning, according to Steve Lockyear, Vanderburgh County’s chief deputy coroner. He said an autopsy will be done on Burke’s body after the boy’s organs are donated. According to the Evansville Police Department report, authorities were called to an apartment in the 2900 block of Fulton Avenue Monday. The shooting took place at about 8:30 PM. An ambulance took Burke from there to Deaconess Hospital. Sgt. Jason Cullum of the Evansville Police Department said investigators believe that Burke was shot by an 18-year-old friend while the two were in the apartment. Cullum said investigators believe they were the only two inside the residence, which is where the 18-year-old lives. Officials did not release the 18-year-old man’s name. Cullum noted that investigators have not charged him in connection with the incident. “He talked to investigators at the scene,” Cullum said, “Right now, we have not charged anybody with any criminal acts in the case.”
BARSTOW, CA, 10/26/14: A man who allegedly shot himself in the foot at a Halloween party last month was released from custody Wednesday after turning himself in earlier this week. Dominick Gordon was sought by Barstow police for allegedly negligently firing a handgun at a party before he surrendered on Monday. Police said Gordon turned himself in and was interviewed at the police annex. He was booked on suspicion of discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, criminal street gang activity and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Police believe another person negligently fired a handgun but they have yet to identify a possible suspect, Lt. Mike Hunter said. Gordon was released from custody Wednesday and does not have a scheduled court date, booking records show. According to previous reports, Gordon was wanted after police responded to a report of shots fired in the 1400 block of Mesa Drive Oct. 26. Police followed a speeding vehicle transporting Gordon to Barstow Community Hospital seeking treatment for a gunshot wound to his foot. Gordon was treated a later released from the hospital. Police said Gordon was not arrested before leaving the hospital because officers did not have probable cause to do so at the time. Police arrested three other men, suspected of being members of a local criminal street gang, on parole violations.
SNYDER TOWNSHIP, PA, 10/27/14: The Tyrone Area School District is on secure exterior lock down as a precaution after a student was reportedly shot Monday morning. State police and the game commission are still on the scene. It is believed to be a hunting accident. According to Cathy Harlow, superintendent at Tyrone Area School District, after talking to state police, they decided to put the school on exterior lock down. Harlow said there is no threat to the school at this time, that this is only as a precaution. The shooting is believed to be a hunting accident. UPDATE: A 12-year-old girl is recovering after being sho