Sometimes I'm amazed there's anyone left alive in the United States at all. GunFAIL CLXXIII
By David Waldman
Friday Jan 29, 2016 · 4:38 PM EST
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The week of December 20th was an embarrassment of riches that actually makes us all poorer. By the numbers, the week wasn’t really all that bad, compared to what we’ve seen recently. I guess there was a sort of calm before the storm, as everyone was out shopping for Christmas gifts, and largely too busy to accidentally shoot themselves or others. Unfortunately, a lot of those Christmas gifts were guns, and, well, you’ll see what happens to the numbers in our next installment.
But what we did have a lot of during the week of the 20th were a lot of spectacular GunFAILS. We had a Guns Everywhere, GA man who sleeps with a gun in his bed accidentally shoot himself in his sleep. We had a Pennsylvania man who pulled the old, “Ha ha, it’s not loaded but watch me scare her when I put it to her head and pull the trigger!” joke, which quickly became, “My life is over. My life is over.” A Missouri dad handling what he thought were his unloaded black powder hunting guns, who accidentally killed his daughter when he fired through the living room wall. A Florida man who accidentally shot and killed himself while on a video call, showing a relative the “proper” way to clean a handgun. A New York mall security guard who struggled with a fleeing robber and accidentally shot a store worker. A California 12-year-old boy who dropped his rifle at a shooting range, accidentally shooting another nearby patron. An Iowa cop who accidentally fired his gun inside the Des Moine airport, while practicing his “quick draw” technique. Two unrelated accidental discharges that turned into “home invasion shootings” on the same day in Bismarck, North Dakota. An Oregon man who accidentally shot his 2-year-old niece in the face when his gun went off while using the gun cleaning kit he’d just gotten for Christmas. And the husband and wife team in Nevada, both employed by the local police department, who separately awoke and fired a total of 27 rounds at the third family member who lives with them, having mistaken her for an intruder (hitting her just once, in the leg).
I mean, come on, people.
But believe it or not, there’s more. Have a look below the fold, if you dare.
ALBANY, GA, 12/20/15: According to Albany Police, there was an accidental shooting around 4 AM Sunday. Thomas Strickland explained after officials arrived that he sleeps with a handgun in his bed for protection, and that he accidentally shot himself early Sunday morning when he thought someone was in his home. Officials responded to the call in the 3100 block of Wax Myrtle Ct. and discovered that Strickland had a gunshot wound on his right leg. Strickland received first aid and was taken to Phoebe Main for his injuries.
FORT COLLINS, CO, 12/20/15: A man was transported via helicopter to the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland on Sunday evening with unknown injuries after an accidental shooting near Horsetooth Reservoir. The unidentified victim was shot around 4 PM Sunday on Shoreline Drive, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. As 6 PM Sunday, how he was shot, how many times and where were not known. At nearby Horsetooth Store and Gas, 4727 Shoreline Drive, a clerk said the helicopter landed in the store's parking lot. She knew no further details.
SOUTH BEND, IN, 12/20/15: St. Joseph County detectives are still interviewing teenagers and their parents, after they say a 13-year-old boy from Elkhart was shot in the face. Dispatchers got a call about a shooting at the Quality Inn at 215 Dixie Way in South Bend around 6:45 AM Sunday. St. Joseph County Police Lt. Bill Redman told FOX28 detectives believe the shooting was accidental. The victim's wound is "non-life-threatening" and he is currently in "stable condition." Redman says the boy was inside a hotel room with 8 to 10 other teenagers ranging in age, from 13 to 19, with one 19-year-old. It's unclear if the 19-year-old rented the room, or if it was another adult. "It looks like at some point someone displayed the weapon and then accidentally discharged it," said Redman. Detectives are also still working to figure out who pulled the trigger, and why the teenagers were inside the hotel room in the first place. "Even if they are potential suspects," said Redman. "We can't talk to them without their parents present. So detectives are still IDing all the juveniles in the room, contacting their parents, and then interviewing them individually with their parents." UPDATE: FOX 28 reached out to the Quality Inn Manager regarding Sunday's shooting. No one was available for comment, however, one employee tells us they believe it may have been a grandparent of one of the teens who checked out the room. Police say they aren't able to confirm that. Some hotel guests we spoke with say they heard the gunshot go off early this morning, but they say they weren't too worried about their safety. Police say the group of guys and girls in the room are local. They aren't releasing the name of the 19-year-old at this point. We are also waiting to hear what type of gun was fired, and who pulled the trigger.
LAPORTE, IN, 12/20/15: A loaded firearm was discovered in the La Porte Walmart women's restroom on Sunday, according to the La Porte City Police Department.According to police reports, a customer discovered the pink .38 caliber Charter Arms pistol in a woman's bathroom stall and brought the firearm to the service counter where it was stored in a locked office until the owner returned to claim it.The owner stated she realized the firearm was missing and returned to claim the gun, showing police her carry permit who then returned the weapon, unloaded, to the owner.
RICHMOND, VA, 12/20/15: A Richmond Sheriff’s Deputy was shot in the leg by accident on Sunday afternoon. The deputy was struck by a bullet from another deputy’s gun – the other deputy was cleaning a gun. The incident happened at the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office at 1701 Fairfield Way.
WESTMORELAND, NY, 12/20/15: A man was accidentally shot by his friend while the pair were deer hunting Sunday in Westmoreland in Oneida County, Oneida County sheriff's deputies said. Kevin J. Barber, 43, of Westmoreland was shot in his right forearm while hunting about 4:30 PM Sunday near the corner of Jenkins and Spring House roads in the town of Westmoreland, police said. He was hunting with Bernard A. Snell Jr., 45, also of Westmoreland. Snell told police he had shot and wounded a deer about 15 minutes before the shooting. Snell said he and Barber then separated and began tracking the deer. Snell said he thought he saw the deer in some heavy brush about 25 yards away and then fired his .50-caliber muzzle-loader, accidentally striking Barber instead, police said. Snell called 911 right away, police said, and came to Barber's aid. Barber was taken to SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, police said. Members of the state Department of Environmental Conservation are assisting sheriff's deputies with the investigation.
GAINESVILLE, MO, 12/20/15: An accidental gunshot from a .45 caliber pistol Sunday left Gainesville High School senior Westley Suter feeling fortunate despite a wounded leg. Westley said he was sitting in his pickup Sunday afternoon talking to his friend Allan McKenzie, who was sitting in his own truck in the parking lot outside the Gainesville Subway shop, when the accident occurred. Westley was unloading a .45 ACP Springfield Armory tactical handgun he had used earlier that day while coyote hunting. “I was checking to make sure it was unloaded,” Westley, 17, told the Times. “I pulled it out of the holster, and it went off.” The hollow-point bullet went through the calf of his left leg, tearing through his jeans and rubber boots and exiting above his shin. Stunned by the blast but charged with adrenaline, Westley jumped out of the truck and ran to Sage McGinnis, 18, a first responder with the Gainesville Volunteer Fire Department, who was sitting in his truck in the same parking lot. “Now I can’t put any pressure on my leg at all, but right after it happened, I ran to Sage, and he got it wrapped up and called the ambulance,” Westley said Monday night. He was taken to Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home, Arkansas, where a small army of friends and relatives converged on the trauma center as Westley was being treated there. His mother, Jama Berry, hurried to the hospital from the family’s home near Brixey, as did Westley’s grandparents, Gainesville residents Mark and Rhonda Suter. His maternal grandmother, Kay Doubek, and sister, Kirsten Suter, waited anxiously back home in Brixey for news that he was OK, Westley’s mother said. In the hospital, x-rays revealed Westley’s amazing luck: the bullet had not hit a bone. A couple of small pieces of the bullet remain in the tissue of his leg, but no surgery was needed. The entry and exit wounds were treated, his leg was wrapped and Westley was issued a pair of crutches and sent home to recover, pausing just long enough in the trauma center hallway for a photo with friends and relatives who had gathered there. His Facebook post reporting the accident and thanking everyone for their prayers and text messages “and for being there at the emergency room” garnered dozens of get-well wishes and expressions of thanks that his injuries weren’t worse. Jama Berry told the Times, “We are definitely blessed” that he’s going to be OK. Responding to one Facebook commenter’s post that “you learn from your mistakes,” Jama replied, “Let’s hope he does. I’m not sure how many more lessons my heart can take.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA, 12/20/15: Police are trying to track down one of two men who invaded the West Philadelphia home of an elderly woman, and made off with a whole lot of valuables. The incident occurred on the unit block of North Felton Street around 3:00 AM Sunday morning. Police say the 91-year-old victim was home alone, when two men knocked on her front door, before kicking it in. The men entered the home and woke the woman up while pointing a gun in her face. They took the woman's cell phone, iPad, and a computer, but did not harm the woman. While trying to make a getaway, police say the suspects shot themselves in the foot figuratively and literally. One of the suspects shot himself in the foot while making his way out of the victim's home. Police were able to track that injured suspect down after they called the woman's cell phone and a doctor at the hospital the man went to for treatment answered the phone. The family says the suspect was arrested, and her electronics were recovered. The homeowner believes the men may have mistaken her home for someone else's.
EDDYSTONE, PA, 12/20/15: A 31-year-old borough man is charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for allegedly putting a gun to a friend’s forehead and pulling the trigger Sunday evening, killing the woman. Roger J. McBride of the 1200 block of Saville Avenue in Eddystone was arrested after police responded to a report of a shooting at about 5 PM Sunday and found a woman lying on her back with a gunshot wound to the head in the living room. McBride, who was seated at the dining room table when police arrived, allegedly told police that the shooting was an accident, according to an affidavit of probable cause. “It was an accident, I didn’t know it was loaded,” McBride allegedly said to police. Officers found a .45 caliber handgun on the dining room table and when they took McBride into custody, they noticed what appeared to be blood on his right arm, according to the report. Others present in the home at the time of the shooting told police that McBride was playing around with the handgun when he pointed it at the head of Jamie Vincent and pulled the trigger. McBride’s girlfriend, Ellen Metro, was in McBride’s bedroom upstairs when she heard a loud pop, according to the report, and when she came downstairs she allegedly saw McBride standing at Vincent’s feet as she lie on the ground with a hole in her forehead. Metro panicked and went to the kitchen of the home, she allegedly told police, and McBride sat down at the dining room table. Metro asked McBride what he had done, and McBride allegedly responded “My life is over. My life is over,” according to the report. Jack Mooney, who was in the shower at the time of the shooting, is the owner of the handgun and he told police that he had taken McBride and others to the shooting range recently and went over gun safety with McBride before letting him shoot the gun. Mooney also said that he removed the magazine from the gun and cleared the chamber before putting it down on the table, and then placed the full magazine back into the gun before going upstairs and taking a shower. McBride declined to speak with police, but officers say they detected a strong odor of alcohol on his person. Vincent was pronounced dead by a paramedic shortly after police arrived and secured the scene. McBride is charged with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and possessing instruments of crime. He is being held without bail at Delaware County’s prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 25 at 1 PM before Magisterial District Judge Philip Turner.
PITTSBURGH, PA, 12/21/15: A former juvenile delinquent fatally shot an armed robber who broke into his apartment through a bathroom window and accidentally shot and killed his visiting teenage brother and his housemate while exchanging shots with the intruder, a district attorney said Wednesday. Meiko Devaughn has been charged with illegally possessing a firearm, drug possession and receiving stolen property. Devaughn, who police said was in the "drug business," shot at 25-year-old Kadeem Williams after Williams climbed into the apartment Devaughn shared with Akeilah Solomon at about 3:20 AM Monday, said Stephen Zappala Jr., the Allegheny County district attorney. As the two fired shots at each other, Devaughn, 22, also struck the 20-year-old Solomon and his 16-year-old brother, Jaimill Kenney, with bullets, killing them. Williams was mortally wounded in the exchange but managed to run outside before dying, Zappala said. It's not clear whether Devaughn will face charges for the shootings, Zappala said, because the investigation is continuing. "We have to know all the evidence first," the prosecutor said at the scene Tuesday. "You're entitled to protect yourself." The county medical examiner determined Solomon was shot once in the head, while Kenney and Williams were shot once each in the chest. Kenney was visiting his brother. Devaughn was adjudicated delinquent, the juvenile court equivalent of a conviction, in 2009 on charges including robbery and aggravated assault. That's why it was illegal for Devaughn to possess the .40-caliber Glock pistol he used, according to a criminal complaint. The gun had been stolen from neighboring Butler County. Police believe Williams was trying to rob Devaughn because $1,000 worth of marijuana and $14,000 cash were found in the apartment, police said. Zappala said investigators believe at least one other intruder may have been involved. They didn't find a gun near Williams' body outside the apartment complex but did find shells from a different caliber weapon at the scene, he said. Online court records don't list an attorney for Devaughn, who was in custody awaiting arraignment Wednesday.
CLAYMONT, DE, 12/21/15: A 19-year-old man was charged with accidentally shooting a 18-year-old woman in Naamans Village Apartments in Brandywine Hundred early Monday morning, New Castle County police said. Officers were called to Wilmington Hospital at about 1:45 AM Monday after an 18-year-old woman arrived to the hospital by private vehicle, Cpl. Tracey Duffy said. The woman was treated at the emergency room before being transported to Christiana Hospital where it was last reported that she was in surgery, Duffy said. Upon further investigation, police learned that the woman was standing inside the apartment building when the man, later identified as Scott Sullivan, pointed a handgun at the woman and discharged the gun, Duffy said. The bullet struck her in the torso, she added. Police later learned Sullivan, of the 1200 block of Winstead Road, discharged the weapon accidentally, Duffy said. Sullivan was taken into police custody at an apartment in the 700 block of Montclair Drive without incident after the investigation, Duffy said, and then helped investigators in locating the weapon. He faces charges including assault and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony. He was awaiting arraignment Monday morning.
POPLAR BLUFF, MO, 12/21/15: A Poplar Bluff teen is in critical condition after her father accidentally shot her with a black-powder gun Monday morning inside their home. Kaitlyn Elise Pullam, 17, was in critical but stable condition in the intensive-care unit Monday night at St. Louis Children's Hospital, said Butler County sheriff's investigator Randle Huddleston. Butler County deputies learned Pullam had been shot about 11:25 AM Monday. When Butler County Sheriff's Sgt. Brandon Lowe arrived at the Pullam home in the 500 block of County Road 4222, he said he found the teen lying on her bedroom floor and her father, Joe Denton Pullam, performing CPR. Lowe said the girl was covered in blood, and she had what he described as a severe wound on the right side of her face. Lowe said Kaitlyn Pullam was taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, where she was stabilized before being flown to St. Louis. Authorities said they believe the girl was standing by the head board of her bed when the bullet came through her bedroom wall. The bullet "actually went in through her right shoulder, then blew up, and shrapnel hit her in the face and chest and then hit the other wall," Lowe said. The bullet fragmented and went into her lungs, Huddleston said. As the girl was being seen to by emergency-services personnel, deputies began investigating the scene and talking with family members. Barbara Pullam, the girl's mother, told officers she had brought home two .50-caliber muzzleloaded guns to her son from a cabin where they had been stored. "(Joe Pullam) said they had been in a cabin for three years," Huddleston said. "He thought they were unloaded. He picked one of them up, and while handling the firearm, he inadvertently squeezed the trigger, and it went off." Joe Pullam reported when the gun went off, he "initially thought it was a powder charge, and he said: 'Thank you, it wasn't loaded.' Then, he looked around the living room and saw the hole in the wall," Huddleston said. Knowing the wall adjoined his daughter's bedroom, Pullam ran in to check on her and immediately began CPR. When investigator Kelly Thompson said in his report he found what he described as "large" holes in the living room wall, bedroom wall and Kaitlyn Pullam's head board. UPDATE: A Poplar Bluff teen who was accidentally shot was taken off life support on Christmas Eve. The family plans to donate Kaitlyn's organs. You can send a donation or gift to The First United Methodist Church in the family's name.
ST. LOUIS CO., MO, 12/21/15: Semaj Porter wanted to see the face of the teenager who brought a gun into her home, pulled the trigger and ended her 3-year-old son’s life on Monday. But she didn’t get that chance Wednesday because he waived his right to a juvenile detention hearing in the St. Louis County Family Court system. Records of any proceedings against him there will remain sealed. A spokeswoman told a reporter Wednesday that she couldn’t talk about the case. Porter fears she’ll never know why prosecutors didn’t charge the 15-year-old as an adult for the death of her son Xavier “Zae” Cartier Robinson. Police say the 15-year-old boy shot Zae once in the chest about 11 AM Monday inside Porter’s home in the 1600 block of Emerald Creek Drive, off Shackelford Road in an unincorporated area of St. Louis County. The suspect, a friend of Porter’s son Barry Brooks, 16, had spent Sunday night at the house. The 15-year-old boy brought a gun to the home, Porter later learned from Barry, who believed that it was unloaded. If it was unloaded Sunday, that was no longer true the next morning when it went off.
AUGUSTA, GA, 12/22/15: The Richmond County Sheriff's Office is investigating an accidental shooting that injured a child. The sheriff's office says the 12-year-old girl was shot in the stomach while her 13-year-old brother was playing with a loaded gun. The girl has been taken to GRU for treatment and is listed in stable condition. Deputies were called to the scene on the 700 block of East Chapman Street just before 3 this afternoon. No word yet if charges will be filed.
MIAMI, FL, 12/22/15: Police say a South Florida man was demonstrating the proper way to clean a gun during a video call with a relative when he accidentally shot himself in the chest and died. Miami-Dade detective Marjorie Eloi said in a news release that the accidental shooting happened around 7:30 PM Tuesday. Police say 43-year-old Josmel Herrera shot himself once. He was taken to Kendall Regional Trauma Center where he was declared dead. Eloi said police responded to the home after receiving several calls about a shot being fired. The news release didn't say whether anyone else was inside the home at the time of the shooting. No further details were released. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
BELOIT, WI, 12/22/15: A 17-year-old Beloit boy was arrested Tuesday on a homicide charge after he allegedly shot a 17-year-old boy who was pronounced dead at Beloit Memorial Hospital. Nikolai Wasilewski was tentatively charged with homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person 18 years of age, Beloit police said. Dead is Marcus Seichter, 17, Beloit. The shooting incident happened at about 8:30 AM at a residence in the 200 block of Eighth Street. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, said Interim Police Chief David Zibolski. No other details of the shooting had been released by police as of Wednesday morning.
MANHATTAN, KS, 12/22/15: Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating a reported shooting on Tuesday evening. Officers with the Riley County Police Department responded just before 6:30 PM to the 200 block of East Park Road in the Manhattan City Park for a report of a juvenile who had sustained a gunshot wound to the leg, according to a police department media release. Officers on scene were able to determine that the wound appeared to be accidental and possibly self-inflicted. Throughout further investigation officers found that a firearm had gone off accidentally inside of a vehicle, which was occupied by several juveniles. The driver, a 16-year-old boy, was stuck in the upper leg and required transport to Via Christi for medical treatment. Police filed a criminal report for the offense of criminal use of a weapon and continue to investigate the matter. No arrests had been made or citations issued. Police did not release the names of those involved.
GARDEN CITY, NY, 12/22/15: The Little Neck man facing several felony charges in connection with an attempted armed robbery and shooting at Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City Tuesday entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Nassau County DA. Oliver Lee, 21, was arraigned in Nassau County Wednesday, where the judge ordered him held on $750,000 bail on charges of robbery, assault and weapons possession, the complaint said. Lee lives on Douglaston Parkway near the Fairway Shopping Center, where a neighbor said he shares the row house with his mother but was mostly left home alone. Lee allegedly attempted to steal high-end watches from the Rolex boutique inside the Tourneau Jewelry store at the mall, the Nassau authorities said. A salesperson showed Lee an $18,000 watch, which he then took while displaying a black semi-automatic handgun and attempted to flee when a retired NYPD sergeant and mall security officer interfered, according to witness testimony in the complaint. The security officer, Ken Krug, grabbed the gun and accidentally fired it in a struggle with Lee, shooting a mall employee who was brought to the hospital and remains in critical condition, police said. The conflict was resolved when two more mall security guards and an NYPD inspector saw what was going on and intervened, the complaint said.
TEMPE, AZ, 12/23/15: Police say a man was injured in an accidental shooting at a commercial yard Wednesday afternoon in Tempe. One man was taken to a hospital with injuries, the extent of which were not known. Details were not immediately available, but police said they were investigating the incident near Warner Road and Hardy Drive as an accidental discharge.
BATON ROUGE, LA, 12/23/15: Police arrested an 18-year-old Wednesday after a shooting injured a 16-year-old inside a house on Jefferson Avenue. Detectives said Corie Burge was playing with a gun with his unidentified teenage cousin when the gun fired. The 16-year-old was hit in the torso and taken to an area hospital. The victim is expected to survive, police said. The shooting was ruled accidental, but Burge was charged with negligent injuring.
POWAY, CA, 12/23/15: San Diego sheriff’s detectives were investigating an apparent accidental shooting Wednesday at a shooting range in Poway. Deputies responded at 12:05 PM to the Poway Weapons and Gear shooting range at 13550 Danielson St., said sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Haynesworth. A 12-year-old boy was target shooting with a .22-caliber rifle when he dropped the weapon after a hot bullet casing burned him, Haynesworth said. When the rifle hit the ground it fired and a round hit a nearby man in the leg, Haynesworth said. The injured man was driven to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Haynesworth said.
DES MOINES, IA, 12/23/15: A Des Moines police officer accidentally fired his gun inside an office at the Des Moines International Airport while he was practicing his "quick draw." Officer Brady Pratt, 23, was inside an office at the airport Wednesday around 4 PM when he drew his gun from his holster to practice "his quick draw skills," according to a police report. Pratt, who joined the force in 2013, "unknowingly" had his finger on the trigger and fired a round from the gun, the report states. Another officer, Taylor Olson, witnessed the incident. The bullet hit a ceiling tile above one of the office doors. It traveled through the wall and out into a hallway, landing in the hallway's ceiling tile. No one was in the hallway at the time, and nobody was injured. Pratt reported the accidental shot to his supervisor, who then notified a lieutenant. "Discipline is always a possibility when (officers) are negligent. The level will be determined by the circumstances," said Sgt. Paul Parizek, a spokesman for the department. "There will be a very thorough review."
BISMARCK, ND, 12/23/15: A Bismarck woman was accidentally shot through the door of a trailer home early yesterday morning. Bismarck Police say the incident happened on Claridge Loop when 38-year-old Ernest Wohl of Bismarck was clearing his 40 caliber handgun and it went off. The woman was hit in the arm and she was treated by EMTs before being taken to the hospital. Wohl was charged with reckless endangerment.
BISMARCK, ND, 12/23/15: Another Bismarck man was arrested Wednesday in a separate accidental discharge incident. Police arrested a 25-year-old man who told officers he was "messing" with his gun in his apartment when it discharged, Renz said. The bullet went through the floor of his unit into the carpet of the apartment below, Renz said. It did not strike any people or objects, though it came close to a woman sitting on the couch in the apartment below, he said. The incident occurred at 1:53 PM on the 1600 block of North 35th Street. A search of South Central District court records does not return any charges against the man who handled the gun.
ROSWELL, NM, 12/23/15: A man is dead after a hunting trip went wrong west of Roswell. Police say 20-year-old Manuel Agguire and two other men were rabbit catching Wednesday night when it happened. Witnesses tell police Agguire walked into the path of a 22 bullet just as it was being fired. Agguire was shot in the back near the shoulder blade. He later died at the hospital. Police believe the shooting was an accident but are continuing to investigate.
LA PORTE, IN, 12/24/15: A 12-year-old boy was taken to the hospital with minor injuries following a handgun accident at a north Indiana shooting range. Indiana Conservation officers responded Thursday morning to Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area shooting range in La Porte after the boy was injured firing a handgun with reloaded ammunition. Police said in a news release that the boy was with his father at the time. They say one of the rounds exploded inside the gun causing minor cuts and bruising. The boy’s father took him to La Porte Hospital where he was treated and released. Department of Natural Resources spokesman Tyler Brock said reloading ammunition is a common practice that can save gun enthusiasts money. He said the cause of the malfunction is under investigation.
DEEP GAP, NC, 12/24/15: A young boy, said to be 8 years old, was hospitalized after being struck by pellets fired from a shotgun late on Christmas Eve in an incident under investigation of the Watauga Sheriff’s Office. Watauga Deputies responded emergency traffic to 123 Old Chigger Trail off Pine Run Road in Deep Gap in what was reported as an accidental discharge of a firearm. The minor was reportedly injured and after the scene was secured and the shotgun put away, the child was transported to Watauga Medical Center by medics as investigations were called to the scene. The Sheriff’s Office report said that, on Christmas day, the minor was still at WMC recovering while the investigation into the circumstances leading to the firing of the weapon were still underway.
COLLETON CO., SC, 12/24/15: Three shootings marred the Christmas Eve holiday in Colleton County. The first incident was involved a 63-year-old man who apparently accidentally shot himself in the leg at his home at 73 Apostle Lane near Cottageville. He was treated at the scene for a non-life-threatening injury by firefigher-paramedics, then transported to Colleton Medical Center.
PENN TOWNSHIP, PA, 12/24/15: Police said someone accidentally discharged a firearm while attempting to disassemble it Dec. 24 on I-81 south in Penn Township. Police did not release any further details or names.
NASHVILLE, TN, 12/24/15: West Precinct detectives late Tuesday night swore out an arrest warrant charging James Nicholas Jones, 18, with reckless homicide for the Christmas Eve shooting death of Luan Le, 16, inside Le’s 427 Wilclay Drive home. Jones admitted to shooting his friend while handling a pistol. He said he then panicked and fled. Jones is also charged with aggravated burglary in relation to a December 17th break-in at a Comet Drive home during which electronics and cash were taken. The stolen items were recovered from Le’s Wilclay Drive residence during the investigation of the homicide.
COLTON, OR, 12/25/15: A 2-year-old girl was hospitalized after her 24-year-old uncle accidentally shot her while cleaning a gun on Christmas morning. The incident happened on the 30700 block of S Marian Street just after 11 AM, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said. The toddler, who was reportedly shot in the cheek, was flown to OHSU via Life Flight Medical Helicopter. She underwent surgery Friday afternoon and is said to be in stable condition. She is expected to survive. Her uncle, Luke Andrew Bowman, reportedly lives at the home where the incident occurred. No charges have been filed against him. MORE: A Clackamas County sheriff's deputy told KGW that a family member, who received a gun cleaning kit for Christmas, was cleaning a handgun before it accidentally went off.
DENVER, CO, 12/25/15: An early Christmas morning shooting in Denver appears to have been self-inflicted and accidental, according to a Denver Police Department spokesperson. The shooting victim, a woman, was taken to Denver Health via private vehicle, according to Denver Police Department spokesperson Sonny Jackson. Hours after the shooting, Jackson told Denver7 the shooting "now appears [to be] a self-inflicted, accidental shooting." The location where the shooting took place is unknown at this time. The victim's condition has not been released.
HOUSTON, TX, 12/25/15: A suspect is hospitalized after he was accidentally shot during a foot pursuit with police Friday night in southeast Houston. Two police officers responded to a disturbance call around 7:45 PM. Friday at an apartment complex in the 4000 block of Corder Street. Police say the suspect involved appeared to be high on some kind of drug and armed with a pistol in his waistband. Officials say when the suspect spotted one of the two officers pull into the complex and get out of his patrol car, he started running. The officer chased after the suspect -- repeatedly calling for him to stop -- into a nearby apartment complex. Police say the suspect reached toward his waistband several times while he was being chased, including once when he came to a fence, and the officer drew his gun while giving him verbal commands. The suspect then attempted to jump the fence, and authorities say the officer used his free hand to try and pull the suspect down. Officials say the suspect fell against the officer, and the officer's gun then discharged, striking the suspect. Police say the suspect was then transported to a nearby hospital with a non-life-threatening wound. Authorities say the officer chasing the suspect slipped while rounding one corner of the nearby apartment complex building and badly cut his knee. Officials say the officer had no intention to discharge his weapon and was surprised when it went off. Police confirmed the officer is with the southeast patrol division and has one year of service with the Houston Police Department. When the suspect was taken into custody, police did not find a weapon on him. They are trying to determine whether he had a weapon to begin with or if he threw it down while being pursued. It is unknown what charges the suspect may face, as the incident is still under investigation.
BEAVER DAM, WI, 12/25/15: A homeowner in Beaver Dam tells Action 2 News that she’s concerned for her family’s safety after bullets came flying into her home on Christmas day. Around 5 PM Friday, Daniel R. Sugden, 23, allegedly fired a gun at the Shaw Marsh State Wildlife Area, across the street from a home on the N6200 Block of Shaw Hill Road in Beaver Dam, according to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, and the homeowner. No injuries were reported. “A bullet came right through the wall in our living room,” the homeowner told Action 2 News on Saturday. One of the bullets came through a wall and landed on the floor, according to the Sheriff’s officials. The homeowner says she has lived in the same residence for 30 years and nothing like this had ever happened before. She also said that late last night, her family found a second bullet. Sugden is now facing charges of endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon, according to the Sheriff’s office. Law enforcement officials have recovered the firearm and ammunition, which was taken as evidence.
MEMPHIS, TN, 12/25/15: A man is in critical condition after accidentally shooting himself in the leg and crashing his car, police say. According to Memphis police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph, officers found two vehicles involved in a crash at Third and Madison Avenue shortly before 9 on Christmas night. The 31-year-old driver of the first vehicle, a Chevrolet Camaro, was pinned by the steering wheel and had to be freed by firefighers. Once the man was pulled from the car, officers found him to be shot in the leg. The man told police that he accidentally shot himself and was going to the hospital when he crashed his car, police say. The driver of the second car, an Acura, said he was sitting at the light at Third and Madison when the first car ran the red light and lost control at the intersection. The car struck a pole and then the Acura, police say. The driver of the Camaro was transported to Regional One Health in critical condition. The driver of the Acura declined medical attention. A Taurus 9mm and 10 live rounds were found in the passenger floorboard of the Camaro. No charges had been filed by Saturday morning.
NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV, 12/25/15: An off-duty Metro officer and her husband accidentally shot their relative just before Christmas Day came to an end. North Las Vegas police responded to a call about 11:30 PM Friday in the 3600 block of Kelcie Marie Avenue, according to Officer Aaron Patty. The off-duty officer and her husband were asleep in the home, when their relative, who lives in the house, came home unexpectedly, according to police. The officer and her husband both shot at their relative with separate weapons, Patty said. The shot woman was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. This is not being considered an officer involved shooting since the officer was off-duty, and charges will not be filed against the couple since the shooting is considered an accident, Patty said.
BALDWIN, MO, 12/25/15: According to a report issued by the Knox County Sheriff Allen Gudehus, on Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2015, a 21-year-old Baldwin, Missouri, man was accidentally shot just after noon near Hurdland. His name is not being released by the Sheriff. The man and his father were attempting to holster a handgun for target practice. The the gun discharged and struck the man in the leg. The man was transported to the Northeast Missouri Regional Medical Center and reported to be in stable condition. The Knox County Sheriff, Hurdland First Responders and the Knox County Ambulance District responded to the call.
CHICAGO, IL, 12/26/15: After a 55-year-old woman and 19-year-old man were shot and killed by police during a domestic disturbance call Saturday morning, police say the wom