She was just 'exercising' her rights. But the 'keep and bear' part's a doozy: GunFAIL CLXXVIII
By David Waldman
Tuesday Mar 29, 2016 · 2:47 PM EDT
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Heavy GunFAIL activity marked the last full week of January. While just 38 guns were “mistakenly” left in coat pockets and carry-ons at the airport, gun owners who stayed closer to home were plenty busy, with 31 accidentally shooting themselves inside the space of seven days, bringing the January total to 115. Twelve minors were accidentally shot, ten accidental shootings resulted in fatalities, eight gun owners accidentally shot into their neighbor’s homes and property, and six law enforcement officers were involved in firearms mishaps (plus one judge).
Actually, it was almost two judges. The one I counted actually shot himself at home, when he went to clean his gun after a visit to the firing range. In the “almost” case, the shot was accidentally fired by a St. Louis County Sheriff’s Deputy “handling his weapon” inside the Civil Courts building downtown. His shot passed through at least one interior wall, and lodged in a judge’s desk. In another remarkable pairing of law enforcement-related GunFAILs, an Orange County, California, sheriff’s deputy lost an AR-15 after placing it atop the trunk of his car and forgetting it before driving off, and an FBI agent who forgot to lock his car in Benicia, California, had three handguns stolen out of it. And just to round out the law enforcement officer category, how about the off-duty Freeport, Texas, cop at home in his apartment in Clute, who accidentally fired his weapon through the apartment wall, hitting his sleeping neighbor in the lower back? Not good!
Today’s headline comes from the last item on the week’s list, the Abington, Pennsylvania, woman who took her gun with her for a run, but lost it along the way and didn’t know exactly where. So look out, residents of Abington and Upper Dublin, there’s a gun on the loose out there! Though this could just as easily have happened with a swimming pool, and they’re dangerous, too.
Below the fold, the week’s full list.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, 1/24/16: Police spent much of Sunday afternoon looking for a man who had shot his own father outside a home on the city’s southeast side. In a strange twist to the story, the son showed up at the same hospital his dad was taken to with a gunshot wound to his own leg. Late Sunday morning police were called to the 1900 block of Cross Willow Lane on a report of a person shot. That scene is near Brookville Road and South Franklin Road. The victim was identified as 54-year-old Sammy Hope Sr. Hope told police he and his son, 27-year-old Sammy Hope Jr. were in the car arguing when Sammy Jr shot his father in the leg and then fled. Sammy Hope Sr. was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in good condition. Police say about five hours later a man walked into Eskenazi Hospital with a leg gunshot wound as well. According to investigators the man gave a fake name and a false account of how he got shot. Detectives say they saw through his story and determined the man was actually the son who shot his father earlier in the day. Police believe Hope Jr. likely shot himself in the leg and then later drove himself to the hospital for treatment. Police placed the younger Hope under arrest for aggravated battery. The case is still under investigation.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 1/24/16: Stetson Hills Division officers responded to a report of an accidental discharge of a firearm. According to police, Benjamin Lawson mishandled his 9mm handgun and a round discharged, entering an adjacent apartment in the complex in the 4400 block of Burton Way. No injuries were reported. Lawson was cited for discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment on Jan. 24.
GREELEY, CO, 1/24/16: A Greeley man and his girlfriend were injured Sunday night when his handgun went off while he was cleaning it. Paramedics responded to the 1400 block of 45th Avenue at 5:04 PM after the couple — 38-year-old Jessica Brunswig and 36-year-old Jeremy Schrier — called first responders. Schrier was shot in the hand when the 9 mm handgun went off, hitting Brunswig in the arm and hip, Greeley police Lt. David Spies said. They were transported to North Colorado Medical Center for their injuries. The incident remains under investigation by Greeley police, Spies said.
HALIFAX CO., VA, 1/24/16: Around 3 PM Sunday, a woman was in the driveway of her home on Hudson Road when she was hit once in the abdomen by a round from a .22 caliber rifle. The sheriff’s office says that round was fired by a juvenile who lives at a neighboring property. “He was just doing some random shooting on his property,” explained Halifax Co. Sheriff’s Major Tommy Spencer. “The houses were approximately 250-300 yards apart.” The woman, whose name the sheriff’s office refused to release Tuesday, was taken to Duke University Hospital for treatment. As of Tuesday, she was expected to survive. Major Spencer says the case will be presented to the commonwealth attorney and the commonwealth attorney will decide if charges will be filed. But, Maj. Spencer said there’s no telling how long it will be before the investigation is completed and the case turned over. He says this should be a reminder to everyone that randomly shooting a gun is not a good idea. “That’s certainly something we would encourage people not to do. That’s not the way we would like anyone handling firearms,” said Major Spencer. If you are going to be shooting a gun on your property, Major Spencer says try to notify anyone near by that you’ll be shooting. “I think that’d be a courtesy thing to do, Major Spencer stated. “And, make sure you’re shooting into a safe backdrop and make sure you’ve got plenty of yardage even beyond that.” An updated condition of the woman who was shot was not available Tuesday, but as of Monday afternoon she was listed in stable condition.
MAY, TX, 1/24/16: 12:59 PM – A Brown County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to an accidental shooting at a property located on Pawnee Drive. According to the report, the deputy arrived on scene and found the victim was already being treated by first responders. The victim had been manipulating a handgun when he accidentally fired it into his left leg, the report states. He was transported by air to Abilene Regional Medical Center and the incident was documented.
LIBERTY, KY, 1/24/16: Liberty Police Chief Steven Garrett said a 17-year-old unidentified male shot himself in the foot. Officers were called to Casey County Hospital at 2:50 PM Sunday to investigate the shooting, which Garrett said was not life threatening. The teen, who Garrett said wasn’t very cooperative, insisted it wasn’t intentional, saying the gun, a .22 caliber pistol, fired accidentally.
DICKINSON, ND, 1/24/16: Police responded to call stating that a shotgun had been discharged in a home on the 1900 block of Yellowstone Circle in the Sundance Coves neighborhood around 2 AM Sunday, where they determined that two roommates had gotten into an argument. At one point one of the individuals was holding a shotgun, at which point the other individual pushed him, causing the gun to accidentally discharge. The 33-year-old Dickinson man that shoved the other was arrested for simple assault, while his roommate has been referred to the state’s attorney for consideration of charges. It was previously reported that the shotgun was discharged in an apartment.
HARTSELLE, AL, 1/24/16: A missing Hartselle man was found dead behind his home on Sunday. The Morgan County Sheriff's Office said Nate Thomas appears to have died of an accidental gunshot, WHNT reported. Thomas was reported missing on Jan. 24. He was a former sailor with the U.S. Navy who was working as a real estate agent. After he was reported missing, Thomas' friend, Guillaume Vincent, said Thomas' two vehicles are accounted for, but his phone, wallet and keys are missing. "His family and friends have not been able to reach him," Vincent posted on Facebook last week. (Thomas) does not have a car so is either riding with someone or on foot. "Vincent also confirmed Thomas' death on Facebook.
MADISON, WI, 1/24/16: A Madison man, arrested this week after police said he took part in a January home invasion in which a man was shot and his family “terrified,” will face several felonies next week when formal charges are filed against him, a Dane County prosecutor said in court Friday. Rollo R.P. Prince, 32, will be charged with armed robbery, first-degree reckless endangerment, armed burglary, substantial battery and possession of a firearm by a felon, all as a repeat offender, for a Jan. 24 home invasion that happened in the 4800 block of Retana Drive on Madison’s Far East Side. Assistant District Attorney Andrea Raymond said the charges have been decided but a criminal complaint against Prince has not yet been drafted. She said it will be ready on Monday. Court Commissioner Brian Asmus set bail for Prince at $35,000, saying that the charges and likelihood of prison for Prince if he is convicted are incentive for him to flee if cash bail isn’t required. Raymond said Prince failed to appear in court for an unrelated case on Jan. 25, because he had fled to Chicago after the home invasion to be treated at a hospital after accidentally shooting himself during the incident.In court, one of Prince’s hands appeared to be heavily bandaged. Blood stains found inside the home were analyzed by the state Crime Lab and matched a DNA profile on file for Prince, according to a search warrant filed on Friday in Dane County Circuit Court.
KIRKSVILLE, MO, 1/24/16: A Kirksville man only suffered minor injuries after accidently shooting himself in the hand over the weekend. Kirksville Police responded to a report of an accidental shooting in the 1500 block of E. George Street at 2:20 PM Sunday. According to the police, Ryan Rusk, 26, was handling the gun before it went off and shot him in the hand. Rusk was taken to the Northeast Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released. He received minor injuries from the incident, police said.
ST. LOUIS, MO, 1/25/16: The St. Louis Sheriff’s Department is investigating an accidental shooting inside the Civil Courts building in downtown St. Louis on Monday. According to department spokesperson Michael Guzy, a deputy was “handling his weapon” when the gun went off. The bullet passed through at least one wall and lodged in a judge’s desk. Guzy says no one was in the court room at the time and no one was injured but the unnamed deputy has been suspended without pay pending an investigation. “We take fire arm safety very, very seriously for all of the obvious reasons,” said Guzy. He says it is too soon to know what, if any, discipline the deputy could face but criminal charges are a possibility. He says a drug test is standard after any fire arm is discharged by a deputy on the job and the department is awaiting those results. Guzy says at this time there is no reason to suspect the deputy was impaired but he can say the deputy was not involved in any kind of security situation at the time the gun went off. The St. Louis Sheriff’s Department provides security for 31 divisional courtrooms, according to the department’s website.
KENNETT, MO, 1/25/16: Long-time Kennett businessman Adolphus Riggs III, 72, died Monday. According to Captain Tim Trowbridge of the Kennett Police Department, officers were called to the 800 block of Emerson Street Monday morning. Investigators determined that the death appears to be an accidental shooting. Trowbridge reports that the preliminary investigation shows that Riggs returned home from a hunting trip sometime Sunday night. Apparently, while unloading his hunting shotgun, Riggs accidentally fired a single round, which struck him in the chest. Riggs, owner of Riggs Supply, was actively involved in the community over the years. A 32nd Degree Mason, he served as local lodge president. He was a Shriner, was very active in the Boy Scouts as well as the local American Legion and VFW. Riggs was a member of the Eagles Club and Kennett Country Club and was past area chairman for Ducks Unlimited. Riggs was the organizer of and for many years led Scouts in the distribution of American flags on Flag Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. Trowbridge added that the KPD was thankful for the service Riggs rendered as a reserve police officer in 1974-1976. "Mr. Riggs continued to have personal contact with our officers and was always proud to boast about his serving in the past." Police Chief Johnny Dennis added that Riggs has willingly contributed to the department throughout the years in many ways and that his loss would be felt. Riggs attended Central Methodist University and served his country in Vietnam from 1967-1969. As of press time no memorial service had been announced.
WHITE PLAINS, KY, 1/25/16: A 14-year-old has died after accidentally shooting themselves at a Kentucky home Monday morning. It happened around 9 AM at a residence on Farmers Crossing Road in White Plains, Kentucky, about 100 miles northwest of Nashville. Police said the teenager was handling the gun when it accidentally discharged. The juvenile was airlifted to St. Mary’s in Evansville, Indiana, where they died just after 2 PM. The victim’s identity was not immediately released. Police said foul play is not suspected. The investigation is continuing.
WHITTIER, CA, 1/25/16: Police Monday investigated the shooting death of an adult man in Whittier. Shortly before 1 AM, officers were sent to the 6300 block of Comstock Avenue for report of an accidental shooting, according to the Whittier Police Department. Upon their arrival, authorities located an adult Hispanic man, believed to be in his 30s, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to his head. Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene. His identity is being withheld pending family notification. Police said there was another individual at the home who was uninjured. At this time, no arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing.
ANTIOCH, CA, 1/25/16: An 86-year-old man who called police on himself was arrested last week for allegedly firing his revolver during a dispute with his roommate, police said. Pervis Cohen, of Antioch, was arrested after he called police around 8:30 AM on Jan. 25, to report that he'd discharged his weapon while arguing with his roommate in the front yard of his home, on the 3000 block of Larkspur Drive. The reason for the shooting? Cohen said his roommate was hurling rocks at him, so he fired a warning shot in the air, then accidentally discharged his weapon a second time as he was bringing it down. The second shot missed the roommate but hit a neighbor's garage door, police said. Police were skeptical of Cohen's version of events. "(An accidental discharge) like that is usually not possible with a revolver, because a revolver is double-action," Antioch police acting-Lt. Tom Fuhrmann said. The unidentified 30-year-old roommate was not arrested, and no injuries were reported. Cohen was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm and willful discharge of a firearm with negligence, but the DA has not filed charges against him, police said.
CROSSVILLE, TN, 1/25/16: A seven-year-old boy has died after being shot by another child inside a parked car in Crossville Monday afternoon, police say. The Crossville Police Department says four children were left alone inside a car in the parking lot of a Verizon store around 3:15 PM while their mother and stepfather went inside to pay a bill. The family is from White County. One child found a semi-automatic pistol left inside the mother’s purse and accidentally shot a 7-year-old boy also in the car, according to police, while trying to remove the magazine to unload it. Police found the boy bleeding from his head. He was flown to a Knoxville trauma center for medical treatment where police say he died. Officials are calling the incident a tragic accidental shooting, but are still investigating.
KINGSFORD, MI, 1/25/16: One man was taken to the hospital Monday night after he accidentally shot himself. Officers from Kingsford Public Safety were dispatched to a residence around 6:15 PM. The man, who has not been identified, told police that he shot himself with a 22 caliber rifle. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the left shoulder area. He was taken to the Dickinson County Memorial Hospital. The man’s condition is unknown at this time and the investigation is on-going.
BLOOMINGTON, IN, 1/25/16: 11:31 PM Monday, Bloomington police were called to the emergency department of IU Health Bloomington Hospital for a report of a man with a gunshot wound. A 22-year-old man suffered a wound to his left thigh. A 21-year-old man told police he had been showing his recently purchased 9mm Glock pistol to his best friend. While they were sitting on a couch, he said, the gun accidentally discharged and sent a bullet through his friend's thigh. He drove his friend to the emergency room from his residence in the 2600 block of South Addisyn Lane, Bloomington Police Department Capt. Steve Kellams said. The incident was an accident and no criminal charges will be pursued. The injured man was treated and released from the hospital.
MERIDIAN, MS, 1/25/16: A woman taken into custody for fatally shooting a teenage boy Monday has now been formally charged. Tyeisha Pritchett is charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence. Meridian police say she shot 17-year-old Elijawua Hodge. Police say she told officers it was an accident. "Normally, when you see accidental shooting, nobody's ever charged, but this is different because the actions - or the negligent actions - are what caused the death," Lt. John Griffith says. If Elijawua Hodge's name sounds familiar, it's because Hodge - known to many as "Ray Ray" was arrested and charged as an adult for a gang-related shooting that happened in September. "He was charged in October of last year for aggravated assault and street gang activity," Lt. Griffith says. Hodge was charged along with Jimmy Johnson, Kenzavion Woodard and the man accused of orchestrating the shooting, Montrell "G-money" Croft. Lt. Griffith says Hodge had bonded out and was awaiting his court date. Hodge's cousin told us on the day of the shooting that he was trying to do better. "He called me and said, 'cuz, I got a job.' And I'm like, 'I'm proud of you.' I told him, 'this is the next step to doing better in your life,'" Kendricuz Hodge says. Police are still early in the investigation of how exactly Hodge died. But police say the teenager's shooting arrest may play a bigger role in this case than was first apparent. "At this point, everything factors into it," Lt. Griffith says. "And we've got information that it may be possibly even connected to that arrest." But Lt. Griffith says at this time, they have nothing to show that Pritchett intended to harm Hodge. Investigators are welcoming any information that could help in the case.
BAYTOWN, TX, 1/25/16: Police say four men went to a home in Baytown to attack another man, and in the process, one suspect was accidentally shot and later died. Just before 10pm Monday, police were called to the intersection of Tumbleweed Lane and Coyote Lane after a couple of guys were spotted unsuccessfully trying to get an injured man into a gray Impala. Officers found David Andrew Pena, 22, and determined he had been shot in the torso. Pena was taken to Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital where he died. Detectives looking for witnesses discovered the front door of a home in the 4100 block of Tumbleweed had been forced open. They entered the home and found the body of Branyon Fehring, 23. Fehring had been shot multiple and was pronounced dead at the scene. A nearby officer spotted a speeding gray Impala and pulled over the driver. Behind the wheel, Renaldo Cardona, 20, had blood on his clothing. After questioning, detectives say Cardona, Pena, Tristan Fulkerson, 19; and Timothy Toulliet, 17, had gone to Fehring's home and killed him. They say that while the four were punching and shooting, Fehring, Fulkerson accidentally shot Pena in the torso. Police add the men unsuccessfully tried to get Pena into the Impala before leaving him at the crime scene. Fulkerson, Cardona and Toulliet have been charged with capital murder and denied bond. They were transported to the Harris County Jail.
BOZEMAN, MT, 1/25/16: A 30-year-old Bozeman man was arrested for misdemeanor negligent endangerment after a neighbor reported that someone in the apartment below her accidentally fired off a gun and hit her apartment floor.
BUNCOMBE CO., NC, 1/25/16: Buncombe County sheriff's detectives are searching for a suspect after what appears to be a random shooting on Monday. Someone fired a weapon into a metal sign that advertises a development on New Stock Road, and bullets then pierced the walls of two nearby homes. No one was injured, but it was a close call at one of the houses. Five bullets pierced the metal sign. One lined up directly with a house that was some 200 yards away. One of those stray shots pierced the exterior wall and made its way through layers of siding and drywall. That bullet then ricocheted off the wall just above the bed and landed on a pillow. "Probably some nutcase, that's all I can think of, at 1:00 o'clock in the morning, there's no one out there target shooting," neighbor Joe Mahonchak said. Another bullet hit a home, traveled through the roof and two walls before it came to a rest on a closet floor in a master bedroom. Margaret Pike and her husband Joe have lived at Pinebrook for three years. They say they never expected anything like this. "Someone could've been standing just at the wrong place, or the right place, whichever way you look at it, and they would've caught the bullet, so it's frightening," Pike said.
MANVILLE, NJ, 1/25/16: A Paterson man has been charged with possession of a sawed-off shotgun after he allegedly shot his friend Monday, according to an affidavit filed in Somerset County Superior Court. The victim allegedly initially told police he was shot by a masked man in an effort to protect Vincent "Vinny" Heredia, 24, who was later charged with third-degree possession of a sawed-off shotgun, third-degree unlawful possession of a shotgun, fourth-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and fourth-degree aggravated assault by pointing a firearm. According to the affidavit, on Monday at approximately 12:15 PM police received a 9-1-1 call reporting a man bleeding from a gunshot wound at an apartment on South Main Street in Manville. The victim initially told police that a masked man armed with a shotgun entered the apartment while he was sitting on his couch, shot him and fled. However, police spoke to his girlfriend, who reportedly said she when they spoke about 9:30 AM that morning he told her that Heredia was at the apartment. She said she also heard Heredia in the background, according to the affidavit. Later, a male friend of the victim told authorities that he had received a text from the victim at 12:09 PM that showed Heredia holding a sawed-off shotgun with a wooden stock in the apartment, according to the affidavit. Investigators spoke to the victim at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where he was being treated for a gunshot injury to his right knee and chest. During questioning, the victim allegedly admitted Heredia was holding the sawed-off shotgun when it accidentally went off. Heredia fled the apartment before police arrived, according to the affidavit. When questioned by police, he allegedly admitted to accidentally shooting the victim. On Wednesday, a Manville resident found a sawed-off shotgun with a wooden stock in an area behind the victim's residence, it was reported in the affidavit.
PORTLAND, ME, exact date unknown: A Portland man is charged with reckless conduct after investigators say he fired a bullet into his neighbor's condominium. Matthew Morris, 21, was arrested Tuesday morning at his home on Glenridge Road. Investigators believe that Morris negligently fired a round from his condominium either late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. The bullet went through a neighbor's living room wall and damaged several items inside. Police said an adult was sleeping in the living room at the time, but was not injured. Police said the incident is a good reminder to follow safe firearm handling guidelines, including assuming that a gun is always loaded.
MARTHA, OK, 1/26/16: A man from Norman is in the hospital after he was shot in the face while hunting near Altus. Dillon Mauk was hunting geese with three other men on a property just two miles north of Martha, Oklahoma, just north of Altus, Tuesday morning when the property owner returned home and saw several goose decoys in his wheat field from a distance. The owner began shooting his .22 into the field trying to scare them off, but ultimately hit Mauk, who was camouflaged in an irrigation ditch, in the face. Jackson County Sheriff Roger Levick says the hunters told him they thought they had permission to be there. "My understanding was a neighboring property owner told them it would be ok to hunt there, but the actual land owner had no knowledge,” Sheriff Levick said. Sheriff Levick says the landowner did not do anything wrong and was well within his rights trying to scare the geese away. He says Mauk was up and talking before being taken to OU Medical Center. He will need surgery to remove the bullet, but is expected to be fine. The property owner does not plan to press charges.
CORDOVA, NC, 1/26/16: A young woman was airlifted to a Chapel Hill hospital following an accidental shooting early Tuesday afternoon. Investigators with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office say a group of five people were target practicing at a range down Old Time Way — a private road off Old Cheraw Highway — when the 23-year-old was shot. The group was target practicing with an AK-47, investigators say. The victim had taken her turn firing and was handing the rifle to another person when the it accidentally discharged and a bullet struck her in the knee. Deputies rushed to the scene, along with an ambulance from FirstHealth EMS and crews from Cordova Fire and Rescue. Firemen placed orange cones in a nearby hay field to set up a landing zone for the helicopter. Around 2:30, the ambulance drove closer to the landing zone. The woman — whose name has not been released — could be heard screaming in pain from several hundred yards away. The helicopter landed less than 10 minutes later. The victim was then transferred from the ambulance and flown to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill as a precaution. Investigators say no charges will be filed. According to statistics with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, based in Atlanta, Georgia, there were 215,422 unintentional, non-fatal firearms injuries reported from 2001 to 2013. Nearly 8 percent of those — 16,422 — were in 2013. Statistics show that unintentional, non-fatal gunshot wounds are not even in the top 20 leading causes for non-fatal injury among any age group. However, unintentional injuries from a BB or pellet gun shot are the 20th-leading cause of injury for ages 10-14. In 2014, records show there were 586 unintentional firearm-related deaths in the United States.
NEW ORLEANS, LA, 1/26/16: Officers responding Tuesday night to the second shooting of a toddler in New Orleans in as many weeks were greeted by a man who claimed his gun went off after he threw it on the table of his house, according to police. But by the time investigators had finished talking to Lesean Rozumialski and his family, they had concluded the truth was very different. They believed Rozumialski, 23, a construction worker, had shot the 3-year-old boy while drunkenly handling a gun. Criminal District Court Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell set bail for Rozumialski — who has been booked on counts of aggravated battery, cruelty to a juvenile and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile — at $75,000 on Wednesday. Police said the incident began about 9 PM Tuesday. Rozumialski had been drinking inside a residence in the 300 block of Huntlee Drive in Algiers and was intoxicated, police said in a warrant. When the 3-year-old’s mother took away the alcohol, police said, an argument began. At that point, police said, Rozumialski left the living room and then came back. Somehow the gun went off, striking the 3-year-old once in the stomach. Family members took the boy to the Winn-Dixie store at 3008 Holiday Drive, where a Sheriff’s Office deputy called EMS. The child was then taken to a hospital. Assistant District Attorney Michael Henn said the toddler was Rozumialski’s child. Orleans Public Defenders staff attorney Dylan Duffey challenged the counts lodged against Rozumialski. Duffey said the warrant made no claim that his client intended to shoot the child — a necessary element of the most serious charge, second-degree battery. “The allegations merely establish, at most, a mistake,” Duffey said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Mr. Rozumialski is incredibly saddened and grieving.” Duffey asked for a “very modest” bail. Assistant District Attorney Michael Henn, however, pushed for a higher amount. “$75,000 is very reasonable, considering that he could have killed his own child,” Henn said. “There were two children present in the house when the incident occurred.” Cantrell sided with Henn, setting a significantly higher bail for Rozumialski than the $35,000 amount set by a magistrate commissioner last week for Deonca Kennedy. Kennedy, a 42-year-old security guard, was accused of negligent homicide after police said the gun she kept under the pillow on her bed in her New Orleans East home went off while she slept, killing her 3-year-old grandson. Kennedy, whose daughter — the child’s mother — said she wanted her mother to be free, has since bonded out of jail. Rozumialski remained in custody Friday.
ALISO VIEJO, CA, 1/26/16: An Orange County sheriff’s deputy lost his AR-15 assault rifle Tuesday after placing it on the trunk lid of his patrol car and driving off, a sheriff's official said Wednesday. The unnamed deputy was starting his shift around 7 PM Tuesday at the Southwest Operations Division's Aliso Viejo station and preparing his equipment for patrol, according to sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Hallock. The deputy had placed the rifle, inside its case, on the trunk lid of his patrol car when he became distracted and drove off to conduct his patrol shift in Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills. It wasn't until 3:15 AM Wednesday, nearly eight hours later, that the lawman realized his weapon was missing. A search for the missing rifle was launched immediately. "Numerous resources including reserve deputies, bloodhounds and investigative personnel immediately began a search of the area in and around the station as well as retracing the streets he drove on," the sheriff's department said in a prepared release. The search for the rifle continues, and the sheriff's department appealed to the public Wednesday for help in locating the weapon. The rifle is described as a black, semiautomatic, .223-caliber Colt AR-15. It was inside a black nylon rifle bag along with three loaded magazines. The rifle’s serial number is A0091856.
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL, 1/26/16: A man was injured Tuesday morning after accidentally firing a pistol while cleaning it at a St. Augustine pawn shop. St. Johns County Fire Rescue took Edward William Pomar III to Flagler Hospital after he shot himself in the ring finger of his left hand, according to an incident report from the St. Augustine Police Department. An officer responded to USA Pawn Shop on the 2500 block of Ponce de Leon Boulevard around 10:30 AM after a report of an accidental shooting, police said. The responding officer said he found Pomar, 62, sitting in the corner, alert and applying pressure to his left hand with a towel, according to the release. Pomar, who was later identified as the store’s manager, told the officer he had been cleaning a Beretta semi-automatic handgun that he thought was unloaded when the gun fired and injured his hand, police said. Pomar told the officer he felt embarrassed but otherwise OK. A witness who was in the shop when the gun went off confirmed Pomar’s version of events, according to the report. The officer found nothing suspicious about the incident, police said.
PINELLAS PARK, FL, 1/27/16: Pinellas Park police said three teens have been arrested in an armed burglary, and they are seeking a 19-year-old man. Police said three firearms were taken from a home in the 5500 block of 77th Avenue North on Wednesday. Investigators were able to identify the teens and Daniel Seth Amis as the suspects. The three underage suspects are 15-year-old and 17-year-old Pinellas Park boys and a 13-year-old Clearwater boy. TBO.com is not identifying them because of their ages. Detectives said their investigation was aided when the 17-year-old accidentally shot himself in the finger while handling one of the guns at his home Wednesday night. The other suspects were at the home when the accident happened, as was the boy’s father, but police said he was unaware of the guns. Thursday afternoon, detectives arrested the three juveniles and charged them with armed burglary to an unoccupied dwelling. Amis, whose last known address was 7441 54th St. N., remains at large and is believed to have the stolen weapons, police said.
MERIDEN, CT, 1/27/16: A man was hospitalized Wednesday morning after police say he accidentally shot himself in the basement of his View Street home. Around 7:10 AM Wednesday, police were dispatched to 141 View St. for reports of an accidental discharge, police said. Upon further investigation, it was determined a man accidentally shot himself in the basement of the home. The man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police, who are investigating the incident.
WALDORF, MD, 1/27/16: A two-year-old boy shot himself in the leg while his father was sleeping, the Charles County Sheriff's Office said. The father woke up once he heard the gunshot and contacted emergency personnel, the sheriff's office said. According to authorities, the boy was conscious and alert when he was taken to a local hospital.
PORT SULPHUR, LA, 1/27/16: An Orleans Parish sheriff's deputy was shot in the hand during a training exercise Wednesday (Jan. 27) after a gun malfunctioned, according to the sheriff's office. Deputy Gene Law received the non-life-threatening injury just before 2 PM during the exercise at the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office gun range, a release says. "We are relieved that Deputy Law wasn't seriously injured," Sheriff Marlin Gusman said in a statement. "There are always inherent risks when working as a law enforcement officer, and even during training, the importance of being safe around firearms can't be underestimated." The sheriff's office is investigating the shooting, which the department described as an accident.
LAWRENCE, KS, 1/27/16: It is better to be safe than sorry, and that strategy is probably doubly important when you have a gun in your hand. It seems that advice is worth passing along as accidental shootings have sent two Lawrence men to the hospital in the past week. Early Wednesday morning officers met a 21-year-old man with a bullet wound in his hand at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, said Lawrence Police Sgt. Trent McKinley. The man told police he was in the middle of disassembling a newly purchased .40-caliber handgun — at 12:55 AM — when the gun discharged, shooting him in his left hand, McKinley said. The man was driven to the hospital by a friend. While investigating the shooting officers found the handgun and discharged round at the western Lawrence residence where the incident occurred, McKinley said. Police do not believe the shooting involved any criminal activity. A condition report on the victim was not immediately available Wednesday morning. Because police are viewing the incident as a medical emergency rather than a crime, McKinley could not say whether drugs or alcohol were a contributing factor. Another man was sent to the hospital Saturday night for what is most likely an accidental shooting, police said.
POCATELLO, ID, 1/27/16: An accidental shooting on Wednesday was the result of a woman's response to a home burglary, according to her husband Randy Schiffman. Emergency medical personnel responded to the Schiffman home at about 1:15 AM Wednesday after Megan Schiffman received a minor gunshot wound to her leg. Randy said his wife was wounded while investigating noises coming from downstairs in the family home. She was upstairs where her two girls slept while her son was downstairs sleeping in his bedroom. The children are ages 8 months to 5 years. “She heard some noises and thought there were people in the house,” Randy said. Randy said he was at work, and his family was home alone. Megan picked up a 9mm Smith & Wesson semi-automatic that belongs to her husband and went downstairs to investigate. “She slipped on the stairs and the gun discharged,” Randy said. The husband said the gunshot apparently caused the people who entered the house to flee. Randy said the couple's children slept through the entire episode. After the shooting, Randy said his wife called him and then was treated at the scene by paramedics from the Pocatello Fire Department. He described her injury as “minor” and said his wife is doing fine. The Pocatello Police Department is still investigating the potential burglary. The Schiffmans have lived at the current address in Pocatello for four years and have never experienced any criminal activity at their home, according to Randy.
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO, 1/27/16: Police are investigating after a man accidentally shot himself while showing off a handgun at a car dealership in Cape Girardeau. According to Sgt. Adam Glueck at the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the shooting happened around 5 PM on Wednesday at Coad Chevrolet. The man was taken to a local hospital with an injury to his hand. No word yet on the extent of the injuries the man suffered. Police are not releasing his name at this time. Glueck said the department submitted findings from their investigation to the county prosecutor.
MAYFIELD, KY, 1/27/16: The Graves County Sheriff's Office is investigating the Paducah Police Department for shots fired. This, after they received a report of two .380 caliber bullets that hit someone's home. Graves County sheriff's deputies responded Wednesday to a home on West Vaughn Road. Not far from that home, they found three Paducah police officers target practicing in a gravel pit with high powered rifles. The sheriff's office says it's a shooting that needs investigating no matter who fired the shots. Men who work in construction live and die by their tools, but Paul Hayden never thought one of his tools would save his life. "When I found the hole in the ladder is when I realized how much danger I was in," Hayden says. Hayden says what sounded like explosions took him by surprise, but the damage from the bullets could have claimed much m