Cop: My FN America pistol discharged by itself! FN America: Want a free gun, Jeb? GunFAIL CLXXIX
By David Waldman
Thursday Apr 07, 2016 · 5:07 PM EDT
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The week of January 31 featured all the familiar GunFAIL categories, and all the familiar numbers. Twenty-three people accidentally shot themselves, ten kids were accidentally shot, seven people accidentally shot family members or significant others, five law enforcement officers (and one security guard) were involved in gun mishaps, five people accidentally shot themselves while out shopping or dining (if drinking at the Bristol, CT Polish American Club counds as “dining”), and four people accidentally discharged their guns while cleaning them.
In other words, a pretty normal week.
By the way, speaking of those who accidentally shot themselves while out on the town, I feel compelled to point out that the February 3 accidental shooting at the Bass Pro Shops in Clarksville, Indiana, is not the first time in the history of our GunFAIL feature that someone has accidentally shot themselves at that very store. It happened earlier, back on December 28, 2014. Maybe be extra careful when you shop there?
Another situation in which you’re going to want to be extra careful: After being hired as an armed security guard for a church. Not that that stopped the guard in Colorado Springs from accidentally firing a round into an empty chair. Why a working guard who was on the job at the time would be racking the slide of a pistol he thought to be empty, I have no idea. But thankfully, no one was hurt. Not so lucky, however, was the Fort Wainwright, Alaska, soldier who shot himself to death trying to “prove” his weapon was empty. Two more stories similarly illustrate how GunFAIL can happen to anyone. A competitive shooter accidentally shot himself in the hand while packing up his guns after a weekend trip. And a Baltimore County, Maryland, police officer’s service pistol discharged inside the station house, allegedly while still holstered. The officer insists it discharged on its own, and the county sent the weapon (manufactured by FN America, the outfit that recently presented Jeb Bush with an engraved .45 caliber pistol) out for laboratory testing. Watch out, Jeb!
The full GunFAIL list for the week beginning January 31, 2016, follows below the fold.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 1/31/16: An armed security guard for a church was working a service in the Clarion Hotel, located in the 300 block of West Bijou Street, when his gun discharged. According to police, Edward Ziegs believed the firearm was empty when he racked the slide and used the trigger to de-cock the firearm, which did have a separate de-cocking lever. The gun discharged into a chair and lodged in the floor causing no injuries. Ziegs was arrested and given a summons for unlawful discharge of a weapon.
SOUTH HERO, VT, 1/31/16: Vermont State Police are investigating an accidental shooting Sunday in the town of South Hero where a man apparently shot himself with his own gun while in the men's room of a local pub. The man, identified as Zeberiah Snow, 31, of South Hero, suffered a gunshot injury to a hip at around 7:30 PM at McKee's Pub on Route 2. He was taken by ambulance to the University of Vermont Medical Center for treatment, according to state police. The injuries are not considered life threatening, police said. Police determined that Snow had gone to the men's room and his .45 caliber handgun somehow accidentally discharged, and he was struck. He was charged with negligent discharge of a firearm, police said. South Hero is north of Burlington, Vermont and east of Plattsburgh, New York. State police said the incident remains under investigation.
PORT ANGELES, WA, 1/31/16: Port Angeles police continue to investigate a shooting early yesterday morning. Officers were called to the 1400 block of South Oak Street about 4:40 yesterday morning to reports of a shooting. There they found 23-year-old Jacob Parker with a gunshot wound to the chest. Parker initially claimed he had been the victim of an attempted robbery. But police say a witness and evidence suggests it was an accidental shooting. Parker was taken to Olympic Medical Center and later transported to Harvorview. His condition is unknown at this time.
LEHIGH ACRES, FL, 1/31/16: A man who accidentally shot himself in the kneecap was one of four shooting reports handled by the Lee County Sheriff's Office over the weekend. On Sunday the Lee County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a shooting at a home in Lehigh Acres shortly after 1:30 PM. The report said that a 25-year-old man, boyfriend of the homeowner, had suffered a gunshot wound to his knee after his 9mm pistol accidentally discharged while he was sitting in his car in the front yard of a home on 4th Street West. A round from the man's black Diamondback model DB9 went through his leg at the knee-cap, the report said. A spent 9mm round was found on the floor the victim's 2005 Chrysler 300.
PANORA, IA, 1/31/16: A man was wounded by a shot from his own rifle in a Guthrie County shooting range accident on Sunday afternoon. Thirty-three-year-old Jeremy Cooper of Bagley propped his .17-caliber rifle on some sandbags on the shooting bench at Bays Branch shooting range north of Panora when he went down range to fix his target. As he was replacing his target, the rifle fell off the sandbags and fired. The bullet went through Cooper's left arm and struck his upper torso. He was taken to a Des Moines hospital for treatment.
FAIRBANKS, AK, 1/31/16: A soldier accidentally shot and killed himself at Fort Wainwright early Sunday, according to a press release from the U.S. Army public affairs. Sgt. Nathan Michael Higginbotham, 25, of New York, was handling a privately owned firearm when it accidentally discharged and killed him. No one else was injured when the firearm discharged, officials say. Higginbotham died at a location on Geraghty Avenue at about 2:55 AM, according to Fairbanks police spokesman Doug Welborn. "The cause of death appears to be a single gunshot wound to the head however Sgt. Higginbotham’s body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy," Welborn wrote in an email to Channel 2 News. At least two witnesses were at the scene when Higginbotham accidentally shot himself, officials say. No foul play is suspected. Higginbotham entered active duty in May 2010 and was stationed in Alaska in 2013. He was part of the 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Fort Wainwright. MORE: Fairbanks police say an Army sergeant died when he unknowingly fired a loaded gun to his head when trying to show a friend the weapon wasn't loaded. Police in a Tuesday statement say 25-year-old Sgt. Nathan Michael Higginbotham died early Sunday. Police say Higginbotham had consumed alcohol and was a friend's home in Fairbanks. He was in the process of confirming his .40 caliber Springfield XD was unloaded. Police initially said the gun was a 9 mm pistol. Police say Higginbotham ran the slide on the firearm, ejecting the loaded magazine. But they say he didn't clear the chamber of the live round, which had been loaded when he ran the slide. The native of Schenectady, New York, entered active duty in 2010. He deployed to Iraq in 2011, was assigned to the Fort Wainwright, near Fairbanks, in 2013.
LEESBURG, VA, 1/31/16: A Leesburg man was wounded Sunday when he accidentally shot himself. The man, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, was cleaning his firearm at a home in the 22700 block of Hillside Circle when it discharged. He was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The incident is under investigation. MORE: [Ed. note: There could certainly have been two Virginians who accidentally shot themselves while cleaning their guns on the 31st. But the address cited in the first report is in an area popular with players and convenient to the Washington club’s practice facility.] Free-agent NFL wide receiver Josh Morgan accidentally shot himself late last month and was later charged with a crime, TMZ Sports reported Wednesday. According to the report, police in Virginia responded Jan. 31 to a call that a man suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound around 9 PM ET. Morgan maintained that he was simply cleaning his gun when it accidentally went off. Morgan, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, has been charged with misdemeanor reckless use of a firearm. He is scheduled to appear in court in March. Morgan, 30, was selected by the 49ers in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft and went on to have stints with the Redskins and Bears. He was also signed by the Saints in May last offseason but was released in September at final roster cuts.
CHERRYVILLE, GA, 1/31/16: A man called police to report a marijuana sale turned violent Sunday night, alleging he was robbed by three men armed with handguns and a semi-automatic rifle. The three robbery suspects led police on a chase before officers caught up with two of them. At some point during the robbery or the chase, one of the suspects, a 16-year-old, shot himself in the leg, police say. Lavontae Cloud, 16, is recovering at CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia while 22-year-old Gandre Wash of Atlanta, Ga., was booked into Gaston County Jail on Monday morning. Police are still searching for a third suspect.Officers were called to the intersection of Daniel Drive and McKeuon Road outside Stanley around 10:50 PM Sunday. A man called 911 saying he tried to buy marijuana but was robbed instead. “I’m trying to buy some weed from some guy and he just robbed me,” the caller said. The caller tells the operator he was to meet a man on the side of the road for the purchase. Instead, he told police, three men robbed him of his car keys, a pistol, drugs and money. Police allege the men used handguns and a semi-automatic rifle to carry out robbery. When officers found the suspects’ vehicle, the driver fled, according to investigators. The ensuing chase ended in Cherryville when the men got out of the car and ran. Two of the men were arrested. Police are still looking for the third. In Cherryville, police say, they recovered several handguns, cash, marijuana and the victim’s stolen handgun. Cloud was taken to CaroMont Regional Medical Center for treatment for a gunshot to his lower leg. Investigators believe he accidentally shot himself during the robbery or chase. He is expected to recover. Police had not charged him in the crime Monday afternoon. Wash was charged with armed robbery and larceny of a firearm. He was jailed on a $100,000 bond. Gaston County Police continue to investigate, and additional charges are expected. Investigators say they are still deciding whether the victim will also be charged with attempting to buy marijuana.
KARNS, TN, 1/31/16: A family in Karns has a lot of questions after they say they returned home from a family outing last weekend to find bullet holes in their house. Billy Harris says the family left their Wayside Road home to have dinner at his parents’ house around 3 PM Sunday. They came home around 7:15 PM to find a bullet had passed through the northwest exterior wall, through an interior wall and the first layer of the interior bedroom door. The bullet also passed through a trampoline safety net. “If it was somebody target shooting, which I believe it probably was, I just want to make them aware of their surroundings,” said Harris. The Harris family says the bullet holes have them worried for their safety and things could have turned out much differently if they had been home. “Just knowing this happened, it has definitely shook me. I just praise God. He put us at my in-laws. We weren’t here. He kept us safe,” Jeannie Harris said. Knox County sheriff’s investigators told the family the bullet most likely came from over a nearby fence. That’s when it went through their trampoline and into their home. The Harrises said their neighborhood is usually peaceful and quiet, but there are times when they hear gunshots for target practice or hunting. “As a mom, it’s hard to tell your kids the real truth because I don’t want her to be scared. I don’t want her to go to bed with bad dreams that something is going to happen,” Harris said. Harris reached out to WATE 6 On Your Side concerned that detectives weren’t doing much. “That was my main concern that it’s going to take one of us to be injured or hurt? No, this family is not because I’m not waiting for next time and so when I reached out to you, they got all that changed,” Harris said. Detectives came by Tuesday to let the family know the bullet came from a .45 caliber gun. They’re also asking neighbors if anyone had been target practicing lately. “Thank God that we weren’t here. Thank God that we weren’t hurt,” Harris said. The family said the damage to their home could cost them hundreds of dollars. They checked with their insurance company and their deductible is higher than the cost of the damage. That means they’ll have to pay for it out of their own pocket. The sheriff’s office said if there are any new leads, they’ll be investigating them. They recommend if you find yourself in a similar situation to call law enforcement.
NEWBURG, WI, 1/31/16: Officials with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office say a 36-year-old Village of Newburg man accidentally shot a 35-year-old Town of Farmington man, while showing him a handgun that he was trying to sell. The incident happened inside an apartment building on Main St. in Newburg shortly after 1 AM on Sunday, January 31. Deputies and a detective investigated the scene. The investigation revealed the handgun had not been completely cleared of ammunition, and it had discharged a bullet into the arm of the victim. The round had not penetrated into any other apartments. The discharge appears to be accidental in nature. However, the Village of Newburg man was believed to be intoxicated at the time, and was taken into custody for intoxicated use of a firearm. The victim was transported to Froedtert Hospital for non-life threatening injuries, and was treated and released.
DAIRYLAND, WI, 1/31/16: A Minnetrista, Minn., man suffered an accidental gunshot wound to the hand while packing up his items at his cabin in Dairyland, Wis. He is a competitive shooter and experienced with firearms, but he hadn’t been the last one to use his .22-caliber rifle and it has a very light trigger, he told police. Knowing the bullet hadn’t gone through his hand, the man cleaned his wound and drove to his mother’s home in Woodbury to spend the night. The next day, at 2:27 PM Feb. 1, the man reported the incident to police after going to the Urgency Room for an X-ray, which showed no bone damage. Woodbury Public Safety shared information with the Dairyland Police Department.
MADISON, WI, 2/01/16: A 26-year-old Madison man was cited Monday night for accidentally firing his handgun while inspecting it, police said. The gun owner called police after firing the weapon around 11:45 PM in the 600 block of East Johnson Street, according to a release. He said he thought the bullet lodged in a wall, but a husband and wife who live in a neighboring apartment discovered a bullet on the floor of their bedroom Tuesday morning, officials said. The couple reported hearing a loud bang in the night, but did not know what had caused it, according to the release. They were in bed at the time of the incident. No injuries were reported.
KENNER, LA, 2/01/16: A 28-year-old man was shot in the leg Monday morning (Feb. 1) in the 600 block of Vintage Drive in Kenner. Police received a call about the incident around 8:40 AM from a nurse at Ochsner Medical Center, where the victim was being treated for his injury, said Lt. Brian McGregor, spokesman for the Kenner Police Department. Hospital staff is required to report to local police when they receive a patient with gunshot wounds. Investigators arrived at the hospital Monday morning to interview the victim about the incident. The man was alert, but refused to cooperate, McGregor said. Investigators observed the man's wound appeared to be in a downward trajectory, suggesting he may have shot himself in the leg, he said.
HOUSTON, TX, 2/01/16: A man is in serious condition after he shot himself in the face in what is believed to be an accidental shooting. According to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, deputies responded to a call of a shooting at 9:20 PM Monday at the Woodglen Village Apartments, located in the 11100 block of West Montgomery Road in northwest Houston. When deputy constables arrived at the scene, they found a man shot once on the mouth/face area. Deputies said it all started when four men in a car pulled into the apartment complex. They parked the vehicle and three of the four got out to walk to an apartment. As they were walking away, they heard a gunshot, turned and ran back to the car. They then found the victim by himself shot. Investigators believe he was looking at the gun, whomever it belonged to, and it went off as he was handing it. They did not say it looked like he did it on purpose. Investigators stated it was still under investigation, and they were verifying what happened. After the three men found him in the car, they jumped in to take him to the hospital. As they turned onto W. Mount Houston, they saw a deputy coming down the road, so they went the wrong direction at the deputy to get his attention. The shooting victim was transported to Ben Taub Hospital in serious condition.
ONEIDA, NY, 2/01/16: Oneida City police responded to a report of shots fired at a Walmart Monday night. Authorities say 23-year-old Guthrie Hood of Canastota was in the toy aisle around 7:15 PM when he allegedly accidentally shot himself in the foot with a handgun that he was carrying in his pocket. Hood was taken to a local hospital to be treated, but is also facing charges of reckless endangerment in the second-degree and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Police say Hood is alleged to have a permit for the weapon, but is not allowed to keep it concealed.
GAFFNEY, SC, 2/01/16: A man was taken to the hospital late Feb. 1 after accidentally shooting himself in the leg. According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred at approximately 9:15 PM in the 1600 block of Corinth Road. Deputies, paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene.
WINSTON-SALEM, NC, 2/01/16: Two Winston-Salem schools were alerted Monday of a breaking and entering in progress after a shot was fired by a nearby neighbor. The break-in occurred at 2317 Redbud Lane, a mile from both Speas Elementary School and Mount Tabor High School, a news release from the Winston-Salem Police Department. Neighbors witnessed two people breaking into the vacant house and called the police, officers said. Police said the schools were notified after officers received reports of a shot being fired. One of the witnesses, waiting for police to arrive, shot his personal gun into the ground at the vacant property, the news release stated. Police determined the shot was accidental and said they won't be pressing charges. Officers located one of the break-in suspects, but have not released any identifying information about him or her.
RAEFORD, NC, 2/02/16: A Raeford man was arrested Tuesday after a gun he was handling discharged, hitting another man in the hand, the Hoke County Sheriff's Office said. Jeremiah Adam Baker, 40, of the 100 block of Lasso Lane, was charged with possession of firearm by a felon, a Sheriff's Office release said. The incident, reported at 11:51 AM, happened at a mobile home on the 500 block of Rockfish Road, according to the release. Deputies responding to a reported shooting and found that Baker was handling the weapon when it discharged, hitting the unidentified man's hand, shooting his thumb off, Sheriff Hubert Peterkin said. The man was taken to an unidentified hospital for treatment, Peterkin said. An investigation confirmed the shooting was accidental, the release said. However, Baker was charged with felon in possession of a firearm, the release said. Bail was set at $15,000. In March, Baker was sentenced in Hoke County to 36 months of supervised probation on two felony drug-related charges dating to 2011, according to N.C. Department of Public Safety records. He also had felony drug convictions dating to 2003, records show.
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC, 2/02/16: A resident of Church Street reported an accidental shooting in which a Taurus 357 Magnum revolver handgun was discharged resulting in an arm injury.
ST. LOUIS, MO, 2/02/16: A man, 29, is facing charged for allegedly accidentally shooting a 7-year-old boy while drunk. Jeffery Eckstein is charged with second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. The boy was injured after a gun accidentally discharged in a south St. Louis apartment Tuesday night, according to police. The 7-year-old was asleep on the couch in a second floor apartment on South Grand. Police say Eckstein suspect in the case lived downstairs. He had a gun. It went off and the bullet went through the floor of the upstairs apartment. The boy and his 9-year-old brother were sleeping on this couch when the shot rang out. The bullet came through the floor and the couch cushion and struck the boy in the hip. “I said that was a gunshot,” Brenda Shepard-Bennett said. “Couldn't believe it, but I knew what it was.” Shepard-Bennett lives in the apartment and says the boy who was shot is the younger brother of her daughter's boyfriend. She says the bullet shattered his hip. “He woke up howling, ‘Ah… Ah,’ and I said he been shot,” Shepard-Bennett said. “Y'all think he fell, he didn't' fall that was a gunshot.” Shepard-Bennett says the suspect in the case had only moved in downstairs last week. The building owner says he had told her that he was a vet who needed a place to stay. But there were some red flags and Nancy Kreis says a family member was already starting to check into the suspect's background. “I do know he misrepresented some things about his service in the army,” Kreis said. “He said he was a vet, a ranger and deployed four times, don't know if any of that's true, don't think it is.” “If he is under the influence, what is the difference between him operating a vehicle and operating a gun,” Kreis said. “You shouldn't even have a gun in your presence if you know you under the influence and you might make a mistake, there's people up there, could be me or my husband and it happened to be a little boy.” She says that the boy who was shot will have to have extensive surgery and could be in a wheelchair for up to two months. The boy was conscious and breathing when he was taken to a hospital. He was listed in stable condition Wednesday morning. Eckstein is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
PHILADELPHIA, PA, 2/02/16: The theft of a school police officer's gun prompted police on Tuesday to place the Kensington Urban Education Academy on lockdown. The officer kept the gun in his car - but forgot to lock the car, said Officer Christine O'Brien, a police spokeswoman. But the officer also wasn't sure if he locked his car overnight at his home, so investigators hadn't determined whether the theft occurred outside his home or outside the high school. Police searched the school, but the officer's gun was not recovered, O'Brien said. They lifted the lockdown at 12:40 PM.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 2/02/16: A man accidentally shot himself in the thigh during a confrontation with two other people in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood early Tuesday morning, police said. The shooting was reported around 2:15 AM in the area of O’Farrell and Taylor streets. The victim, described as being in his late teens or early 20s, pulled out a gun during the confrontation with the two males and shot at the ground, suffering a gunshot wound to his own right thigh as a result, according to police. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries, which are not considered life-threatening, police said. No information about the other two males in the confrontation was immediately available from police.
PIKESVILLE, MD, 2/02/16: A ballistics lab is examining a Baltimore County police officer's service weapon after he said the gun discharged at a police station while it was holstered. No one was injured in the Feb. 2 incident at the Pikesville precinct, police spokeswoman Elise Armacost said Wednesday. The gun, an FNS-40, was sent to HP White Laboratory, a ballistics testing lab in Harford County. The department contracted with the lab to examine the weapon and help review what happened. Armacost said the incident was "an accidental discharge." The officer, a seven-year veteran, said he had entered the precinct just after noon when the gun fired "without his having touched it," Armacost said in an e-mail to The Baltimore Sun. "The events described by the officer are highly unusual," Armacost said. "The department has had accidental discharges in the past involving various types of firearms, but those have all involved user error or some external factor." No one else saw the discharge but other officers working in nearby rooms heard it, she said. FN America, the gun manufacturer, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. The county began using the guns in 2013. David Rose, second vice president for the Baltimore County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 4, said the union is aware of the incident and awaiting results of the lab review. "We're monitoring it and we're going to see what the expert third party says," he said.
KOKOMO, IN, 2/02/16: A 52-year-old Kokomo woman was hospitalized Tuesday morning after accidentally shooting herself in the leg. Deputies responded to the 1200 block of Arundel Drive after receiving a report of an individual shooting themselves, according to a press release. On arrival, officers found Katigan Whitlock suffering from a gunshot to the leg. Witnesses indicated Whitlock had stated she accidentally shot herself while unloading a handgun. Whitlock was transported to St. Vincent Hospital in Kokomo. Deputies said her condition is unknown at this time. Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances of the shooting.
CLARKSVILLE, IN, 2/03/16: A man attempting to unload his weapon outside a Bass Pro Shops in Clarksville, Ind., accidentally shot himself in the foot, police say. The man was told by employees he could not take his loaded gun into the store Wednesday afternoon, said Clarksville Police Det. Scott Merchant. "When he tried to empty the weapon, he apparently had his finger on the trigger and shot himself in the foot," Merchant said in an interview Wednesday. The large sporting goods and outdoors store is located at the site of the old River Falls Mall off Veterans Parkway. The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. "Handle your weapons safely," Merchant said. "Keep your finger off the trigger unless you're going to fire."
KINGSPORT, TN, 2/03/16: The discovery of drugs within a Kingsport home has led to a houseguest being shot in the chest, according to police, as the permanent resident inadvertently fired a round while kicking him out. The incident occurred at approximately 8 PM Wednesday at 1326 Frank St. A Kingsport Police Department incident report states multiple officers and EMS responded to the scene, with the 33-year-old victim transported to Holston Valley Medical Center. As of Thursday morning, he remained hospitalized in stable condition. Clifford Parker, 54, told investigators that he had been letting the man stay at his residence. Also present for the shooting was the victim's mother, who is identified as Parker's girlfriend. According to KPD Public Information Officer Tom Patton, Parker discovered a small amount of drugs and drug paraphernalia. After tracing it back to his girlfriend's son, Parker reportedly demanded the man pack his belongings and leave. During the ensuing altercation, Parker retrieved a handgun and was allegedly pointing it at the other man in an attempt to expedite his departure. One round was fired, according to police, with investigators believing the shooting was unintentional. Immediately following the incident, both Parker and his girlfriend were transported to the police department for further questioning. Parker was ultimately charged with reckless aggravated assault and booked into the city jail, then later released on $5,000 bond. A police investigation into the drugs discovered in Parker's home is continuing with charges pending. Patton says a "significant" amount of cash was also seized from the residence, with it suspected to be the proceeds from drug transactions.
CHICO, CA, 2/03/16: Chico police are investigating the accidental discharge of a firearm by an officer. It happened around 4:00 PM Wednesday afternoon as police were responding to a hold-up alarm at the Bank of America branch on Broadway in Downtown Chico. After they searched the bank and deemed it a false alarm, one of the officers accidentally discharged his weapon. Police officials say the officer was outside the building and that the bullet hit cement. No one was injured. The officer's name has not been released.
CLYO, GA, 2/03/16: A resident of Clyo Shawnee Road in the Clyo area said he was cleaning his .22-caliber rifle when he accidently shot himself in the arm.
MEMPHIS, TN, 2/04/16: The man police said accidentally shot a teenage mother holding an infant now faces criminal charges. Police said the 16-year-old was holding her one month-old in her arms when she was shot in the stomach. She remains hospitalized at Regional Medical Center. Police charged 20-year-old Jeffrey Gray with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a firearm. According to the affidavit, Gray admitted he was "fumbling around with the gun" before it fell on the floor and "fired one shot, hitting the victim." Neighbors said people should be more careful with guns. "It shouldn't be in there," neighbor Antonishia Maxwell said.
MOFFAT, TX, 2/04/16: Police are reporting a 9-year-old girl was injured Thursday night when a firearm that belongs to her father discharged. Only few details had been released Friday morning, but it was known that at about 9:30 PM a man was showing his daughter a firearm when the weapon discharged and the bullet struck the little girl, police said. The child was taken from the scene on Kuykendahl Mountain Road to a Temple hospital, but her condition was not known Friday morning. One officer said police believe the shooting was accidental but officers still are investigating.
ABILENE, TX, 2/04/16: A 15-year-old boy who was being chased by a deputy after a convenience store robbery in Abilene shot himself in the leg Thursday, according to a news release from the Abilene Police Department. The boy, who was not identified, is facing charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. Police said they were called to Casey’s General Store, 201 S. Buckeye, at 11:53 PM Thursday. A male brandishing a handgun had entered the store and allegedly took cigarettes and an unknown amount of cash. A short time later, a Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office deputy located the suspect walking in the area of northwest Second and Cedar streets. The suspect suffered a self-inflicted gunshot to his leg while being chased by the deputy. The suspect was taken to Salina Regional Health Center, where he was treated and released back to the Abilene Police Department.
BRISTOL, CT, 2/04/16: A Middlefield man has been charged with drunkenly shooting himself at the Bristol Polish American Club. Derrick Schultz, 35, was allegedly drinking at the club’s bar on Feb. 4 around 3:50 PM, when he accidentally fired off the handgun he had on him, injuring his scrotum, according to the arrest warrant. According to police, there were other people inside the club when the gun went off, but they did not report any injuries. Schultz was arrested over the weekend on charges of unlawful discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment, illegally carrying a firearm under the influence, second-degree breach of peace and third-degree criminal mischief. Police responded to the Polish American Club, 541 North Main St., on Feb. 4 on the report of a shot fired, but Schultz had already left, police said. Officers used his cell phone number from his club membership application to call Schultz and find that he was at his friend’s house on Farmington Avenue. Police went to the home, where Schultz came out with portions of his pants blood-soaked. Officers seized a Ruger handgun from him, and he was brought to Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford. The injury was not life-threatening. A search warrant for Schultz’s medical records would later indicate that his blood alcohol content was 0.12, according to police.Schultz, who is free on a $2,500 non-surety bond, is scheduled to be arraigned in Bristol Superior Court on Monday.
LEBANON, IN, 2/05/16: An unidentified Boone County Sheriff’s deputy accidentally fired a handgun in the Boone County Courthouse about 11:30 AM Friday. No one was hurt, Sheriff Mike Nielsen said in a news release. The deputy, who is assigned to the courthouse security detail, was showing another county employee the off-duty handgun he was carrying, when it fired, Nielsen said. The incident occurred in an empty office that formerly housed the Boone County Prosecutor’s Division of Child Support. The round struck the corner of a wall and ceiling, but did not penetrate the wall, Nielsen said. Neither the caliber nor type of handgun was mentioned in the news release. Boone County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Sgt. Chris Burcham declined to identify the deputy, the person to whom he was showing the weapon or any information about the handgun itself, citing an internal investigation. “An accidental discharge at any time is thoroughly investigated,” Nielsen said. “It could happen to anyone, and in this case it was a veteran deputy.” The sheriff’s office is investigating the incident, Nielsen said.
ADDIS, LA, 2/05/16: Two communities in south Louisiana are mourning the loss of a teacher who died after getting shot Friday. Louisiana State Police reported Emiley Thibodeaux, 23, of Addis, was shot when her husband, Ivy Thibodeaux, 29, an Addis police officer, was cleaning his gun and accidentally fired. Thibodeaux had just started her career as a third grade teacher at the Holy Family School in Port Allen. Funeral services will be held at St. John the Baptist Church in Brusly on Saturday. A growing memorial in Thibodeaux’s honor has been set up outside of Holy Family School on Jefferson Avenue. Troopers said the shooting happened in the 3600 block of East Nic Drive in Addis just before 3:45 PM. They added Emiley Thibodeaux was rushed to the hospital where she later died. No charges have been filed and an investigation is ongoing.
MALAKOFF, TX, 2/05/16: Firearm possession is a hotly-debated topic, but the Henderson County Sheriff's Office investigated an incident on Friday night, that proves one thing true, no matter which side of the issue your on. They should be handled with care. A Malakoff area woman received a non-life threatening injury when she was accidentally shot in the leg, Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt said. The person who fired the shot was her 23-year-old son. The names of the people involved were not released, and the information is being forwarded to the Henderson County District Attorney's Office for possible prosecution. Nutt said the shooting was the result of an unusual chain of events. A man, living in a residence on County Road 1220 apparently had grown annoyed at recent vandalism in the area, including his mailbox. At about 10:30 PM on Friday, the resident heard a noise outside, and went to check it out. Outside, he saw a car drive away, then later return from the opposite direction. When the vehicle returned, the angry resident fired a shot in the air, Nutt said, and shouted at the people in the vehicle that he didn't want them messing with his mailbox. About that time, his son, reacting to the commotion, fired a shot, apparently in belief that the first round had come from someone in the vehicle. The son's bullet struck his mother. “He could have hurt someone in the car,” Nutt said. “Or, if it had been any higher, the gunshot could have seriously injured his mother.” Nutt said he doesn't know if the DA's office will prosecute the case. Even though the 23-year-old wounded his mother by accident, there are some possible charges that could be filed. Deadly conduct occurs when a person discharges a firearm in the direction of a “habitation, building, or vehicle, and is reckless as to whether the habitation, building or vehicle is occupied.”
BRISTOL, CT, 2/05/16: A local man who said he shot himself accidentally faces three charges. Keith Reome, 48, of 16 Rossi Drive, appeared in Bristol Superior Court on Monday on charges of unlawful discharge of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm and first-degree reckless endangerment. Police said Reome is a convicted felon and is barred from having any guns. According to the arrest warrant, an o