What's the matter with Kansas? Well, this time, it's GunFAIL CCXXX
By David Waldman
Wednesday Feb 08, 2017 · 11:25 PM EST
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Hello. We’re back again. But six of our fellow Americans aren’t. They were killed during the week of January 22, by gunshots nobody intended to fire.
In other GunFAIL statistics news for the week, 16 people accidentally shot themselves, seven people accidentally fired guns they were cleaning , five minors were accidentally shot, four law enforcement officers accidentally discharged their weapons, three people left their loaded weapons behind in bathrooms or elsewhere in public, three people accidentally fired into their neighbors’ property, and two were accidentally shot while hunting. We also saw four GunFAIL incidents that wounded more than one victim. Special congratulations to Athens, Georgia, and Oak Creek, Wisconsin (pop. 35,008), which each made the GunFAIL list twice this week.
Among our many stories this week, both strange and routine, we found the real Bowling Green Massacre, in which someone was actually killed. It didn’t involve terrorists, but it did involve weapons procurement. Specifically, the gun that Victor Rangel Orozco was trying to sell to his friend James Garcia in a car in the parking lot of the Puerto Vallarta Mexican restaurant on Scottsville Road. Garcia, thinking the gun was empty (as it should have been when one responsibly passes a weapon to another person for inspection), pulled the trigger (as he should not have done without first verifying that the weapon was safe, even if he’d just seen Orozco do that, which he didn’t). Orozco died and Garcia was arrested on manslaughter charges. But you’ll never hear about that in the biased media (other than right now, and when local papers reported it).
We also saw the year’s second legislative GunFAIL incident, in which Kansas state representative Willie Dove (R-Bonner Springs) left his loaded pistol behind in a committee hearing room. Kansas legislators were scheduled to begin hearings on a bill relating to concealed carry on state college campuses later that week, which might have made things a little uncomfortable in Topeka. But surely no more so than the news of the Kansas State student who jumped the gun (no pun intended) and accidentally shot himself in his dorm room with the gun he wasn’t supposed to be allowed to carry on campus until July.
Finally, in case any of you were wondering why we never seem to hear about celebratory gunfire and GunFAIL on the Chinese New Year, your ship has come in. A group of friends celebrating the Lunar New Year in Portland, Oregon, decided that the final hour of the Year of the Monkey might be an appropriate time to examine the AR-15 one of them had handy. It seems that in reloading it, a shot was accidentally fired, and one of their number never did make it to the Year of the Rooster.
Below, you’ll find the full listing of GunFAIL incidents for the week of January 22-28.
ELGIN, SC, 1/22/17: Richland School District Two officials confirmed Monday that a teen accidentally shot and killed over the weekend attended one of the district's schools. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts identified the victim as Jalin Palmer, 17, of Columbia. Palmer, Richland Two officials said, was a student at Ridge View High School. Dr. Brenda Mack, the principal at Ridge View, released a statement saying counselors have been dispatched to campus to help students with the grieving process. "On behalf of all of the students, teachers, and staff at Ridge View, I extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathy to Jalin’s family. He will be missed by his friends and teachers and will always be part of the Blazer Family," Mack said. Deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said Nicholas Butler, 20, faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Deputies responded to a home on the 200 block of Cherrywood Drive just after midnight Sunday morning and found Palmer with a single gunshot wound to his upper body. Deputies initially took two people into custody who were in the home at the time of the shooting, however, only Butler has been charged at this time. Investigators believe the shooting was accidental.
MANHATTAN, KS, 1/22/17: The Kansas State student who suffered an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound on Jan. 22 was a 19-year-old male who lived in Goodnow Hall, according to a K-State update this morning. K-State Police were called at 8:10 PM on Jan. 22 to the student’s room and determined the injury was related to a firearm discharge. The police are currently investigating criminal charges. According to the University Weapons Policy, the possession of firearms are prohibited both on campus and in any K-State residence halls. The student, whose name has not been released, was transported to an area hospital for his self-inflicted injuries and his last known condition was stable. No further information will be released by K-State officials, according to their update, because of the ongoing police investigation. K-State’s concealed carry policy, which was changed by the university due to Kansas law and was approved by the Regents in December, will go into effect on July 1, 2017. The policy states that no university location will be designated as “prohibiting concealed carry with permanent adequate security measures.” In October 2016, a student stabbed his roommate in Marlatt Hall. In July 2016, police investigated a possible student suicide at Jardine Apartments. In April 2016, a student veteran committed suicide on campus.
CHICAGO, IL, 1/22/17: About 10:45 PM Sunday on the West Side, an 18-year-old man accidentally shot himself in West Humboldt Park returning gunfire in a shootout, police said. He told investigators he was standing in the 4200 block of West Iowa Street when someone walked up and fired shots at him. He started shooting back and accidentally shot himself in the middle finger of his left hand. He got himself to Norwegian American Hospital, and his condition was stabilized. No weapon was recovered, sources said.
YORKVILLE, IL, 1/22/17: Yorkville Police have ticketed a Yorkville man for accidentally discharging a firearm inside his home. Yorkville Police say Stefan Morgan of Beresford Dr. in Yorkville was cited with an ordinance violation for Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm within City Limits. Police responded to Beresford Dr. around 11:30 PM on Sunday night. Morgan was allegedly cleaning his rifle when the gun discharged and a bullet traveled through the wall and ended up lodged in the stairwell of the neighboring unit. No injuries were reported in the accidental shooting.
BOWLING GREEN, KY, 1/22/17: A man was arrested Sunday after a shooting in a restaurant's parking lot. The Bowling Green Police Department was called to Greenview Hospital at 8:34 PM, where 22-year-old Victor Rangel Orozco died from a gunshot wound to his torso. Witnesses said the shooting took place in the parking lot of the Puerto Vallarta on Scottsville Road. James Garcia, 21, told police an unknown person had shot his friend, but later changed his story and admitted he was sitting in a vehicle behind Orozco looking at a handgun he was trying to buy from him. Garcia believed the gun was empty and pulled the trigger, firing in the back seat Orozco was sitting in. Garcia led police to a trash can on Woodhurst Drive where he had thrown the gun away. The gun's serial number had been removed. Garcia was arrested and charged with manslaughter 2nd degree, tampering with physical evidence and possession of a defaced firearm.
COLLEGE STATION, TX, 1/22/17: A man is hospitalized after being accidentally shot in a southeast Brazos County neighborhood. The call came in around 3 PM Sunday at a home on Early Amber Ct. According to dispatchers he was transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Brazos County Sheriff's officials say he underwent surgery Sunday afternoon. Investigators believe he accidentally shot himself while getting into a car.
LONGVIEW, WA, 1/23/17: Two local men were injured in an accidental shooting late Monday evening, according to the Longview Police Department. Just before 10:30 PM, police responded to a call in the 2300 block of Ocean Beach Highway. One man, identified as 28-year-old Zacharias Smart of Kelso, was cleaning a gun when it discharged and injured his hand. The bullet exited his hand and stuck the leg of his friend, 29-year-old Kelin Ray of Longview, according to Chris Blanchard, a public information officer with the Longview Police Department. Both men were taken to St. John Medical Center, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Blanchard. Smart was treated and released; Ray was in satisfactory condition Tuesday evening, according to PeaceHealth officials. It is unknown what type of gun was involved.
MESA, AZ, 1/23/17: A Mesa 15-year-old remains in extremely critical condition after he was accidentally shot in the chest by a friend. Mesa police report that on January 23, they went to an apartment near Stapley Drive and Main Street in reference to a teenager who has reportedly been shot. The victim’s brother told police that he witnessed the shooting, and saw 20-year-old Ulises Sanchez holding a gun when it went off, striking the victim in the chest. He reportedly told police that appeared to him that the shooting was accidental. Police located Sanchez about two miles away at his family's home near Southern Avenue and Mesa Drive where he went to shower and change clothes, after allegedly hiding the gun in some bushes. Sanchez reportedly told police that he and the victim were drinking alcohol when he accidentally shot the victim while manipulating the gun, according to the police report. He showed police where he hid the gun. Sanchez is being held on a $75,000 bond for underage drinking, unlawful discharge of a firearm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
HOOVER, AL, 1/23/17: A Bluff Park man who said he left a loaded handgun in a park bathroom near a Hoover school has apologized on Facebook. “No one feels worse than me about this, and I make no excuses,” Jason Rose wrote in a lengthy post on the Hoover Vote Facebook page. “We all make mistakes, and this one was just a really bad one. I can assure you after this experience, it was one I learned from, and will never make again.” The social media response came after Hoover police announced a 9mm Glock handgun had been found Monday afternoon by children in a Blue Ridge Park bathroom, then tossed into the woods. The park is adjacent to Shades Mountain Elementary School. Police said one of the children told his parents who notified police. Rose contacted police after he realized he had inadvertently left the gun in the restroom during a family visit to the park. “Although this situation could have been tragic, investigators determined there was no criminal intent by the owner,” Hoover Capt. Gregg Rector said in the news release. “This incident serves as a reminder that gun owners must act responsibly while exercising their right to carry a weapon. We would also encourage parents to discuss firearms safety with their children, even if there are no weapons in their home.” In the Facebook post, Rose stated he was “extremely grateful that nobody was hurt due to my mistake.” “Nobody wants to leave a pistol unattended, especially at a park. My kids play at that park, so I get it. It was a horrible mistake, that fortunately didn't have a even worse outcome,” Rose said in the post.
SHAMOKIN, PA, 1/23/17: A patrolman with the Shamokin Police Department is suspended without pay after accidentally discharging his firearm while responding to a burglary alarm in the city last week. Mayor William Milbrand confirmed Patrolman Scott Weaver was suspended. Police Chief Darwin Tobias III confirmed the five-day suspension, along with a one-year probationary period, but would not identify the officer. “There was absolutely no intent to fire the weapon,” Tobias said. “It’s a complete accident.” Weaver was suspended Friday and is eligible to return Wednesday. According Tobias, the patrolman responded to a burglary alarm about 8 AM Jan. 23 at Rob’s Good Time Grill at Market and Spruce streets. In making entry into a basement door, Tobias said the door flung back toward the officer and struck his gun hand causing the weapon to discharge into the ground. No one was in the restaurant’s basement at the time and no one was injured, Tobias said. Tobias said the officer immediately underwent firearm safety training at the scene. “(Weaver) can appeal it to city council if he wants to,” Milbrand said. “I support the chief’s decision.” Tobias said an appeal has not been filed. Shamokin Police has a roster of 10 full-time officers including Tobias.
LEESBURG, VA, 1/24/17: A man was seriously hurt after unintentionally discharging a firearm while hunting in Leesburg. Officers were called around 7 PM to 13400 block of Goodhart Lane in Leesburg Tuesday night. According to Loudoun County Sheriff's Office reports, the man, whose name was not released, was taken to Reston Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
TAMPA, FL, 1/24/17: A 4-year-old Tampa child accidentally shot himself in the chest Tuesday with a gun that detectives believe he found unsecured and loaded underneath a dresser, according to law enforcement. Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies, called at 8:39 AM to a shooting report in a home on the 12500 block of Tinsley Circle in Tampa, found the injured boy, who was transferred to St. Joseph's Hospital. His condition is unknown at this time. Detectives executed a search warrant at the premises and found a Taurus .380 handgun loaded with nine rounds of ammunition, the department said. They also discovered a bag containing white powder that later tested positive for cocaine, deputies said. An adult resident at the address, Akia A. Thomas, 26, was arrested for suspected possession by a convicted felon of a weapon and nine counts of possession of ammunition, unsafe storage of a firearm and possession of cocaine. The department did not disclose the relationship between Thomas and the injured boy.
WILMINGTON, DE, 1/24/17: A 21-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man were both shot in what police said was initially reported as an accidental shooting, Wilmington Police said Wednesday. According to authorities, officers were dispatched at 7 PM on January 24, 2017, to a residence in the 200 block of North Market Street for reports of a possible accidental shooting. When they arrived, they found the woman shot in the abdomen and the male shot in the left hand. Both were treated at the scene by New Castle County Paramedics and transported to Christiana Hospital.
CHICAGO, IL, 1/24/17: An 18-year-old man was shot in the leg Tuesday morning in the West Side Austin neighborhood. The shooting happened at 7:50 AM in the 1700 block of North McVicker, according to Chicago Police. The wound was possibly self-inflicted, police said. The man’s condition and which hospital he was taken to weren’t immediately known.
TOPEKA, KS, 1/24/17: A Kansas lawmaker left a loaded firearm in a committee room at the Capitol on Tuesday. Rep. Willie Dove, R-Bonner Springs, acknowledged in an interview Thursday that he removed a loaded .380 handgun from his ankle during a meeting of the House Education Committee two days earlier, placed it in his desk and left the room without retrieving it. “Was it loaded? Yes,” Dove told reporters. A secretary found the weapon and turned it over to Capitol police immediately, Dove said. About 10 minutes after the meeting, a Capitol worker approached him and asked if he had forgotten something. Dove realized that he had left his weapon and was informed by Capitol police that it had been placed in lock-up. He got it back the following morning. “That’s the end of it,” Dove said when asked whether Capitol police would take further action. A member of the Capitol police would not comment Thursday, referring all questions to Tom Day, the director of Legislative Administrative Services. “Capitol Police had a conversation with him. That’s it as far as I know,” Day said. “It means I’m going to get me a shoulder holster,” Dove said when asked if he would change his behavior going forward. He said he had removed the weapon from his ankle because the ankle had begun to swell. “I unclamped it from my right leg and pushed it back and when I got up I just forgot it,” Dove said. The Legislature began allowing concealed firearms in the Capitol in 2014. Dove said he regularly carries a concealed weapon and that this was the first time something like this has happened. Under the same law that opened the Capitol to firearms, Kansas universities will have to open their campuses to firearms in July. The disclosure that Dove left his weapon in a committee room occurred the same day as a hearing on a bill to indefinitely exempt colleges from that policy. Supporters of exempting colleges say that allowing firearms on campus will create an unsafe environment. “God, I’m glad I’m not on that panel,” Dove said. Kansas stopped requiring a license to conceal and carry in 2015. Dove said he obtained a license before that law went into effect. He said he had no comment on whether this had created an unsafe environment in the Capitol. “It was unfortunate. I usually carry it. My ankle was swelling and I unstrapped myself, which I hardly ever do, and that was it,” Dove said.
KALAMAZOO, MI, 1/25/17: A man was arrested Wednesday after a woman was accidentally shot in the leg. Police were called to the 300 block of Phelps Avenue Wednesday afternoon and found a female that had been shot in the leg. The woman told officers that she and a male acquaintance were playing around when the gun discharged. The gun was located at the home and found to have been reported stolen out of Grand Rapids. The man was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm.
HEATH, OH, 1/25/17: An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper is recovering after an accidental shooting on Wednesday night. The trooper was identified as Sergeant Wesley Stough. An OSHP spokesperson said the incident happened inside the Heath Police Department. Strough put the gun into his holster when it discharged. The gunshot hit him in the leg. He was rushed to a local hospital. OSHP told ABC 6/FOX 28 that the trooper's injuries were not life-threatening. "Sergeant Wesley Stought is recovering and is expected to make a full recovery," said OSHP Lieutenant Robert G. Sellers.
MCDONOUGH, GA, 1/25/17: Shortly after 10 PM, Ryan Keith Hollis, 21, was shot at the Crossings at McDonough apartments, according to a police report. Police have not said whether the shootings are connected. Witnesses told McDonough police officers that Hollis was showing his gun to other passengers in a car when it accidentally went off. Hollis suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
ATHENS, GA, 1/25/17: A sheriff’s deputy late Wednesday reportedly accidentally shot his gun into a neighboring home occupied at the time by two residents at an east side apartment complex, Athens-Clarke County police said. No one was injured by the gunshot, which resulted in a bullet passing through a bedroom wall and a TV before lodging in a wall separating the bedroom and living room, according to police. The 24-year-old deputy was an employee of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and lived at the Cedar Shoals Drive complex with his girlfriend, who was identified as a rookie Athens-Clarke County police officer who was attending the police training academy. The rookie cop told police she was outside walking her dog when she heard the gunshot, and upon returning home found her boyfriend “crouched on the floor, obviously upset,” according to a police incident report. When she asked what happened, the deputy said he had a “negligent discharge” of his duty weapon. The deputy explained the incident occurred as he was putting out his equipment in preparation for going to work in the morning. When placing the gun on a counter. The weapon discharged “either because of the jarring of the gun being put down or because of where he had his hand” on the gun, according to police. The deputy and Athens cop said they went to the neighboring apartment to see if anyone had been injured, but the deputy told police that no one came to the door when he knocked. The apartment’s two residents, who were sisters, told police they were afraid to answer the door because the deputy identified himself only as “a friendly neighbor.” After the deputy and his girlfriend left, the sisters went to a business near their apartment complex to meet with an Athens-Clarke County police officer to tell what happened. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office was notified about what had occurred, and the agency indicated someone would be sent to Athens to take custody of the deputy’s gun “for its own purposes,” according to police. The deputy has been disciplined for the gun incident, according to Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Scott Ware. When asked what the discipline involved, Ware responded, “You can file an Open Records (Act) request for further info if you like.”
GREENWOOD, IN, 1/26/17: A man accidentally shot himself in the hand while cleaning his gun at a Greenwood home early Thursday. Police were called to an apartment in the 900 block of Kings Mill Road in Polo Run Apartments just before 1 AM where a man had accidentally shot himself in the hand, according to the Greenwood police report. The man told officers he had accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun, the report said. The officer treated the man’s wound and then emergency workers took over treatment, the report said.
ISLE OF WIGHT CO., VA, 1/26/17: An Isle of Wight deputy accidentally fired his weapon following a police chase on Thursday. The Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office said Friday that the deputy was responding to a chase that had begun in Chesapeake, and crossed through multiple cities before ending in Isle of Wight. The sheriff’s office said the deputy “experienced an accidental discharge of his service weapon” as the suspect of the chase, Omar Kishaan Epps, was being taken in to custody. A bullet hit the front bumper of the car Epps was driving, the sheriff’s office said. The deputy has been placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident.
SUMTER CO., SC, 1/26/17: A teen charged in a deadly shooting in Sumter County while he was out on bond for a separate attempted murder case will remain in jail. A Sumter County magistrate did not set bond for Rhythm Sharmell Portee, 17, at his hearing. Portee is charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of 19-year-old Kyre Raquan Bethea Thursday night. Investigators say Bethea was shot in the chest as he and Portee played a game with a gun. Because of the nature of the charge, Portee will be held in the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center until he can appear before a circuit court judge, which the Sumter County Sheriff's Office says will be in March. At the time of the shooting, Portee had been out on bond for an attempted murder charge stemming from an incident in December. He is facing charges in adult court in both cases.
MEMPHIS, TN, 1/26/17: A man accidentally shot himself Thursday night at the UPS Customer Center in the 3600 block of Swinnea Road. Memphis police said the man shot himself in the hand while standing in the parking lot. The man left the scene before police arrived.
TWIN FALLS, ID, 1/26/17: A Twin Falls man has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter in the Thursday-afternoon shooting of a woman at the State Apartments on Second Avenue North. Brandon S. Smithson, 26, is charged in the death of roommate Katrina D. Budden, 20, of Twin Falls. Police officers were dispatched to 232 Second Ave. N. for a reported shooting and found Budden inside the apartment building with a gunshot wound to her head. Budden was taken to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center, where she died from her injuries. The Twin Falls County coroner scheduled an autopsy for Monday. Police say two neighbors were in Budden and Smithson’s apartment when the shooting happened. The group was sitting and talking when Smithson offered to show them his other roommate’s guns. The first was an AR-15 rifle; the second was a Remington shotgun. “…when Smithson came back into the living room, he racked the shotgun and suddenly shot Budden as she was sitting in the chair,” an officer wrote in court records. One of the neighbors told police Smithson dropped the shotgun on the floor and began screaming that it was an accident. Smithson told police he was holding the gun at his waist when he racked open the shotgun and checked to make sure the gun was empty, then closed the action and pulled the trigger. The gun went off, and a round struck Budden in the head. “Smithson said he dropped the shotgun on the floor, called 911 and tried administering first aid to Budden,” court records say. “Smithson said he had done the same sequence in the past, and after racking the gun, he would pull the trigger and hear the metal click.” He told police he was sure the gun was empty. The roommate who owns the shotgun told police he had recently been out shooting and left the gun loaded with shells in the tube, but no shell in the chamber. Police said evidence in the house was consistent with Smithson’s and the neighbors’ versions of events. Smithson is being held at the Twin Falls County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 27.
NEWMAN LAKE, WA, 1/26/17: A man accidentally shot himself in the arm as he slipped and fell on the ice near Newman Lake early Thursday morning. Deputies were called to the 10500 block of North McCoy Road around 12:40 AM by a resident who said a man had been shot. Deputies who responded found a 25-year-old wounded man who was vague about what had happened but said someone else was involved, said Deputy Mark Gregory. As investigators pressed for further details about a suspect, the man confessed that no one else was there, Gregory said. He told deputies that he had crashed his car and was walking to a friend’s house when he slipped and fell and hit his head. At some point during his fall his .45 caliber gun went off and he was wounded in the arm. A loaded handgun was recovered at the scene. The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He has not been charged with a crime but the investigation is ongoing, Gregory said.
PORTLAND, OR, 1/26/17: A 20-year-old man is dead after he was accidentally shot by a friend in the Garden Home community of Southwest Portland, the Washington County Sheriff's Office says. Deputies were called to the Frank Estate Apartments just before 11 PM Thursday on the report of an accidental shooting. When they arrived, they found a young man who had been shot in the abdomen by his 28-year-old friend. He was quickly taken to OHSU, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Detectives say the victim and several of his friends were celebrating the Chinese New Year together when the owner of the apartment decided to show one of his guns to the group. He brought out a .223 caliber AR-15, unloaded the weapon and passed it around the group, according to detectives. He then took the gun back and was in the process of reloading it when the weapon discharged and struck the victim. Detectives say 911 was immediately called and the 28-year-old tried to save his friend. The victim's parents live in another country and detectives are still trying to contact them. Detectives say the shooter has not been charged with any crimes and that alcohol or drugs were not a factor. The case is still under investigation. The Sheriff's Office strongly urges people to handle guns in a safe manner and to always treat all firearms as if they are loaded at all times.
SALEM, OR, 1/27/17: A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized after he was shot by a relative at his home in North Salem, officials said. Salem police Lt. Dave Okada said an accidental shooting was reported at the residence on the 1700 block of Fairgrounds Road NE shortly after 1:30 PM. The boy was taken to Salem Health hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Okada said could not confirm whether the shooting was accidental or intentional, but he said an investigation was underway. No arrests have been made.
MILL CREEK, WA, 1/27/17: A teenage boy was accidentally shot in the arm while he and his friends were playing with a gun Friday afternoon, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department. The shooting happened about 4:30 PM in a wooded area behind the Mill Creek Town Center. Deputies said four teenage boys were in the woods playing with the gun when it accidentally discharged, hitting one of the boys in the arm. The boy who was shot was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The teen who handling the gun when it went off, dropped the weapon and ran into the woods. Officers are now searching the area to locate the teen. The Sheriff's Office is calling the shooting accidental. They're still investigating who owns the gone and how the teen got it.
HUBER HEIGHTS, OH, 1/27/17: Police and medics have responded to a reported accidental shooting on Chambersburg Road in Huber Heights Friday morning. The incident was reported in the 6800 block of Chambersburg Road around 4:40 AM. Initial reports indicate a man was cleaning a gun when it discharged, and shot him in the hand.
HAMPTON, VA, 1/27/17: A man has been arrested after accidentally shooting a 21-year-old woman, according to police. Shortly before 8 PM Friday, dispatch received a call regarding a shooting that happened in the 100 block of Turret Lane. The victim, a 21-year-old woman, was taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle with what appeared to be multiple gun shot wounds. She is expected to be okay. Police say the suspect, Terry De’Shawn Davis, fell asleep with a firearm in his hands which he accidentally fired once, hitting the victim. The path of the projectile made it seem that the victim was hit by multiple bullets, but she was only struck by one bullet. Davis, 24, was arrested in connection to the incident. He was charged with one count of reckless handling of a firearm.
ATHENS, GA, 1/27/17: A woman shooting herself in the leg at an Athens residence Friday led police to what they believe to be the beginnings of an indoor marijuana farm. Police initially went to the home at 390 Glenwood Drive in response to a woman’s 911 call that she accidentally shot herself in the leg with a gun. The 51-year-old woman said she armed herself because she was being stalked by a man who, just prior to police arriving, was in a closet. She said she fired the gun twice, once accidentally into her leg and the other time into the closet where she indicated the “stalker” was hiding, according to police. Police said the only other person in the home at the time was its 55-year-old resident, Mark Charles King, but he was not believed to be the person the woman shot at, according to police spokesman Epifanio Rodriguez. “The only thing I can answer is Mark King was not her intended target and that she was firing at an ‘unknown’ man that was in the house,” Rodriguez said. Police said they found two cartridge casings on the floor. Knowing one of the bullets was in the woman’s leg, they searched where the other projectile ended up, beginning in the closet where the woman said her “stalker” was. Police said they examined the closet’s walls for any bullet holes, looked on the floor and were moving around some clothing when they came across a large bag of marijuana. The Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force was notified and drug agents responded to the home with a search warrant. The evidence they found led police to conclude the large bag of pot in the closet was “old marijuana” that was previously cultivated and harvested. According to Rodriguez, investigators believed that equipment seized suggested King had plans to turn the Glenwood Drive residence into a new location for a marijuana “grow house.” Police also seized several types of prescription pills and two guns. Arrest warrants for King were subsequently obtained and he was booked into the Clarke County Jail Monday evening on charges of manufacturing marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, five counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The woman who shot herself was a resident of Statham, police said. She was not charged.
PEABODY, KS, 1/27/17: Peabody Police confiscated a gun Friday after it went off sometime before 4 PM in the 500 block of N. Elm St. Radio transmissions recorded by the newspaper indicated police arrived at 3:55 PM and that at least two parties in the house had been separated. The location of the gun was unclear. However, no injuries, other than a “thumb pain,” were reported, and transportation was refused. Peabody Police Chief Bruce Burke said it was unclear what circumstances had caused the gun to go off. He said the incident was believed to have involved an accidental discharge. “The weapon was confiscated,” Burke said. “The owner can retrieve the weapon after I talk to them and the county attorney talks to them,” Burke said. “But it will be up to the county attorney when the weapon can be returned.”
OAK CREEK, WI, 1/27/17: A Smith & Wesson 9-mm pistol was found lying in the men’s bathroom at Vivere Italian Restaurant, 1000 E. Rawson Ave., at 11:10 AM Jan. 28. The gun was apparently left behind by a patron the night before. Police confiscated the gun.
OAK CREEK, WI, 1/28/17: Police responded to a home in the 9200 block of South Eighth Avenue after a man called 911 to report he accidentally fired a bullet through his roof while he was cleaning his gun at 12:15 AM Jan. 28. The caller told police he had finished cleaning the firearm and believed it was unloaded when one of his friends grabbed it off the table and pulled the hammer back. When the caller tried to safely release the hammer, he accidentally fired the gun and the bullet went through the ceiling. Police took the man into custody after he admitted he had been drinking, and a breath test indicated he had a 0.134 preliminary blood alcohol content. He is facing a charges of endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and being armed with a firearm while intoxicated.
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