United States
Montana School Superintendent Unintentionally Fires Gun During Class
Associated Press
9 March 2010
BILLINGS, Montana - The superintendent of a rural Montana school district says he was showing students his black powder muzzleloader when he accidentally fired the weapon into a classroom wall during a history lesson. Dwain Haggard, who used to be a Civil War re-enactor, was showing the gun to five students in Reed Point High School's American history class Friday when it fired. No one was injured, and Haggard says he can't... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tennessee 3yr-old Grabs Wii 'Gun,' Kills Herself with Dad's Loaded Pistol
Tennessean (Nashville)
9 March 2010
NORENE, Tennessee -- A mix-up between a Wii game and a .380 caliber pistol led a 3-year-old to pluck the real gun from an end table and shoot herself in the abdomen, ending her life, Wilson County Sheriff Terry Ashe said. Cheyenne Alexis McKeehan's stepfather, Douglas Cronberger, and her mother, Tina Ann Cronberger, both 32, were inside their rural Norene home when the child shot herself Sunday night. Her mother was on the computer... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Student Buys Gun Show Pistol, Ignores Campus Gun Ban, Shoots His Leg
WDAY-6 TV News (North Dakota)
7 March 2010
GRAND FORKS, North Dakota - A Saturday night turned dangerous for a UND student after he accidentally shot himself in the leg. Law enforcement and weapon experts say this brings to light a very important issue: gun safety. Yesterday, authorities responded to a 9-1-1 call that a U-N-D student had shot themselves on U-N-D property. The student had purchased the gun earlier that day form the Grand Forks gun show which is a lengthy... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Las Vegas Police Officer, Mother Charged After 2yr-old Son Shot Himself
Fox News (USA)
1 March 2010
LAS VEGAS - A Las Vegas police officer and his wife will be charged with child abuse and neglect with substantial bodily harm after their 2-year-old shot himself with the officer's gun in February. Las Vegas Metro police officer Jared Bledsoe and his wife, Shawnee Bledsoe, both 27, face one count of the felony charge after their son discovered a loaded gun in their night stand after he was put to bed. The complaint, made in Moapa... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria
Nigerian Bird Hunter Says He Shot, Killed 15yr-old Boy by Accident
Daily Independent (Lagos)
1 March 2010
LAGOS -- Kamilu Kamoru, a peasant farmer, had set out to harvest tubers of yam for his family on Saturday, February 6, 2010. Armed with a Dane gun and a cutlass, he rode on his Suzuki motorcycle and had hardly settled down in his farmland situated at Afowowa, Isale Oyo, Oyo Town, Oyo State, when he sighted scores of guinea fowls feeding on his maize crops. "Immediately, I sighted the birds, I was happy, hoping that I would... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Hidden Handgun Permit Holder Loses Son to Careless Firearm Storage
NBC News (Miami )
28 February 2010
An 11-year-old boy was pronounced dead in Deerfield Beach last night after being accidentally shot in the face by his little brother. The boys' mother said the pair had been asked to go to the parking lot outside their home to their father's truck to retrieve a hat. While searching for it, 10-year-old Terrence Reddick found a gun inside the vehicle and shot and killed Randy Reddick. "[Terrence] just said, 'It was a mistake.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Eerie Echoes in Tale of Alabama Professor's Family, School Shootings
Associated Press
26 February 2010
CANTON, Massachusetts - Investigators have discovered that a newspaper on triple murder suspect Amy Bishop's bedroom floor when she killed her brother more than 20 years ago described an incident strikingly similar to what she did that day, raising questions about her claim it was an accident. Norfolk District Attorney William Keating said investigators found the date of the newspaper after enlarging a police photo of the scene.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'No Question' Alabama Professor Killed Brother by Accident, Says Lawyer
Associated Press
26 February 2010
BOSTON - The attorney for the parents of a woman accused of a triple murder at an Alabama college said Friday there's "no question" it was an accident when she fatally shot her brother in Massachusetts in 1986, despite doubts now being raised by the district attorney there. "The DA has not gotten his facts right, but that's characteristic of the whole proceeding," said attorney Bryan Stevens. He made the comments a day... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Swansea 12yr-old Killed 10yr-old with Shot to Heart from Dad's .22 Airgun
BBC News
25 February 2010
A coroner has urged parents to supervise children using air guns after a 10-year-old boy died after being shot at close range in the heart. Rhys Johnson of Llansamlet in Swansea died in hospital on 27 September. An inquest heard he and a friend were using his father's airgun without his knowledge in a lane behind his home. Recording a verdict of accidental death coroner Philip Rogers was told Rhys's friend did... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States,Nicaragua
LA Dodgers' Padilla Laughs Off Unintentional Gunshot Wound to His Leg
Associated Press
21 February 2010
GLENDALE, Arizona - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla can laugh now about a gunshot wound that almost ended his career. Padilla talked about his injury Sunday, saying he was practicing with a small handgun on Nov. 3 in his native Nicaragua when the weapon jammed. He said a friend was trying to fix the problem when the gun accidentally fired. The bullet went into Padilla's upper right thigh and came out through... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Problematic Bushmaster Rifle Posed Safety Risk for NZ Police, Public
New Zealand Herald
21 February 2010
An internal police report warned of potential "public safety" dangers stemming from its Bushmaster rifle - a month after innocent teenager Halatau Naitoko was accidentally shot dead on an Auckland motorway. Inquiries by the Herald on Sunday have also found that there has been no formal review of the training or operational use by police of the weapon since it was introduced in 2005. Naitoko, 17, was killed by a police officer... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Alabama Professor Practiced at Gun Range Before She Shot 6, Killed 3
Associated Press
15 February 2010
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The husband of an Alabama professor accused of fatally shooting three colleagues said Monday that the couple went to a shooting range recently, but that he didn't know where she got the gun she used for practice. His description of Amy Bishop's "normal" demeanor leading up to Friday's shooting at a faculty meeting matched an account by a witness, who said the gathering was unremarkable until the gunfire broke... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Alabama Shooting Suspect Held Men at Gunpoint After Killing Her Brother
Boston Globe
15 February 2010
Shortly after fatally shooting her brother in 1986, Amy Bishop held two men at gunpoint and demanded a getaway car at an auto repair shop near her family's Braintree home, according to one of the men involved. Carrying a shotgun by her side, a 21-year-old Bishop walked intently across a car lot into the adjacent storefront, where she began searching for car keys. Coming down from the second floor, she was heading toward the garage... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Specialist Gun Trainer Shot, Killed Lancashire Police Officer in Exercise
BBC News
15 February 2010
The officer who shot Pc Ian Terry, 32, earlier said he acted "instinctively", as Greater Manchester Police's firearms unit practised in a disused factory. The ammunition used to kill Pc Terry, in 2008, was only to be shot at a person if "there was a threat to life". Pc Terry was not wearing body armour, Coroner Nigel Meadows told the inquest. The father-of-two, from Burnley in Lancashire, was shot at close range... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Alabama Prof, Multiple Shooting Suspect Shot, Killed Her Brother in 1986
Associated Press
13 February 2010
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The professor accused of killing three colleagues during a faculty meeting is a Harvard-educated neurobiologist, inventor and mother whose life had been marred by a violent episode in her distant past. More than two decades ago, police said Amy Bishop killed her teenage brother with a shotgun at their Massachusetts home in a shooting that investigators concluded was an accident. Bishop had just months... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Licensed Toronto Handgun Owner Aced Safety Test, Then Killed Passerby
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
12 February 2010
In the months leading up to the shooting death of innocent bystander John O'Keefe, the man accused of firing the fatal bullet sat through a gun safety course, aced a test, then fired round after round under watchful eyes of certified instructors, a second-degree murder trial heard Friday. It was Sept, 7, 2007 that Edward Paredes, now 24, walked into the Grange Firearms Association north of Toronto and submitted his application for... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Gun Owner Visits Gun Shop, Shoots Himself in the Leg in Carpark
Associated Press
9 February 2010
JUPITER, Florida - A man accidentally shot himself in the leg shortly after leaving a Jupiter gun store. Police said the unidentified man went to Chuck's Guns and Ammo Monday afternoon, looking for batteries for the laser sight on a small handgun. When the man was back in his car, the gun accidentally fired, hitting him in the leg. The man was taken to a West Palm Beach hospital for treatment. ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Indiana Gunsmith Gets 60 Days for Killing Neighbour with Stray Bullet
Associated Press
9 February 2010
MARTINSVILLE, Indiana - The gunsmith who fired the stray bullet that killed a man as he slept in his central Indiana home has been sentenced to 60 days in jail. John Graf of rural Monrovia apologized during a Morgan County court hearing after pleading guilty to a felony criminal recklessness charge in the death last March of 35-year-old Jason Breisch. Graf had trouble looking at Breisch's widow and three children as he spoke. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaign to Allow Guns on US Appalachian Trail 'Unnecessary, Bad Idea'
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
4 February 2010
AUGUSTA, Maine -- Lawmakers heard testimony Wednesday on a proposal to reimpose restrictions on guns within Acadia National Park and along the Appalachian Trail in Maine in response to Congress' controversial decision to lift long-standing limits on firearms. Last year, Congress passed a law authorizing visitors to carry guns -- both concealed and carried openly -- in national parks. Congress passed the law after a federal judge... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Hunting Dog Gets Excited, Fires Shotgun Into Master's Back
Associated Press
31 January 2010
LOS BANOS, California - One California hunting dog apparently takes the term a bit too literally. Authorities say a central California hunter was wounded when his own dog accidentally sent a bullet into his back. The 53-year-old man was treated at Los Banos Memorial Hospital and released after a few hours. The Merced County Sheriff's Department says the man and a partner had been hunting near Highway 152 in the Los Banos... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Miami's 'PR Nightmare' as 6yr-old Italian Boy Hurt by Celebratory Gunfire
Miami Herald
21 January 2010
The 6-year-old Italian boy struck by a stray bullet during last week's New Year's Eve celebration was in "good spirits" at a Miami hospital on Monday, while police continued their investigation into a shooting that made headlines overseas in Europe. Andrea Fregoneses, whose family was visiting Miami as tourists from Italy, was expected to recover from a bullet wound to the stomach. Meanwhile, fears waned among tourism executives... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Saskatoon Man Flaunted Rifle, Shot 6yr-old Girl Sleeping in Next Room
CBC News (Canada)
14 January 2010
The man who carelessly fired a rifle inside a Saskatoon home, hitting a sleeping child in the next room, has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The girl, Letisha Kishayinew, was six years old when the shooting took place Jan. 16, 2009. The bullet travelled through an interior wall of the home before striking the child. Spencer Wapass, 21, and another man were arrested within a week of the shooting. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fatal Gunplay in Maine Sex Dungeon Goes to Trial
Associated Press
13 January 2010
PORTLAND, Maine - A gun collector who introduced several weapons into sexual play with two other men contends the fatal shooting of one of them in Maine last spring was an accident. The trial has shed light on a dungeon in a South Portland home filled with sex toys that three men used as a drug-fueled escape from reality. Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese (mahr-KAY'-zee) told jurors the focus should be on the handling... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
6 year-old Boy Shot Dead Playing in CA Driveway, 2 Charged with Murder
Associated Press
12 January 2010
POMONA, California - Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged two men with killing a 6-year-old boy who was shot as he played in the driveway of his home. Investigators believe one of the men -- 20-year-old Mathew Loza of West Covina -- targeted the boy with a scoped rifle and shot him from across the street. Azusa police Lt. Mike Bertelsen says investigators are still trying to determine whether Loza knew the gun was... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Duck-hunting Student Expelled for Shotguns and Ammo Left in Truck
San Francisco Chronicle
12 January 2010
In late October, Gary Tudesko, a junior at Willows High School, went duck hunting with a friend before school. Instead of dropping off his guns at home he headed to school. He parked his pickup on a public street near campus and left two unloaded shotguns inside the locked truck. Later that day, authorities found the firearms, shells and a knife with a 3-inch blade. Tudesko was suspended and eventually expelled for gun possession. Principal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Former NBA Star Convicted for Accidentally Shooting Limo Driver
Associated Press
11 January 2010
SOMERVILLE, New.Jersey - Former NBA star Jayson Williams, his personal life in shambles, took responsibility for accidentally shooting his limousine driver to death eight years ago by pleading guilty Monday to assault and agreeing to serve at least 18 months in prison. Williams was awaiting retrial on a reckless manslaughter count but pleaded guilty to the lesser aggravated assault count for the 2002 death of Costas Christofi. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Israel
Drunk Security Guard Accidentally Shoots Soldier Friend
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
10 January 2010
A soldier was shot dead by an intoxicated friend in Kiryat Haim, north of Haifa, on Friday night in what police suspect is a firearms accident. Emergency services were called to an address in Kiryat Haim by a man who told an operator that his friend had been shot. The caller, a security guard under the influence of alcohol, called paramedics and police twice to ensure they were on their way to the address, before fleeing... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Cousins Playing With 'Toy' .303 Pipe Gun, Put in Mouth, 12 year-old Shot
The Telegraph (Calcutta)
7 January 2010
Malda, Jan. 7: The left jaw of a 12-year-old was blown off today when a pipe gun with which a cousin of his was playing went off in a Kaliachak village this morning. Police said the injured boy, Harun Sheikh, was admitted to the district hospital here and later referred to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri. Doctors attending to him said the boy's left jaw and two teeth were blown off and the face suffered a ghastly... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Indiana Boy, 13, Shoots 14yr-old Girl with Grandma's Unsecured Handgun
Associated Press
1 January 2010
FRANKLIN, Indiana - Indiana authorities say two cousins were playing with a gun at their grandmother's house when the 13-year-old boy accidentally shot the 14-year-old girl in the forehead. Franklin police Chief Stan Linn says the girl was critically hurt Thursday. She was conscious when she was taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Police say the children found the grandmother's .38-caliber handgun while the girl's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Year's Celebratory Bullet Kills 4yr-old Georgia Boy Sitting in Church
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
1 January 2010
Four-year-old Marquel Peters loved church. So much so, that he cried recently when he thought he would miss it because a relative was running late. For the New Year's Eve service, Marquel brought along a video game to play during an intermission. The next time Marquel returns to his family's church, it will be for his funeral. Thursday night, Marquel and about a dozen family members attended a service at the Church... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pittsburg Store Clerk Hands Co-worker 'Unloaded' Pistol, Colleague Dies
Contra Costa Times (California)
1 January 2010
PITTSBURG, Pennsylvania -- The fatal shooting of a convenience store employee by a co-worker on New Year's Eve was most likely an accident, police said Friday. Ehab Abdulwahab Ahmed, 25, was showing his 21-year-old co-worker a gun. As the co-worker handled the gun he pulled the trigger accidentally, Pittsburg police Lt. Brian Addington said, shooting Ahmed in the face. He died instantly. The shooting took place in a back room... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Arizona City Leads Way in Preventing, Prosecuting Celebratory Gunfire
Arizona Republic
31 December 2009
Otis Smith says that anyone contemplating "celebratory shooting" on New Year's Eve should understand that bullets fired into the sky come down again, sometimes with tragic results. Police say anyone who hasn't gotten that message should expect to be arrested. For Smith, it's personal. About 10 years ago, on June 14, 1999, his 14-year-old daughter, Shannon, was killed by a bullet plunging from the sky. She was standing in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Intoxicated Convicted Child Abuser Fatally Shoots Daughter with Handgun
Associated Press
30 December 2009
DENTON, Texas - A Texas man is accused of fatally shooting his 10-year-old daughter on Christmas Eve while recklessly handling a revolver. Court record show the man has been investigated repeatedly by Child Protective Services. A state investigator said he believed 36-year-old Duke Lawrence Watrous of Oak Point in Denton County had been drinking when he fired the shot that hit Ashley Watrous in the face. Texas Ranger Tracy Murphree... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Former Texas Cop, Cleaning Gun, Shoots, Injures His 2yr-old Daughter
Associated Press
29 December 2009
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A 2-year-old Bandera County girl continues to recover after she was shot in the back of the head on Christmas Day as her father was cleaning his gun. Kalia Wallace is out of University Hospital's intensive care unit and has been moved to the pediatric ward. Her father was cleaning his gun when a bullet went through a kitchen cabinet and hit Kalia, who was on the other side. Her father, a former law... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana
Ghanaian Boy, 8, Shoots, Kills Brother, 18, with Father's Illegal Rifle
All Africa
24 December 2009
KUMASI, Ghana -- An eight-year-old boy, Kwame Kusasi who lives at Anoroso, a farming village at Apetreinsa in the Asante Akim District of the Ashanti Region has been remanded in police custody for allegedly killing his eighteen year old brother. The deceased, Apabila Kusasi was shot in the chin and died instantly. Narrating the unfortunate incident to The Chronicle last Tuesday, Lance Corporal Godwin Ahianyo of the Public Relations... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Child Shot Dead with Illegal Handgun, How Many Children Must We Lose?
Record (New Jersey), Editorial
23 December 2009
SENSELESS. TRAGIC. This is where we begin in considering the terrible death of 5-year-old Daron Mayes of Paterson. He was playing with a 6-year-old relative at home on Sunday night. The 6-year-old found a loaded handgun - a semi-automatic, which loads a new bullet into the chamber each time it is fired. The child played with the weapon, and accidently shot Daron in the back of the head, police say. Police attempted to revive the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
6yr-old New Jersey Boy Finds Loaded Illegal Handgun, Kills 5yr-old Friend
Associated Press
21 December 2009
PATERSON,New Jersey - Police have arrested a 23-year-old man they say left an illegal, loaded handgun in the bedroom he shared with a 5-year-old child. The child was accidentally shot and killed by a 6-year-old relative after the two boys discovered the gun while playing. Jalik Jones was charged Monday with reckless manslaughter and firearms violations. Five-year-old Daron Mayes was shot in the back of the head... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Dad Leaves Guns Around, Boy Kills 6yr-old, Dad Charged with Lax Storage
San Antonio Express-News (Texas)
18 December 2009
The father of a teenager accused of accidentally shooting and killing his 6-year-old cousin turned himself in to Atascosa County authorities Friday morning, shortly after he was charged with leaving a loaded gun accessible to children. An arrest warrant was issued for Manuel Quinonez III, 37, Thursday night. He was charged with making a firearm accessible to a child and causing death. The Class A misdemeanor is punishable with up... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Parents Hid Loaded Gun Behind Christmas Tree, 12yr-old Shot Himself
Associated Press
16 December 2009
CORTEZ, Colorado - Authorities say a 12-year-old Colorado boy accidentally shot himself in the leg while playing with a loaded pistol his parents had hidden behind the family Christmas tree. Montezuma County Sheriff Gerald Wallace says the boy was shot in the calf on Monday morning but the injury wasn't serious. Wallace says the parents had left for work but other family members took the boy to a hospital. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Exempts Gun Maker in Shooting of 13yr-old Boy
WLS-TV News (Chicago)
14 December 2009
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to the current gun law. The family of a boy who was shot to death was fighting a law that protects gun makers from lawsuits by shooting victims. But the court refused to hear an appeal from the uncle of a boy accidentally killed by a friend. The suit claimed the gun did not have the proper warnings or safety mechanism. Family members say they're frustrated and believe there... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Detroit Woman Leaves Loaded Gun by Bed, 3yr-old Granddaughter Dies
Detroit Free Press
10 December 2009
A single shot from a 9-millimeter handgun in her grandmother's bedroom nightstand killed a Detroit 3-year-old Wednesday night, leading the city's police chief to renew a plea for gun safety. "This is the most egregious one: the gun was in a nightstand unlocked, right at a normal height for a 3-year-old," Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans said this morning. "But we have dozens and dozens of these a year." Alexia Bostick... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Innocent Shot Woman Latest of 400 Serious Hunting Accidents in Virginia
Roanoke Times (Virginia)
19 November 2009
There have been nearly 400 serious hunting-related accidents in Virginia since 1998, but Jessica Goode's death Wednesday was unusual. Victims are rarely nonhunters. Of 39 firearms-related hunting fatalities in Virginia since 1998, none involved a nonhunter, according to Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries spokeswoman Julia Dixon. But the circumstances of Wednesday's shooting, in which authorities say... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Family Sues Massachusetts Gun Club After 8yr-old Boy Died Firing Uzi
Daily Hampshire Gazette (Massachusetts)
10 November 2009
SPRINGFIELD -- The Micro Uzi machine gun that killed 8-year-old Christopher K. Bizilj at a Westfield gun fair last October reportedly jammed twice and was inspected by a 15-year-old boy before it slipped from Christopher's grasp and discharged, according to a $4 million wrongful death lawsuit filed Monday. Christopher was shot through the head at the "Great New England Pumpkin Shoot" last year, an event the suit alleges was advertised... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Woman Killed by Father Cleaning Glock was US Federal Investigator
Tampa Tribune (Florida)
8 November 2009
A father helping his 32-year-old daughter clean a pistol after target shooting accidently fired the weapon and killed her Saturday afternoon. Melissa Kupferberg, an investigator with the U.S. Public Defenders Office, died at a hospital after being shot in the upper body, the Tampa Police Department said. Police believe the shooting was an accident. Kupferberg and her father, Stephen Kupferberg, 65, who was visiting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Man Fires Shotgun at Wall, Hits Woman Neighbour in Face
Florida Today
26 October 2009
PALM BAY, Florida -- A convicted felon fired a shotgun blast through his bedroom wall Sunday morning, striking an unsuspecting 50-year-old woman in the head and face in the apartment next door, Palm Bay police said. The shooting occurred at 9:15 a.m. in Building 1500 of the Windwood Apartments, a complex just northeast of the Palm Bay Road-Babcock Street intersection. Police arrested William L. Santana, 53, and charged... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
92-Year-Old Bronx Woman Killed in Her Living Room by Stray Bullet
Daily News (New York)
21 October 2009
A 92-year-old woman struck by a stray bullet in her Bronx living room used her last moments of strength to crawl to a phone and call her best friend for help. Sadie Mitchell -- a beloved "mother to everyone on her block" who always carried fresh roses to church -- was still alert when she dialed her pal minutes before she died. "She said, 'I've been shot,'" said neighbor Mary Fields. "I couldn't believe it. I said, 'What... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed Hidden Handgun Owner Fumbles Gun, Woman Dies in Florida
Times-Union (Florida)
20 October 2009
JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- A mishandled gun and an inadvertent shot led to a woman's death Monday afternoon at an Allied Veterans of the World center in Jacksonville. Lt. Larry Schmitt of the Sheriff's Office said the unidentified woman in her early 40s was at the entertainment center in the 5800 block of Normandy Boulevard with several other customers about 3:30 p.m. when she was shot. He said the bullet came from a gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Dropped Pistol Shot Owner, Alabama Jury Awards $1.25m Against Taurus
Gadsden Times (Alabama)
16 October 2009
GADSDEN, Alabama -- An Etowah County Circuit Court jury on Thursday awarded a 28-year-old Boaz man a $1.25 million judgment in an unintended gun discharge case. The jury awarded the judgment to Adam Maroney in a lawsuit against Taurus International Manufacturing. The lawsuit, originally filed on Feb. 13, 2007, involved the unintended discharge of a PT111 9mm Millennium Taurus handgun in 2005. Maroney, who owns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Man Mistakes Fiancee for Intruder, Shoots Her 1 Day Before Wedding
CBS News (USA) / AP
12 October 2009
Police in Florida are continuing their investigation of a 62-year-old man who fatally shot his fiancée the day before the wedding after allegedly mistaking her for an intruder. "We're still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together," Winter Springs Police Chief Kevin Brunelle told CBS' "The Early Show" Monday. John Tabutt, 62, told investigators he got his gun when he thought he heard an intruder, then fired at a... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Sydney 16yr-old 'Just Playing' with Gun, Killed 18yr-old, Got 4yrs Jail
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
9 October 2009
A teenanger who said he was "playing" with a gun and "just showing off" when he shot his friend in a Sydney bedroom will be released in 2010, a court has heard. The boy, who was 16 at the time of the shooting and cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday to a maximum of four years for his friend's manslaughter. He was sentenced to a two-year non-parole period and with time already... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mother, Father Charged after California 8yr-old Kills 2yr-old with Handgun
Reporter (California)
7 October 2009
A Vacaville couple jailed Monday in connection with the accidental shooting death of their 2-year-old daughter has been released on bail. Michael and Daniela Shanahan of Vacaville were booked at Solano County Jail in Fairfield on Monday afternoon on multiple charges of child endangerment resulting in death or injury and first-degree criminal storage of a firearm accessible to children. The charges stem from the Sept. 23 shooting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Cheap Handgun 'Fires On Its Own' at Florida Gun Club, Shoots 3 People
St Petersburg Times (Florida)
5 October 2009
TAMPA -- Michael Thourot had just pulled his hand away from the warm metal when it started spewing bullets. Moments before, Sherri Thourot had watched her husband fire and reload the Jennings 9mm. Then he set it down for her to shoot next at the range. That's when the handgun started firing on its own, she said, spinning around in circles, landing the Thourots and an Irish tourist in the hospital. "Nothing like... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Owner Shoots Both His Daughters by Mistake at Maryland Pistol Club
Associated Press
5 October 2009
NORTH EAST -- Two women were shot at a Cecil County pistol range in what Natural Resources Police say was likely an accidental shooting. Sgt. Art Windemuth says a Joppa man was teaching his two daughters how to use a 9mm handgun at the Elk Neck State Forest pistol range on Sunday when it discharged. He says the bullet struck man's 23-year-old daughter in the arm and a 27-year-old woman downrange in the leg. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom,England & Wales
Welsh Community in Mourning After 10yr-old Boy Shot Dead with Air Rifle
Western Mail (Wales)
29 September 2009
A 10-year-old who was shot dead with an air rifle was playing a game of Cowboys and Indians at the time of the tragic accident. Rhys Johnson died yesterday morning after being shot in the chest with the gun, which he had found in a garage earlier in the afternoon. The schoolboy, from Llansamlet, Swansea, went out to play with it in fields behind his home with a 12-year-old boy, a close friend. Police yesterday... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom,England & Wales
10yr-old Welsh Boy Dies in Airgun Shooting, 12yr-old Questioned
BBC News
28 September 2009
A 10-year-old boy has died after he was shot with an air gun in Swansea. Police were called to the Llansamlet area of the city at 1815 BST on Sunday but the boy died later in intensive care at Morriston Hospital. A neighbour said the grandmother of the boy, named locally as Rhys Johnson, told him he had been involved in an accident. Police are not treating the death as suspicious. A 12-year-old boy, who knew the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Drunk, Law-abiding US Gun Owner Shoots Into Neighbour's Apartment
Washington Post
27 September 2009
Like a lot of bachelors, Russ Castle often eats cereal for dinner, sitting in front of a TV in a sparsely decorated apartment. Such was the case late one night this week. Cream of Wheat, with a little milk. Unknown to the 37-year-old at the time, his next-door neighbor, Gaithersburg Assistant City Manager Fred Felton, was cleaning his Ruger .357 magnum, according to court records made public Thursday. "What the hell?" Castle... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Arizona Gun Show Vendor Shot Woman Customer, 'Banned for Life'
East Valley Tribune (Arizona)
26 September 2009
Witnesses reported that an accidental shooting occurred Saturday at the Crossroads Gun Show at Mesa's Centennial Hall. The gun show on Center Street saw hundreds of sellers and buyers milling around in the noisy venue until the loud crack of a solitary gun shot. The show, packed with an estimated 200 to 300 people, fell silent about 11:30 a.m., and then came the screams of a woman who was grazed in the neck by a bullet... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Dealer Fires Handgun at Arizona Gun Show, Injures Woman, Girl
Arizona Republic
26 September 2009
A woman and a girl received minor injuries when a gun dealer inadvertently fired a loaded handgun during a gun show in Mesa late Saturday morning, police said. Police responded to the Mesa Convention Center about 11:30 a.m. to a call of a shot being fired during a gun show, said Det. Mike Melendez, a police spokesman. Investigators learned that a presenter at the gun show brought a loaded gun into the event, which is not... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Toddler's Shooting Death Points to Widespread US Problem
Reporter (California)
25 September 2009
Wednesday's death of a Vacaville toddler, killed in what appears to be a tragic gun accident involving her 8-year-old brother, is a grim reminder of the need to keep guns out of children's reach. Sadly, such accidents are not as rare as one would hope. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reports that, during the first half of this decade, 173 children under the age of 19 were accidentally killed with a firearm.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shot Fired, Man Charged with Reckless Gun Use at US Gun Rights Picnic
Kalamazoo Gazette (Michigan)
25 September 2009
SOUTH HAVEN, Michigan -- A Kalamazoo man attending a gun-rights picnic at South Haven's South Beach has been charged with reckless use of a firearm after his weapon discharged, police said Thursday. Jonathan Wayne Sager, 28, was unloading his semiautomatic handgun and preparing it for transport after the Sept. 13 picnic when it discharged at 5:44 p.m., said Chief Rod A. Somerlott of the South Haven Police Department. A... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Toddler, 2, Shot Dead by Brother, 8 in California Home
Sydney Morning Herald / AP
24 September 2009
Police in the US say a two-year-old northern California girl is dead after her eight-year-old brother accidentally shot her. Police say the boy was playing with a gun on Wednesday afternoon at the family home in Vacaville when it discharged, shooting the toddler in the head, according to The Reporter newspaper. The girl was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Vacaville police Lieutenant Craig Courtemanche said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gang Gunplay Kills Mom Protecting Kid as She Leaves Bronx Laundry
Daily News (New York)
23 September 2009
She was the most innocent of victims -- and died protecting her little boy. A single mom was struck and killed by a stray bullet Tuesday when she walked out of a Bronx laundermat, smack into the crossfire of a gang gunfight, police said. Aisha Santiago, 25, was hit in the chest as she attempted to take cover with her 9-year-old son on the doorstep of her building on E.146th St. in Mott Haven shortly before 3:30 p.m. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Football Hero Gets 2 Years for Shooting Himself with Hidden Handgun
New York Times
23 September 2009
Elijah Burress ambled about with the typical innocence of a 3-year-old, his ponytail flopping as he played with a white handkerchief and squealed. At one point, his mother, Tiffany, wiped his mouth with her index finger. Elijah looked at his father, Plaxico, covered his lips with his index finger and let out a "shh." His father, wide-eyed, returned the gesture. But this scene among husband, wife and son in a Manhattan courtroom... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Missouri Gun Owner Dies Happy, Giving Gun Safety Lesson to Girlfriend
St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
22 September 2009
IMPERIAL -- A man who wanted to teach his girlfriend how to safely handle firearms fatally shot himself during the lesson, police said. Jefferson County authorities said that on Friday, James Looney, 40, of the 4300 block of Rock Valley Court, was demonstrating safety mechanisms on several guns by holding them to his head and asking his girlfriend, Kim Thompson, whether they would fire. The last one did. Looney died Saturday... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Firearm Instructor Mixed Ammo, Shot Colleague in UK Police Classroom
Telegraph (UK)
19 September 2009
A police firearms instructor shot and nearly killed a former champion rifle marksman during a gun awareness training exercise after mistakenly loading a Magnum.44 revolver with live ammunition he kept in a Quality Street tin, a court heard. Pc David Micklethwaite, 52, who has admitted breaching health and safe rules, pulled the trigger while pointing it at a civilian colleague on one of his classroom courses. London's Southwark... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Airgun Killed 18yr-old UK Girl, But Not Powerful Enough to Lay Charges
BBC News
17 September 2009
The case against three men charged over the death of a teenager who was shot in the eye with an air rifle has been dropped after new evidence emerged. Rachel Davies, 18, was shot on 7 December last year in Bury, Greater Manchester. She died two weeks later. The men were charged with possession of a firearm without a certificate. The case collapsed when prosecutors told Bolton Crown Court tests had found the air... ( gunpolicy.org )
Austria, United States
Glock Documents Reveal US Police Gun Maker Knew of Safety Problems
Business Week (USA)
10 September 2009
Glock markets its weapons as "safe action pistols." But internal company documents reviewed by BusinessWeek -- and reported here for the first time -- reveal that in the late 1990s, company employees in the U.S. expressed concern about the safe performance of the Glock 22, a model commonly used by American police officers. If these documents had surfaced in injury lawsuits filed over the years against Glock, they could have created... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Dealer Shoots, Injures Himself at Colorado Hotel Gun Show
Coloradan
8 September 2009
Loveland Police are investigating after a vendor apparently accidentally shot himself in the leg during a gun show at the Embassy Suites hotel on Saturday. The man, Michael Kole, 59, of Colorado, was treated at a nearby hospital. Police said no one else was hurt in the approximately 3:45 p.m. incident, and Kole has been cited for reckless endangerment. The hotel and conference center is next to The Ranch fairgrounds and exhibition... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Police Chief Can't Avoid Charges in Machine Gun Death of 8yr-old Boy
Associated Press
3 September 2009
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts -- A judge has denied a former Massachusetts police chief's motion to dismiss some charges he's facing in connection with the death of an 8-year-old boy at a gun show. Edward Fleury, who resigned as Pelham's chief in March, is charged with manslaughter and four counts of furnishing a machine gun to a minor in connection with the death of Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn. Bizilj lost control... ( gunpolicy.org )
Switzerland
Swiss Army Soldiers to Carry Unloaded Guns, Avoid Shootings [Francais]
Département fédéral de la défense, de la protection de la population et des sports, Media release
31 August 2009
[Translated summary: To avoid unintentional shootings, Swiss army soldiers on guard duty will carry unloaded firearms.] Dès le 1er septembre 2009, le service de garde s'effectuera en cas normal et sur base réglementaire avec une arme non chargée au sein de l'Armée suisse. Le service de garde avec une arme chargée constituera une exception. L'armée applique ainsi définitivement les compléments au service de garde décidés au mois... ( gunpolicy.org )
Switzerland
Swiss Soldiers on Guard Duty Must Now Carry Unloaded Weapons
Geneva Lunch (Switzerland)
31 August 2009
GENEVA -- Swiss guards will carry unloaded firearms starting 1 September thanks to a new measure covering Swiss army soldiers on guard duty. This does not mean the soldiers will carry arms without bullets: the new ruling allows the magazine to be fully loaded but it may not be put in action mode. The commanding officer may, given the circumstances, order exceptions to this rule. The measure was approved in October last... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Grandfather Set Up Shooting Range, 5yr-old Killed by Airgun Pellet in UK
Sky News (UK)
27 August 2009
A five-year-old boy who tragically died after being shot in the head with an air rifle was playing on a shooting range set up by a friend's grandfather, it has emerged. Joe Cooke and his family were on holiday in Wiltshire Jonathan Cooke, known as Joe, was staying at the family friend's home with his mum and two brothers when he was hit. The owner, Bernard Allnutt, had helped Joe's brothers and two grandsons set... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
5yr-old Shot Dead was 3rd Young UK Boy to Die Playing with Airgun
Times (UK)
26 August 2009
A five-year-old boy has died after being shot with an air rifle while playing with friends in the garden of a country home. Jonathan Cooke, who was hit in what his family called a tragic accident, was airlifted to hospital shortly after the incident but died on Monday afternoon. It was not clear last night whether Jonathan -- known as Joe -- had mistakenly walked into the line of fire or if the air gun went off accidentally.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Law Abiding Gun Owners, Politicians Spray US Town with Machine Guns
Grand Rapids Press (Michigan)
23 August 2009
EVART -- When Rudolph Tuten and his wife heard machine guns firing near their home July 18, they did not expect the bullet that hit the side of the garage. "We thought the war was over here," said Tuten, who was standing in the backyard when a bullet pierced the vinyl siding. "All of a sudden: Kaboom! It could have killed someone. " The bullet came from a shooting demonstration more than a mile away on a farm owned by Kent... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illegal Glock, NY Club Shooting Lands US Football Hero With 2 Years Jail
Daily News (New York)
20 August 2009
Ex-Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress took a surprise plea bargain Thursday that will land the talented but troubled wide receiver behind bars for two years. The unexpected agreement with the Manhattan district attorney came nine months after Burress, 32, shot himself through the thigh with an illegal .40-caliber Glock in a crowded nightclub. "Do you wish to plead guilty?" asked state Supreme Court Judge Michael Melkonian... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Giants Football Hero Pleads Guilty to Gun Crime, Faces 2 Years
Reuters
20 August 2009
NEW YORK -- Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty to a gun possession charge on Thursday and agreed to a two-year prison sentence in what the Super Bowl hero's lawyer called an agonizing decision. Burress, 31, caught the winning touchdown in the Giants' Super Bowl victory in February 2008, but his career unraveled the following season when he accidentally shot himself in the leg in a New York City nightclub... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq
Kurds Give Guns to Supporters, Celebratory Gunfire Injures, Kills Dozens
Institute for War and Peace Reporting
18 August 2009
SULAIMANIYAH and ERBIL -- Weapons loudly welcomed the outcome of Iraqi Kurdistan's latest political contest, and may even discreetly have helped determine it. In the run-up to last month's election, politicians gifted guns to prominent supporters. When the results were announced, celebratory gunfire streaked the night skies. Opposition leaders said the weapons had been dished out to buy votes. Their rivals denied this,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Stores Warned Once Again to Halt Sales of Realistic Toy Guns
Associated Press
3 August 2009
NEW YORK -- Despite years of enforcement stings, many New York stores still aren't complying with state rules banning the sale of toy guns that could be confused with the real thing, state officials said Tuesday. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said his office has sent letters to more than 100 retailers ordering them to halt sales of look-a-likes that violate the ban. State law requires toy guns to either be made from materials... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Police Officer Shot with 60yr-old Revolver Dropped by Suspect
New York Times
30 July 2009
It was forged out of steel and given a walnut handle 60 years ago. It made its way to New York City, where it was sold by a well-known gun shop in Little Italy, and eventually passed through the hands of a law enforcement officer, who reported it lost in 1976. The .32-caliber revolver involved in a shooting on Sunday was shipped to the John Jovino Gun Shop in Little Italy in 1949. More than three decades would go by before... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Another Rash of US Toddlers Shooting Toddlers with Parent's Handgun
BBC News
25 July 2009
Two young children have been shot by their siblings in the space of 24 hours in the United States. In Las Vegas, a two-year-old girl was in a critical condition after being shot by her four-year-old brother at their home, police said. In South Carolina, a four-year-old boy was shot in the stomach by his three-year-old brother after the little boy found a gun. The injured boy was expected to make a full recovery,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hidden Handgun Permit Holder Leaves Gun in Car, 5yr-old Kills Himself
Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nevada)
22 July 2009
The Las Vegas 5-year-old boy who fired a fatal gunshot to his head in a car Monday night found the gun on the console of the car, according to a police report released today. Giovanni Kopystenski died hours after the shooting, which occurred at a Walgreens pharmacy drive-through at Durango and Warm Spring roads. The boy's father, Alex Kopystenski, was talking to the pharmacist when he heard a gunshot and saw his son bleeding... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Veteran Firearm Dealer Misled Police in Virginia Gun Show Shooting
Roanoke Times (Virginia)
22 July 2009
Police have charged a second man in the weekend gun show incident that injured one person at the Salem Civic Center. David Jack Gold, 74, a gun dealer from Bland, is charged with obstruction of justice and recklessly handling a firearm, both misdemeanors, according to Salem police. He was replacing the stock on his military-style antique rifle with his friend, Thomas Raymond Allen, 53, when the gun accidentally went off and shot... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
5yr-old Las Vegas Boy Kills Himself: Dealer Touts Gun Training for Kids
KVVU-TV News (Nevada)
21 July 2009
LAS VEGAS -- Something as simple as a safety lock could have prevented the death of a 5-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the head. Employees at The Gun Store in Las Vegas said all children, especially those with parents who own firearms, should take some kind of safety class. Giovanni Kopystenski died early Tuesday morning at University Medical Center. Police said he was in the car near a Walgreens drive through... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Man Shot with Antique Rifle Brought to Gun Show Stall by Firearm Dealer
Roanoke Times (Virginia)
21 July 2009
The man who was injured when an antique rifle discharged during a gun show at the Salem Civic Center on Saturday has been charged with a misdemeanor count of recklessly handling a firearm, Salem officials said. Thomas Raymond Allen, 52, of Max Meadows was helping a friend who is a gun dealer replace the stock on the rifle when the military-style firearm went off, Lt. Mike Green said. As a result of the discharge, concrete... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Cleaning Rifle, Australian Man Shoots Neighbour Through 2 Shed Walls
Australian Associated Press
13 July 2009
A man has accidentally shot his neighbour through two shed walls while cleaning his rifle. A live round remained in the .222 rifle as the man cleaned it in his back shed on a property at Dennington, near Warrnambool, last night. The rifle discharged, sending the bullet through the shed wall and into a neighbour's shed, where it grazed the neighbour's leg. The injured man was taken to hospital at Warrnambool for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Grandmother Shot Dead in Bed as PNG Police Chase, Shoot Suspects
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
13 July 2009
Three young people lost their sole parental figure, grandmother Taita Kiroki, to a stray bullet in a gun battle between police and alleged car thieves in a Port Moresby settlement early Saturday. Bubu Taita, as she was known, heard gunshots, raised her head to see what was happening and was struck by a bullet in the neck. Family members say her head dropped to the pillow. Her three grandchildren had been reared by "Bubu... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Stray Bullet from Sydney Gunfight Killed Passing Truck Driver 200m Away
Sydney Morning Herald
27 June 2009
The stray bullet that killed the truck driver Bob Knight as he drove home through Milperra on Thursday night traced an "incredible" trajectory. From a gunfight in a car park it flew nearly 200 metres over other cars, between billboards and a line of trees, across six lanes of highway before striking Mr Knight as he sat behind the wheel. That bullet has been recovered by police and now forms a key part of the investigation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines, United Nations
Warning in Philippine Story '6yr-old Kills Soldier Dad with Own Handgun'
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Editorial
25 June 2009
Private First Class Apolonio Pacioles was home from the battlefield. He had managed to go on leave -- from the Army's 54th Infantry Battalion, based currently somewhere in Mindanao -- just in time for Father's Day. He returned to his house in Quezon City on Saturday, and he was up early the following day. At about 6 a.m, he asked his five-year-old son to do something for him: fetch his service firearm for him. A poignant passage... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Soldier Asks 6yr-old Son to Bring Loaded Gun, Boy Shoots, Kills His Dad
Associated Press
22 June 2009
MANILA, Philippines -- Police say a 6-year-old boy accidentally shot dead his father, a soldier home for Father's Day after fighting Muslim rebels in the south. Police Officer Hermogenes Capili says Private First Class Apolonio Pacioles asked his son to fetch his .45 caliber pistol at their home in Manila's Quezon City suburb early Sunday. Police Officer Edwin dela Cruz says the boy got the weapon and removed its magazine... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty in Death of 7-year-old Nephew Shot With AK-47
Associated Press
27 May 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A man has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of his 7-year-old nephew after he left the boy and his 6-year-old son home alone with a loaded AK-47 assault rifle. Thirty-one-year-old Ernest Broomfield II also pleaded guilty Tuesday to tampering with evidence. Prosecutors say the boys found the gun in a bedroom when Broomfield left to buy a cigar on July 29. They say the younger boy shot... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Year Reveller Aimed at Streetlight, Killed Woman, Girl with One Shot
Associated Press
14 May 2009
DENVER -- A Denver man accused of firing a gun into the air and killing a woman and an 11-year-old girl as he celebrated the new year has pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors. The Denver district attorney's office says 27-year-old Pedro Cortez pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of manslaughter. He faces probation to 24 years in prison at sentencing set for July 10. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss Cortez's remaining... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Connecticut Senate OKs Machine Gun Ban for Children After 8yr-old Killed
Associated Press
30 April 2009
The Connecticut Senate on Thursday approved a measure that would ban children under 16 years old from handling or shooting machine guns. The legislation, which passed on a 31-2 vote, stems from the October death of an 8-year-old Ashford boy who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi at a Massachusetts gun show. "For a young person, a minor, to handle an automatic weapon ... it's like saying that it's OK to pick... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
A Culture Soaked in Blood: 'Gun Nuts Press Their Crazy Case for More'
New York Times, Column
25 April 2009
Guns. Philip Markoff, a medical student, supposedly carried his semiautomatic in a hollowed-out volume of "Gray's Anatomy." Police believe he used it in a hotel room in Boston last week to murder Julissa Brisman, a 26-year-old woman who had advertised her services as a masseuse on Craigslist. In Palm Harbor, Fla., a 12-year-old boy named Jacob Larson came across a gun in the family home that, according to police, his parents... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
5yr-old Finds Gun, Kills 4yr-old Sister, Dad Gets 8yrs for Felony Neglect
Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
23 April 2009
A judge handed down an eight-year prison sentence today to an Indianapolis man for felony neglect in a case brought after his 5-year-old son pulled his gun off a bookshelf and fatally shot his 4-year-old daughter. James Michael Booher, 27, and his attorney asked for a sentence that would have stopped short of prison. But Marion Superior Court Judge Sheila A. Carlisle said that despite his guilty plea and genuine remorse, the circumstances... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Atlanta Man Who Shot, Killed 13-year-old Thought Gun Was Unloaded
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
14 April 2009
The young man charged in the shooting death of a 13-year-old acquaintance last week told police he thought he had removed the gun's magazine before firing. He hadn't. A bullet struck 7th-grader Tyquavious Brinkley in the face, said Atlanta police Lt. Keith Meadows, commander of the homicide unit. Tyquavious died. The man who pulled the trigger, Steven Gentry, 20, faces a murder charge. Gentry had "no business"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Boy, 3, Shoots Himself Dead After Finding Gun During Easter Egg Hunt
Daily Mail (UK)
14 April 2009
A three-year-old boy fatally shot himself in the head after finding a gun while taking part in an Easter egg hunt. Excited Xavier Ortiz had run into his parents' bedroom to look for the Easter treats that they had hidden. As he jumped on their bed a loaded handgun slipped out from underneath a pillow. Ortiz, who was in the house in Castroville,Texas with relatives, picked up the weapon and pointed it at his head.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Soldier Accidentally Shot Dead By Wife As He Gave Her Gun Lesson
Daily Mail (UK)
14 April 2009
A U.S. soldier about to deploy to Afghanistan was accidentally shot dead by his wife as he gave her a gun lesson. Sergeant Eric Autio had bought his wife a handgun to protect herself while he was away on active duty. The 25-year-old was teaching his wife how to shoot when she fired the fatal shot. Police said Autio, who was a veteran of two tours to Iraq, died instantly after being shot in the head on Sunday. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Target Shooting Neighbour's Stray Pistol Bullet Kills Indiana Man in Bed
Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
11 March 2009
A Morgan County man fatally shot Monday might have been hit by a stray bullet fired through nearby woods. Sheriff's detectives and forensic investigators today are piecing together the events that killed 35-year-old Jason Breisch in his bed. Investigators believe a neighbor was shooting a .45-caliber handgun into a wooded area between the homes. They think the bullet passed through the woods, over a ravine between... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Michigan Dad Cleans Gun, Gun Fires, 12yr-old Son Dies in Next Room
Battle Creek Enquirer (Michigan)
5 March 2009
HOMER -- A 12-year-old boy died from a single gunshot wound from a gun his father was cleaning. Ian Dunn, 12, was pronounced dead at the scene from a single shot to the head after the shooting Tuesday afternoon. Homer police were called at 2:04 p.m. "His dad was cleaning his gun," Officer Joel Flees of the Homer Police Department said Wednesday. "It was an old black powder revolver and he was having trouble opening the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
South Carolina 13yr-old Grabs Dad's Loaded Rifle, Kills 10yr-old Brother
WACH-TV Fox News (South Carolina)
5 March 2009
A 10 year old boy is dead after authorities say his 13 year old brother shot him. "Responsible gun owners don't do this. Obviously Mr. Roberts is not responsible," said Thomley. Investigators say there was no parental supervision Monday afternoon when 10 year old Gayloyd Roberts and his 13-year-old brother started arguing. "It's hard to find words when you're dealing with a tragedy. We don't see this very often,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
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