GunFAIL: Weekly Tabulation Of Needless Injury And Death Due To Guns

 

Nine of 46 guns discovered by TSA agents at airports around the country just last week.

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"Gun Cartoons and Gun Violence Bibliography"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/07/gun-cartoons-and-gun-violence.html

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Alan: David Waldman does a great service tabulating gunfire injury and death in circumstances where no injury or death would have occurred if the implicated gun was simply not present. Eventually there will have a valid statistical picture of how often people successfully defend themselves against clear-and-present threats, and, alternatively, how often guns mangle people's lives simply because their mere presence raised risk. I suspect that cases of actual self-defense by "threatened innocent people" are numerically trivial in comparison to needless injury and death because guns are readily available in moments of anger and/or stupidity. I conjecture that needless harm exceeds bona fide self defense by a factor of double digits to one - and perhaps triple digits to one. Waldman's data-gathering does not include America's gun suicide epidemic which is disproportionately more deadly among young people. (An aside: I encourage daily newspapers to publish ongoing records of police reports as they relate to "self-defense by innocent civilians" and also police reports of death caused, not by criminal intent, but by gunfire accidents, suicides and family members killing other family members with firearms.)

Another week has come and gone, and once again we're looking at something in the neighborhood of 40 reported GunFAIL incidents, 15 people who accidentally shot themselves, four home invasion shootings, nine child victims (including an 18-month-old who's the youngest victim of the year, to date), six law enforcement officer-involved GunFAILs, etc., etc., etc.

Seems like we had a slightly elevated number of familial accidental shootings this week, outside of the usual rash of kids shooting their siblings, including a man in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, who accidentally shot his son, another (the grandfather of Green Bay Packers DE Jerel Worthy) who accidentally shot his wife through an interior wall of their house, like someone else did in Vacaville, California, though it's not clear what the relationship between the parties was. And then there were the tragedies in Windber, Pennsylvania, where a man says he accidentally shot his 9-months pregnant girlfriend in the face with a shotgun he was waving around during an argument, and in Homestead, Florida, where a 6-year-old boy picked up an unattended assault rifle at a family gathering and killed his grandfather with it.

Other noteworthy items: The Detroit store owner who for some reason felt compelled take a shot at someone in his place, but missed and instead killed a 16-year-old passerby on the street outside the shop. The Kouts, Indiana cop who revived the once-popular trend of forgetting one's gun in the bathroom (bonus points for being a school resource officer, leaving the gun behind in a school bathroom, and then responding to an emergency call without the gun). The Edgewater, Florida, officer who reminded us why we might prefer not to have people slinging their AR-15s with them on Chipotle runs, after accidentally discharging his when he caught the trigger on the keychain hanging from his belt. And the UCSB student who added to everyone's post-traumatic stress when he accidentally fired a round into his neighbor's apartment. (You really do have to wonder if he was busy fantasizing about how he'd have defended himself against Elliot Rodger.)

There are also three stories of special note which did not qualify for this week's list. The first first is in every respect a traditional GunFAIL: a fatal accident during a bear hunt. But though the hunter killed was American, the accident took place in Canada. The second two non-qualifying stories aren't accidents at all, but are your basic "armed society, polite society" stories: a Pennsylvania man who shot another to death over a plate of food, and two armed groups of campers in Alaska, one of which confronted the other about some unspecified "concern" about their guns, whereupon the second group replied by gunning down a member of the first group, which naturally prompted the other member of the first group to gun down the shooter from the second group. See? They took turns, so that equals polite. This is not really a failure of the old armed/polite construction, though, since all that really posits is that the alternative to politeness is mutually assured destruction. These gents merely made a rational decision in opting for the destruction. Don't even try to tell me you don't think this could just as easily happened among neighbors who both have swimming pools!

And now, below the fold, last week's list.

1. BARTOW, FL, 4/25/14: Prosecutors will not file criminal charges against a Bartow man who fatally shot a friend last month after concluding the incident was a "tragic accident," according to documents released Wednesday by the State Attorney's Office. Binicio Gonzalez, 29, was shot in the chest on the evening of April 25. Police said Gonzalez went to Apolinar Perez's house on West Vine Street in Bartow, and Perez was there with some co-workers. Perez told investigators that they were drinking some beer and listening to music. An argument escalated between Perez and two of the co-workers who were "making fun of how short he was and his work ethic," the police report says. Perez also said one of the co-workers threatened to beat him up, the report states. Perez told investigators that he went to his bedroom to get his firearm to scare away the two co-workers so they would leave his home. After Perez retrieved his gun, one of the two argumentative co-workers began to struggle with Perez and Gonzalez over the weapon, the report states. "At one point, Gonzalez pulled the gun toward him, and the gun discharged," the report states.
2. JEFFERSON, WI, 5/11/14: A recent day at the Jefferson County Dog Park turned into more than one dog owner bargained for when her firearm accidentally discharged, wounding her. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, a female at the Jefferson County Dog Park suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound when she unintentionally fired her handgun on May 11. Jefferson County Corporation Counsel Phil Ristow said during Monday’s meeting of the county Parks Committee that the woman has a Wisconsin concealed carry permit allowing her to legally carry the gun on county park property. She fired the weapon while attempting to tuck it back into her belt, he noted. The bullet injured her buttock, and she was treated for the wound at an area hospital. No other people or dogs were injured.
3. BILLINGS, MT, 5/15/14: Prosecutors say a stray bullet from two men who were target shooting traveled some 800 yards and hit about 12 inches above a woman’s head while she was peeling potatoes in her kitchen. Terry McCurdy, 40, and Douglas W. Johnson, 39, appeared in court Friday on charges of negligent endangerment. They were each charged in Yellowstone County Justice Court with misdemeanors, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail. On May 15, a woman was standing at the sink in the kitchen of her trailer home in the 3800 block of Duck Creek when she and her husband heard a loud pop, according to charging documents. At first the couple thought the noise was from fireworks, but then they realized there was a hole in the wall of the kitchen about 7 feet above the floor, prosecutors said. After finding a bullet on the floor, the couple heard more gunshots. They hit the floor and called 911. Two Yellowstone County sheriff’s deputies responded and found the bullet’s impact in a cabinet over the sink about a foot above where the woman had been standing. The deputies then found the two men, identified as McCurdy and Johnson, who had an AR-15 rifle and a .22-caliber revolver, along with ammunition for both guns. According to the deputies, the two men confirmed they had been shooting targets on the riverbank. Both men appeared shocked to learn a bullet had reached the couple’s home, the deputies reported. When one of the deputies explained how close the bullet had come to hitting someone, the two men said they were relieved no one was hurt. Johnson said he owned both guns, and both men said they didn’t know how far a .223-caliber round can travel, according to charging documents. Judge Pedro R. Hernandez set each man’s bond at $1,000 and scheduled their pretrial hearings for Aug. 28.
4. MONTGOMERY, AL, 5/17/14: Funeral services for a 17-year-old who accidentally shot himself in the head on May 17 are set for Wednesday. Lilrodney Hurst, a student at G.W. Carver High School, was playing with a gun with a group of friends when he accidentally shot himself, the Rev. Ken Austin confirmed. "They thought it was empty, but it had one bullet in the chamber," he said. Hurst died May 19 at Baptist Medical Center South. "It seemed to be a really tragic event," Austin said, adding that it occurred in front of six or seven of Hurst's friends. Montgomery police confirmed the shooting was accidental and self-inflicted, but declined to release any further information because there wasn't a criminal investigation.
5. PITTSBURGH, PA, 5/21/14: Pittsburgh police are reviewing an incident in which they say an officer accidentally fired a gun while chasing a suspect in Crafton Heights, an official said on Tuesday. Public safety spokeswoman Sonya Toler said Detective Martin Kail accidentally fired his gun when he fell while pursuing a suspect on foot about 9:40 PM May 21 in the 1400 block of Crucible Street. No one was hurt. "No one was shot, no one was injured," Toler said. She did not know what prompted Kail, a member of the narcotics and vice squad, to chase after the suspect. Toler said the suspect was not apprehended. Supervisors were notified of the incident and arrived at the scene, she said. Kail was hired in 2007, records show.
6. WINSTED, CT, 5/22/14: Winsted and state police are investigating the death of an 87-year-old woman who died from a single gunshot wound at her home. The shooting occurred at 6:40 p.m. Thursday at 424 Platt Hill Road. Police haven't released the name of the victim but town assessment records list the home being owned by a Robert and Madeline Johnson. The state Medical Examiner's Office this afternoon listed the cause of death for Madeline Johnson as a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The manner of death is pending. Local police and members Western District Major Crime Unit are investigating the shooting "to determine the circumstances surrounding this shooting." Winsted police said the shooting was not a random act and the shooting may have been accidental. Police did not say why they believe the shooting to be accidental.
7. MILWAUKEE, WI, 5/22/14: During a shooting incident in Milwaukee last Thursday, a stray bullet flew through a window and into a conference room at Harley-Davidson’s headquarters, a source told FOX6 News in Milwaukee. Several people were inside the room at the time, but none were injured. The shooting occurred three blocks away from Harley’s corporate offices, which are located at N 37th Street and W Juneau Avenue. Another bullet struck a vacant store nearby. No one was injured in the shooting. “We did experience an incident involving shots fired near our Juneau Avenue offices yesterday. Fortunately, no employees were injured,” Tony Macrito, manager of corporate media relations for Harley-Davidson, told FOX6 in a statement Friday.
8. INDIANAPOLIS, IN, 5/23/14: Police dispatch confirms that a 6-year-old was shot on the city’s far east side. The shooting occurred in the 10600 block of E. 30th St., near German Church Rd. The young girl and her father were at the Willow Glen Apartments complex visiting one of the father’s friends.  The child went into a back room and found the gun and fired it. The shot hit her in the arm. The shot also injured her hand. The 6-year-old girl was taken to Riley Hospital for Children.
9. LAMPASAS, TX, 5/23/14: A Lampasas man was taken by ambulance to Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple on Friday with an accidental gunshot wound to the chest. The Lampasas County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 8:14 AM about the shooting, which occurred near the intersection of CR 4330 and CR 4358, Sheriff David Whitis said.
10. GILCHREST CO., FL, 5/23/14: Gilchrist County deputies arrested a California man after they say he shot his friend while they were at Ginnie Springs on Friday night. Amando Christopher Acosta, 22, of Hollister, was charged with using a firearm under the influence of alcohol, said Gilchrist County spokesman Lt. Jeff Manning. Acosta and another man, who has not been identified, were drinking alcohol at Ginnie Springs around 9 PM when for unknown reasons, Acosta allegedly shot the man in the upper right side of his body with a handgun, Manning said. Deputies responded to the scene and took the victim to the hospital for surgery. Manning said the man has undergone multiple surgeries since he was taken to the hospital, and deputies have not been able to speak with him. Deputies said they believe the shooting was an accidental discharge, Manning said. Acosta was booked into the Gilchrist County Jail at 4 AM on Saturday and released later that day on his own recognizance.
11. COTEAU, LA, 5/23/14: Ricky and Sheryl Voisin sometimes feel like they’re living in a war zone, especially after they found a bullet had been shot into their Coteau Road home last month. The couple live on three acres on the edge of the Oakshire Holding Basin, where they say people trespass on the levee to practice shooting their guns. That never bothered them until the afternoon of May 23, when one of the bullets from this makeshift shooting range came too close for comfort. “I heard what sounded like an explosion in the house. I thought something like the heating system in the attic had exploded. So I went up there and looked and didn’t see anything,” 53-year-old Sheryl said. The next day, Sheryl said, she noticed what appeared to be a large mosquito hovering on the back wall of her home. When she got closer to kill it with her shoe she realized it was a bullet hole. Soon they found a bullet from a high-powered rifle lying on their dining room carpet. The next Monday while having lunch with their extended family on Memorial Day, their son-in-law noticed the chair he was sitting in had a bullet hole in it. The bullet traveled from the Oakshire sewerage facility nearly three acres away, hit the back wall of the Voisins’ home, sailed across the living room couch and hit the dining room chair. If the chair had been positioned an inch in either direction, the bullet could have hit one of the house’s front windows and found its way onto the busy road in front of their home. Worse, Sheryl said, if anyone had been sitting on the sofa at the time of the shot — given the bullet’s trajectory — he or she could have been hit in the head. The shooting is likely to continue, said David Tyler, the superintendent of sewer collection systems for Terrebonne Parish, who oversees the property the shooters are trespassing on. “They’re not supposed to be out there. We have signs up that say ‘no trespassing’ and ‘unauthorized access prohibited.’ But they even shoot those signs down,” Tyler said.
12. PITTSBURGH, PA, 5/24/14: A man accused of an overnight shooting in Northview Heights has been arrested. Sgt. Patrick Knepps of Pittsburgh's Zone 1 Police Station said Blake Lamont Green, 35, of McKees Rocks, was arrested around 11:30 PM Saturday for a shooting incident that took place in the 700 block of Mount Pleasant Road. Mr. Green, who sustained a gunshot wound to the right leg, was found laying on the ground unconscious with blood coming from his mouth when police arrived. A second man, Tamekin Bradley, was shot in his groin area. According to the criminal complaint, a security officer in the area broke up a fight between Mr. Green and three other males. A black Smith and Wesson firearm with five live rounds and one spent casing was found on the ground beside Mr. Green. Mr. Bradley and several other witnesses told police Mr. Green pulled his gun out on Mr. Bradley's acquaintance and a scuffle ensued. Witnesses also confirmed Mr. Bradley's account of being shot by Mr. Green. Sgt. Knepp said Mr. Green may have accidentally shot himself in the leg during the fight. A police search uncovered $150 in counterfeit currency and nine stamp bags of heroin in Mr. Green's possession.
13. ALDERPOINT, CA, 5/24/14: A man faces three criminal charges after he allegedly fired his handgun by accident, injuring a woman near Highland Street in Alderpoint on May 24, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. At around 2:40 PM, sheriff's deputies were notified by a caller that a woman had suffered a gunshot wound. When the deputies arrived, the caller — 42-year-old Harold Drummer — admitted to accidentally firing off his handgun, according to officials. The woman was flown to a hospital out of the county for treatment. The sheriff's office is not releasing her identity as part of its investigation. Drummond was arrested on an unrelated warrant and was taken to the Humboldt County jail, where he was held on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, a convicted felon in possession of ammunition and negligently discharging a firearm. Drummond's bail amount was set at $100,000.
14. BOERNE, TX, 5/24/14: A 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed himself Saturday in Boerne, according to the Boerne Police Department. The boy, identified as Adrian Rojo, shot himself in the head Saturday around 2:30 PM on the 100 block of Becker Street. He had been left alone in a car while his parents were moving items in and out of the car, police said. He found a pistol that was in the center console of the car and shot himself in the head. Rojo was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
15. AUBURN, WI, 5/25/14: A Campbellsport area man was shot while fishing on a town of Auburn lake Sunday afternoon. A 51-year-old man told dispatchers that he was fishing aboard his pontoon boat on Lake Auburn around 4:50 PM when he "felt something" and realized he had been shot. Fond du Lac Sheriff's Office Sgt. Jeff Bonack said the man was fishing along the west shore of the lake when he was hit in the leg by a small caliber bullet. Bonack said the man was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital in West Bend where he was treated for a gunshot wound and later released. Bonack said the sheriff's office canvassed the area and were unable to find the origin of the bullet. "It could have been a stray round that could have come from a considerable distance away, which is the problem we're facing in trying to find where the shot came from," Bonack said. "While we don't believe the public is at risk, we plan to retrace our steps.
16. HOMESTEAD, FL, 5/25/14: Authorities are investigating after a 6-year-old boy shot his grandfather during a family barbecue, Sunday. Police arrested Juan Manuel Martinez, Jr. after his 6-year-old nephew discharged Martinez' unattended rifle and killed Martinez' father, Juan Manuel Martinez, Sr. On Sunday, Martinez, Sr. and his son were having a barbecue with family and friends at their home off Northwest Fourth Street and Eighth Avenue in Homestead. According to police, Martinez, Jr. was showing off his assault rifle. He then passed the gun to his father who then set the loaded gun on a table and left it unattended for a moment. During that time Martinez, Jr.'s 6-year-old nephew gained access to the rifle and pulled the trigger fatally shooting his grandfather in the chest.
17. SAN ANTONIO, TX, 5/26/14: A 14-year-old was hospitalized after San Antonio police said he accidentally shot himself in the leg on the Southeast Side. Officers said the teen initially fired a gunshot around midnight as he walked by a home. The teen then got into a car, drove around the block and accidentally shot himself, investigators said. The teen was taken to University Hospital for treatment, but his condition was not immediately released. Police are investigating why the teen opened fired near the home before he injured himself.
18. CHICAGO, IL, 5/26/14: An altercation between two men Monday led to three innocent bystanders getting shot in a Dolton neighborhood. It happened shortly before 11 AM near 143rd Street and Woodlawn Avenue. Police say a man in a car and another on a bicycle started arguing. After the car pulled away, one of the passengers began firing a gun out the window while traveling north on Woodlawn, according to police. Three people who were not involved in the dispute were struck by bullets, and identified as 12-year-old Dajun Edwards, a 17-year-old shot in the thigh and a 21-year-old who was shot in the hand and the thigh. All of the injuries are considered non-life-threatening.
19. PHILADELPHIA, PA, 5/26/14: Police say a man was injured after he accidentally shot himself in the face in Southwest Philadelphia. It happened around 1 AM Monday near 65th and Dagget Streets in the Elmwood section of the city. Authorities say the victim was having an issue with his gun when it discharged, striking him in the face. He was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in stable condition.
20. MIAMI, FL, 5/26/14: One of the few newsworthy moments from this weekend came just before 11:30 last night near 16th Street and Washington Avenue, when an MBPD officer fired her weapon during a traffic stop, shattering at least one vehicle's window. Officers are still investigating what happened, but Hernandez says that indications are it was an accidental discharge.
21. EDGEWATER, FL, 5/26/14: Edgewater police officers can no longer wear key chains on their police belts after an officer's AR 15 rifle fired because the trigger got caught on the key chain. Officers were responding to a possible hostage situation on Kumquat Drive Monday night that turned out to be a hoax. While Officer Tim Huggins was escorting an uncooperative suspect to a car, Huggins' rifle, down at his side, accidentally discharged. Officials said the trigger got caught on the key ring. The round went into the ground and no one was hurt. It is unclear if there will be any disciplinary action against the officer.
22. MACON, GA, 5/26/14: A man accidentally shot himself in the leg Monday with what authorities say was a stolen handgun. Antonio D. Perkins, 21, was at a house on Alfred Drive in southwest Macon about 11:30 Monday morning when he wounded himself in the left leg with a .380-caliber pistol, according to a Bibb County sheriff’s report. The extent of his injury was not noted. Perkins, who lives at another house on Alfred Drive, was taken to a hospital after the shooting. He was booked into the Bibb County jail Tuesday afternoon. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and theft by receiving stolen property.
23. ATLANTA, GA, 5/26/14: A 14-year-old DeKalb County boy who died of a gunshot wound Monday inside a northwest Atlanta apartment may have accidentally shot himself, officials said Tuesday. On Tuesday, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the boy as Mi’Tavius Smith, of Decatur. The examiner’s office said it has not yet ruled on the manner of death, but police said they believe the teen may have accidentally shot himself. Officers responded to the apartment at 407 Sunset Ave. about 5:15 PM after getting a call about the shooting, according to Atlanta police. They arrived to find the teen already dead, police spokeswoman Officer Kim Jones said. Investigators said three teens were inside of the apartment at the time and that the victim had been holding a firearm. It’s unclear where the teen obtained the gun or who owned it. The two other males inside the location remained on scene and were subsequently interviewed, Officer Jones said. The two witnesses told police that the victim discharged the firearm, killing himself, she said. But she did not say where the boy shot himself. “At this point in the investigation it appears that the victim shot himself,” Officer Jones said. Still, police said they are waiting the autopsy for an official ruling. The teenager was visiting family and friends at the time of the shooting, police Capt. Paul Guerrucci told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
24. HALFMOON, NY, 5/26/14: Police determined that the man whose body was found Monday afternoon in woods near 60 Woodin Road died of an accidental gunshot wound, State Police said Tuesday. Darryl F. Bell, 64, tried to get off his all-terrain vehicle with a loaded shotgun when the weapon fired, causing his fatal injuries, troopers said.
25. DETROIT, MI, 5/26/14: An assailant died this week when his cohort’s gun discharged while the cohort pistol-whipped a man on Detroit's west side, George Hunter reports in the Detroit News. The assailant was killed at 11 PM Monday, when he and another man were reportedly assaulting a victim near the intersection of St. Mary’s and Elmira on the northwest side. “One of the men was pistol-whipping the victim when his gun went off, and his partner was shot in the neck,” Assistant Police Chief Steve Dolunt told Hunter.
26. PAYSON, AZ, 5/27/14: A toddler accidentally shot his younger sibling in the head at a Payson home Tuesday. According to the Payson Police Department, a 3-year-old boy found a gun in a home he was visiting with his family. He then shot his 18-month-old sibling in the head. The condition of the baby was not immediately available. The investigation is just beginning. UPDATE: Payson Fire Department officials say a toddler has died following an accidental shooting involving another child on Tuesday.
27. MT. VERNON, NY, 5/27/14: Isaiah Cousins, a former Mount Vernon basketball standout and current guard with the University of Oklahoma Sooners, was wounded Tuesday night when a errant bullet from one of two warring violent street gangs struck him in the back of the shoulder, police said. Cousins is expected to survive his wounds without any surgery, Oklahoma basketball head coach Lon Kruger said of his starter. Police said he was an innocent bystander caught in the gunplay between the "Goonies" and "Gunnas" street gangs. Cousins was with a group near 7 West Third Street – Levister Towers – that had nothing to do with the gang warfare, police said. The Goonies and Gunnas were about a half block to a block away – around Third Street and Third Avenue – when one fired a shot, striking the athlete.
28. WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV, 5/27/14: One person was taken to the hospital on Tuesday evening after an accidental shooting. The Greenbrier County Sheriff's Department is investigating an incident where a man apparently shot his son, Josh Bostic, accidentally. It happened on Tuckahoe Road in White Sulphur Springs. Deputies said that no charges have been filed in the case. Josh Bostic is being treated at an area hospital. Officials said that he is in good condition.
29. KOUTS, IN, 5/27/14: Officials say a police officer left his loaded handgun behind in a staff restroom of a rural northwestern Indiana school. East Porter County Schools superintendent Rod Gardin says the school resource officer removed the gun while using the restroom and didn't retrieve it before responding to an emergency text message. Gardin tells The Times of Munster that a teacher at Morgan Township School near the town of Kouts found the gun inside the locked restroom Tuesday in its elementary/middle school section. Kouts Police Chief Jim Smith says the officer faces disciplinary action according to police department policy and will remain a school resource officer. Gardin says no students at the school about 20 miles southeast of Gary came in contact with the gun.
30. GRASS VALLEY, CA, 5/27/14: A gun fired inside a Grass Valley residence resulted in the wounding of an off-duty Grass Valley police officer shortly before 9 AM Tuesday at the corner of Bank and Bennett streets in Grass Valley. According to Grass Valley Police Lt. Alex Gammelgard, a woman fired a weapon inside a residence on the 200 block of Bank Street, which resulted in a bullet going through the wall of an adjacent apartment on Depot Street and striking an off-duty police officer. The officer reportedly was shot in the foot and transported to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. Further investigation revealed that a single gunshot had been fired from an upstairs bedroom, and the single round went through a bookshelf, the wall and exterior siding, Gammelgard said. It then penetrated the window of the Depot Street apartment, striking the victim in the foot. Gammelgard estimated the bullet traveled approximately 20 yards. The off-duty officer was transported to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital for treatment. The bullet was removed from his foot, and he is in good condition and expected to make a full recovery, Gammelgard said. At this time, it is believed that the firearm discharge was accidental, Gammelgard said.
31. SANTA BARBARA, CA, 5/27/14: Sheriff’s deputies seized several guns and about 1,000 rounds of ammunition from the Isla Vista apartment of a UC Santa Barbara student who was arrested after he accidentally fired one of his weapons Tuesday, officials said. The news comes as a community is still reeling from Friday's rampage that left six UCSB students dead. On Tuesday, deputies were called about 2:30 PM to an apartment in the 6500 block of Pardall Road after a resident reported a bullet being fired into her home, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office said in a press release. Deputies found that the bullet had been shot through her wall from a connecting apartment, narrowly missing her. Deputies went next door and questioned 21-year-old Kevin Tym, who allegedly admitted that he was playing with his legally-owned Glock 17 and accidentally fired off a round. During a search of his apartment, deputies found and seized seven firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, including a high-capacity assault rifle magazine. All of the firearms were legally owned by Tym, deputies said. Tym was released on $2,500 bond. He faces a charge of negligent discharge of a firearm, sheriff's officials said.
32. KINGS BEACH, CA, 5/28/14: Three local men were arrested in connection with an accidental shooting that prompted a precautionary elementary school lockdown Wednesday afternoon on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore. Brandon Lamont Fuller, 19, of Kings Beach, allegedly shot a 22-year-old man at about 1:55 PM at the Village Hairstyles salon in the shopping center at 8645 North Lake Blvd. in Kings Beach, Placer County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Alfredo Guitron said. The shooting may have happened inside the salon, but that’s still not clear, he said. The victim, who is from Sacramento, was shot in the face or cheek, Guitron said. He was taken to a local hospital before being transported to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno. An update on his condition was unknown as of Thursday. Detectives detained Fuller near the scene. Guitron said Fuller claimed it was an accident, as did the victim. After an investigation, two firearms were recovered away from the scene, and Fuller was arrested on suspicion of two charges: negligent discharge of a firearm, an enhancement for great bodily injury; and conspiracy.
33. LEWIS AND CLARK CO., MT, 5/28/14: A man accidentally shot himself at Fort Harrison around 11 AM Wednesday. The injured man was transported in a law enforcement SUV from the scene and transferred to an ambulance at the intersection of Euclid and Henderson, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office Capt. George Cruickshank said. The incident occurred during a training exercise put on by the law enforcement agency for which the man works, Cruickshank said, and the injured man's coworkers were quick to get him en route to the hospital. The man was conscious at the time of the transfer to the ambulance, but his current condition is unknown. The exercise involved officers "drawing their weapons, firing and re-holstering," Cruickshank said. "You are trained and trained and trained to keep your finger off the trigger, but in the heat of the situation ... it just takes one second of mental lapse (to fire accidentally)," he said.
34. DYERSBURG, TN, 5/28/14: Dyer County Sheriff's deputies responded to a local gun shop on Wednesday morning after an employee accidentally shot himself. According to Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box, deputies were dispatched to Old South Trading Co. around 8:45 AM on Wednesday in reference to a gunshot victim. Deputies arrived and spoke with business owner Jimmie Anderson to assess the incident. He stated a customer brought in a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun to be repaired and an employee was handling it when it discharged into the employee's left hand. Deputies observed the 69-year-old employee, from Obion, Tenn., lying on the floor behind the counter with a towel wrapped around his left hand. The customer who brought the weapon in told deputies he unloaded the magazine from the gun, but evidently there was still one round in the chamber. The customer stated the employee had his hand over the end of the barrel when it discharged. The victim was transported to Jackson/Madison County Hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown at this time.
35. PORTLAND, OR, 5/28/14: A male who suffered a gunshot wound in Southeast Portland Wednesday afternoon apparently accidentally shot himself. According to Sgt. Pete Simpson, spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, the man was seated in his car near Ed Benedict Park when he accidentally shot himself in one of his legs. Simpson said the wound did not appear life threatening, according to those who responded. The shooting was reported about 2:07 PM. Several patrol cars responded before the nature of the shooting was learned.
36. HUBER HEIGHTS, OH, 5/28/14: Accidental shooting victim Mae Worthy is the grandmother of one NFL player, but she's been a team mom to dozens of other football players at Wayne High School. Police say Worthy, 70, of Huber Heights, is in critical condition at Miami Valley Hospital after her 69-year-old husband, James, accidentally shot her in the head Wednesday night. Police say Worthy's husband of 50 years was handling a gun in a bedroom and accidentally fired a shot that hit Worthy, who was in another room of their home in the 6300 block of Rolling Glen Drive. "It went through the bedroom wall, down into the opposite end of the house and it just happened to strike her while she was sitting on the couch," said Huber Heights police Lt. Matt Dulaney. "The evidence is in line with his story as to what he's telling us... . (Detectives and evidence crews) have done a thorough investigation and the preliminary investigation reveals that it does appear that it is an accidental shooting." The Worthys are the grandparents of Jerel Worthy, a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers who played at Wayne and Michigan State University.UPDATE: 2 NEWS dug a little deeper into the history at this home. We found this isn’t the first accidental shooting at the home or with this gun. Back in 2007, Worthy tried to break up a fight between his granddaughter and her father, Charles Miller. Miller got the gun and shot his teenager, who survived. The father was also later acquitted of his charges, domestic violence and obstructing official police business. Huber Heights officials said both incidents are unfortunate and said either could have been avoided. UPDATE: Mae Worthy, the grandmother of Packers defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, died Friday morning, according to WHIO of Dayton, Ohio.
37. VACAVILLE, CA, 5/29/14: A person was hospitalized Thursday evening after a gun was accidentally fired inside a home in rural Vacaville while the owner was cleaning it, officials confirmed. The unidentified victim suffered a gunshot wound to leg from a bullet that went through one of the walls of the home in the 5200 block of Winding Way, near Midway and Meridian Roads, around 7:15 p.m., said Solano County Sheriff's Deputy Daryl Snedeker. Both individuals involved in the shooting, which Snedeker said appears to have been accidental, lived in the home. There had not been any altercations or arguments inside the home prior to the shooting, he noted. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment of the wound that deputies on scene said was "almost a graze wound." Initial reports were that the victim was the daughter of the man cleaning his gun, but Snedeker said he could not confirm that. Snedeker said no arrests have been made in the case, which remains under investigation and could be turned over to the Solano County District Attorney's Office.
38. RALEIGH, NC, 5/29/14: Gunfire from another officer's weapon injured a Raleigh police officer this morning. Raleigh police say Officer K.J. Barefoot was treated and released from WakeMed after being wounded in his left leg. The shooting happened around 2:00 a.m. on Colbert Creek Loop after police encountered a man who was armed with a handgun. Police say Sgt. J.D. Malzahn fired his weapon, and Officer Barefoot was wounded. Police say the shooting remains under investigation, and no one has been charged at this time.
39. CHICAGO, IL, 5/29/14: A special education teacher was killed Thursday evening when she was struck by a stray bullet while visiting a real estate office in the Chatham neighborhood. Dr. Betty Howard, 58, taught at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Academy High School in the Roseland neighborhood, where students and staff were remembering her as a life-changing educator. Police said Howard was standing inside a real estate office near 79th Street and Evans Avenue around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, when bullets pierced the wall of the building, and struck Howard and two other people. Howard, a resident of west suburban Broadview, was struck in the head, and was pronounced dead less than an hour later at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The other two victims suffered graze wounds and were treated at the scene.
40. DETROIT, MI, 5/30/14: A Detroit music store owner fired his gun Friday when he thought someone inside the store was up to no good, Detroit police said. His gunshot missed that person, went through the store window and struck a man outside in the head. This shooting originally was reported as a botched robbery in which the owner fired at intruders. However, upon further review, Detroit police say the story has changed. The man who was an apparent bystander was in critical condition but later died at the hospital. The store owner is being questioned by police. Detectives told Local 4 the man inside the store ducked and the bullet missed him, came out the front window, striking a man standing in front of the store in the head. It's not clear what the person inside was up to. UPDATE: Authorities have identified a 16-year-old bystander shot to death on a Detroit street after the owner of a music store fired a gun at a suspected robber. The Wayne County medical examiner's office says Senghore Ball was shot in the head. The store owner has a valid concealed pistol license. The Detroit Free Press reports he was arrested Friday but later released pending the issuance of a warrant.
41. ARTHUR CITY, TX, 5/30/14: A 63-year-old Arthur City man remains in stable condition after being taken by helicopter to a Dallas hospital due to an accidental gunshot wound to his face late Friday. Lamar County Sheriff’s Office received the 911 call a little before 11 p.m., when a man calmly told dispatchers he had been shot, according to Sheriff Scott Cass. Deputies arrived to find the man coherent and sitting on his porch as he told them he had accidentally shot himself in the face and had to call 911 because he was home alone.
42. BRADENTON, FL, 5/31/14: Bradenton police are investigating after a woman claims she accidentally shot herself with a stolen gun. The woman entered the emergency room at Manatee Memorial Hospital around 5:27 a.m. Saturday with a gunshot wound to her left thigh, according to a police report. The woman admitted to shooting herself accidentally while driving, the report states. Officers found a firearm inside her car that they later learned had been stolen.
43. WEEKHAWKEN, NJ, 5/31/14: A man fired a gun in the lobby of a Weehawken hotel early this morning in the course of carrying out a robbery but left no one injured, according to Det. Lt. Iggy Mitolo of the Weehawken Police Department. At around 2 a.m., the man -- who has not yet been identified and apprehended by police -- entered the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel at 500 Harbor Blvd. and carried out the robbery, Mitolo said. While pulling phone wires out of a wall in the lobby with the same hand he was using to hold his gun, the man accidentally shot off a round, he said. The bullet went into a wall, and officers later recovered a shell casing at the scene, Mitolo said.
44. WEITCHPEC, CA, 5/31/14: On Saturday 05/31/2014 at approximately 2:45 PM, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office received a call regarding a gunshot victim that was being transported by a citizen to the Willow Creek area for medical assistance. The shooting occurred in the area of Upper Cappel RD in Weitchpec. A deputy arrived and discovered that a juvenile male had a gunshot wound to the abdominal area and was currently being prepped by medical personnel to be transported by helicopter to an out of the area hospital for treatment. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that two juvenile males were in possession of a 9MM semi-auto handgun and an accidental discharge of the firearm occurred. The juvenile victim is currently in stable condition.
45. MOULTRIE, LA, 5/31/14: Alcohol and firearms don’t mix, as two men are learning after separate incidents that fortunately resulted in only minor injuries. Moultrie police said Thomas Ryan Moore, 22, of 1519 Elton Clark Road, Omega, was charged with reckless conduct Saturday after accidentally shooting Adam Wood, 27, of Moultrie. Wood suffered “superficial injuries,” according to the police report. He was treated at Colquitt Regional Medical Center and was released, police said. Moore said he was walking out of Bentley’s Restaurant and Lounge, 1520 S. Main St., about 1:30 a.m. Sunday with Wood, lounge owner Joshua Meister, and Meister’s fiancee Jackie Newton. He told police Newton had a revolver and he took it from her. Moore said he didn’t think the revolver was a “real gun” because it had a laser on it. He was pointing it around, and when he pointed it at Wood, it went off. “Moore’s eyes were bloodshot and he was unsteady on his feet,” the officer reported. “I also detected the odor commonly associated with metabolized alcoholic beverages coming from his person. Moore admitted to me he drank several beers and also had at least two shots of Fireball whiskey. He said this probably affected his judgment in regards to the revolver.” Meister said he was in the next room when he heard the gun discharge but otherwise corroborated Moore’s story. The gun, a .38 Smith & Wesson, is registered to Meister, police said. A Colquitt County sheriff’s deputy was initially dispatched to the call because the parties reported the shooting took place elsewhere because they didn’t want Meister to get into trouble, the deputy told the reporting MPD officer.
46. WINDBER, PA, 5/31/14:  State police say the Windber man charged with shooting his pregnant girlfriend Saturday told responders he accidentally shot her in the face after breaking his shotgun during an argument. Denver Blough, 25, then allegedly worried “What’s going to happen to my baby?” as they took him to the state police barracks in Somerset, investigators said. Caressa Kovalcik, 23, died the night of the shooting from a shotgun head wound, shortly after an emergency surgery was conducted at Memorial Medical Center to deliver the child she had been carrying for nine months. The cesarean section procedure was reportedly completed without complications although the baby was flown to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for care. According to a criminal complaint filed Monday, police arrived at the scene shortly before 7 p.m. to find Blough at the apartment. “I shot her,” Blough allegedly told a Windber patrolman. After signing a Miranda Rights warning and waiver, he later told state troopers he and Kovalcik were arguing. In anger, he allegedly broke his 20-gauge gun into two pieces, separating the barrel from its stock, Trooper Ted Goins wrote  an affidavit. “Blough related he took the barrel assembly out to a kitchen area to show Kovalcik, where it discharged into her face,” Goins wrote.
47. BLACK HAWK CO., IA, 5/31/14: One person was injured in a Saturday night shooting near Hudson. Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a home southeast of Hudson around 10:15 Saturday night. Deputies were told that four people had been Coyote Hunting that night. When they returned to the home, One person pointed his shotgun in the direction of another man and and the gun discharged. The bullet hit 18-year-old Alex Bratten of Jesup in the shoulder. An ambulance took Bratten to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo with a serious injury, He was later transported to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the shooting. Deputies on scene were assisted by the Hudson Police and Fire Departments.

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO DAVID WALDMAN ON WED JUN 04, 2014