Two men injured when gun discharges at gun show in Illinois

Two men were injured Saturday morning when a gun discharged at the Gun & Knife Show in Bloomington, Illinois. According to reports, someone at the show was looking at a mini-14 semiautomatic rifle. When they put the gun back on the vendor table the gun unexpectedly discharged. The .223-caliber bullet shot through a wooden post, went through one person's arm and then hit another person in the chest.
Both victims were taken to nearby medical facilities. One victim was treated and released, the other is still hospitalized and is listed in critical but stable condition after surgery.
Ohh shoot.

First man unintentionally shoots himself, then toddler picks up same gun and shoots his mother

Saturday night, Allen Jones of Bay Minette, Alabama went to get the .40-caliber Glock handgun out of glove compartment of his truck. As he was walking through a screened porch area into his house he tripped and fell and dropped the gun. The gun discharged and the bullet hit Jones in the left thigh, just above the knee. Jones called to his wife, Aleisha, for help and she and their toddler son came running. The boy picked up the gun and when Aleisha tried to get the gun away from the child, the gun fired, wounding her in the left side of the neck.
The couple was taken to USA Medical Center in Mobile for treatment. Their injuries do not appear to be life threatening. Police said that further investigation is pending but there are no charges at this time.
Ohh shoot.

Teenager wanted to scare his friend with gun didn't check to see if gun was loaded

According to a friend, Luke Bryant and Tyler Seaney liked to play a game where where they pointed guns at one another. "The purpose of the game was to scare each other." Last Saturday the 19-year-old boys were playing just such a game in a home in Belfast, Maine.
Tyler scared Luke by shooting him in the leg with an Airsoft gun. So Luke decided to get back at him. According to police records "Luke told detectives he was 'attempting to dry-fire the gun,' and he described dry-firing as pulling the trigger on an unloaded gun, which would still cause the trigger to make an audible clicking sound without the weapon firing."  Unfortunately, Luke failed to check to see if the shotgun he had picked up was unloaded.
Luke pointed the shotgun at the bathroom door, where he knew Tyler was at the time, waiting to scare Tyler when he came out of the bathroom. But because the shotgun was loaded, instead of dry-firing he unintentionally shot Tyler.
Tyler was pronounced dead at the scene. Luke has been arrested and charged with manslaughter.
In the "About Me" section on Luke's My Space Luke writes, "as you can tell from my profile I like guns....."
Ohh shoot.

8-year-old boy unintentionally shoots and kills his mother while cleaning gun

An 8-year-old boy was cleaning a firearm in his home in Hico, West Virginia. The gun unintentionally discharged and shot his mother, 29-year-old Jennifer Lynn Bailes. She died at the scene.
Police would not specify what type of firearm it was but said the incident is being treated as an accidental shooting.
Jennifer, a homemaker, was the mother of six children.
Ohh shoot.

Man unintentionally shot in head helped in his recovery with new robotic technology

Last July 24-year-old Michael Widun, of Enfield, Connecticut, was at his friend's apartment.  Widun wanted to see his friend's gun, so 27-year-old Raymond Moule pulled his 9mm handgun out from under his bed.  Moule unintentionally discharged the gun, shooting Widun in the head.  The bullet entered the back of Widun's head and exited the right side.
Seven months later Widun is working to recover from this traumatic brain injury. He is being helped in his recovery by a robotic therapy device called the Lokomat which allows Widun to walk more efficiently. The machine holds his weight and lets him walk long distances without having to use a cane. "It's good repetitive training, which helps rewire Kevin's neuromuscular system," said his doctor.
Widun still faces a long road ahead. "Well, I'm hoping to hopefully go back to work," he said. "I was installing floors. So hopefully one day I can return to that. You know, ditch the cane and just walk normally."
Ohh shoot.

Father testifies against guns on campus bill after daughter shot and killed at frat party

On January 9th, 20-year-old Ashely Cowie was shot and killed in an unintentionally shooting at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house on the campus of Florida State University. Today, her father, Dr. Robert Cowie, testified against a bill that would allow guns on college campuses in Florida.
Dr. Cowie said he is sharing his daughter's story to help prevent other families and students from becoming victims. He told the Florida senate committee that safety on campus is best left to police officers.
Dr. Cowie testified that two years ago he dropped Ashley off for college and helped unload her boxes. At the time, he didn't realize he'd be bringing her home in a different box.
Ohh shoot.

Florida pastor unintentionally shoots and kills himself

64-year-old Pastor John Bartha died at his home Saturday night while a gun he was handling unintentionally discharged. Bartha was shot in the chest and died a short time later.
Bartha was the pastor at the Ruskin United Methodist Church in Ruskin, Florida. He was a veteran of the Vietnam was and an avid outdoorsman who was familiar with guns. Investigators have not released the type of gun involved in the shooting but believe that Bartha was moving when the gun went off. Bartha is survived by his wife of 37 years, three children and two grandchildren.
Ohh shoot.

2-year-old climbs on stool, opens gun case, takes out weapon, shoots himself

2-year-old Vaughn Taylor was at his home in Rusk, Texas with his mother Saturday night. There was a gun case on top of a small dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room. Vaughn used a stool to crawl up, get the case, open it and take out the .32-caliber handgun inside. He then unintentionally shot himself in the chest.
Vaughn was rushed to a hospital in Dallas and underwent more than eight hours of surgery. Doctors are optimistic about his recovery, although there is some concern about lasting nerve damage.
Ohh shoot.

4-year-old twins of sheriff find father's gun, tragedy follows

Greg Mehlbauer is a deputy with the Franklin County Sheriff's office in Indiana. Wednesday afternoon his 4-year-old twin sons were playing alone in the basement of their home when they found a loaded .40-caliber semi-automatic Glock handgun. While the boys were handling the gun it unintentionally fired, shooting Aiden in the abdomen. The boy was rushed to the hospital but later died of his injuries.
Mehlbauer had left for his shift with the sheriff's department a short time before the accident. When he heard about the shooting he began speeding back home, causing a minor wreck on the way.
Ohh shoot.

Two guys in Georgia, two separate incidents, try to take gun out of waistband, unintentionally shoot themselves

Last weekend, two men in Columbus, Georgia were injured in two separate unintentional shootings.
27-year-old Carlos Williams was arguing with his wife. Williams went to pull a handgun out of his hooded sweatshirt when the gun unintentionally fired, hitting him in the stomach. The bullet came out his buttocks. Williams is still in the hospital but when he is released he will be charged with Theft by Receiving Stolen Property and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He told police he wasn't planning on shooting his wife when he went for the gun.
51-year-old Samuel Cole was being driven to the hospital for treatment for mental issues when he started arguing with his 31-year-old son. His son pulled the car into a parking lot and Cole got out of the vehicle and started threatening to shoot his son. While trying to pull a handgun out of his waistband he shot himself in the groin. He was taken to the hospital, treated, and released. Cole has been charged with Aggravated Assault.
Ohh shoot.

Family of woman shot at restaurant when man at next table dropped his gun wants criminal charges filed

On January 13th, 71-year-old Diana Barker went out to dinner with her husband and friends at a local restaurant in Houston, Texas. Diana was shot in the buttocks when a gun fell out of the pocket of a man's jacket at the next table. The handgun fired when it hit the floor.


The bullet came up and hit her in the left buttocks, came through her hip bone, up across her stomach and is still lodged in the right hand side of her chest. Diana was in the hospital for two weeks and is still at a rehabilitation center. Her recovery hasn't been easy and is likely to result in hundred of thousand of dollars in medical bills.
Her family wants to see charges brought against the gun owner. "We feel that there should be both criminal and civil penalties for this reckless and negligent behavior," said her son Richard. Prosecutors say that although the man is not facing charges at this time, that could change.
The gun owner said he is distraught over what happened and didn't realize the loaded gun was in his jacket.
"It scares me if that were the truth," Richard said, "because that means he had a loaded weapon in his house and he didn't know where the gun was."
Ohh shoot.

13-year-old unintentionally shot at barbecue dies

Saturday night, 13-year-old Kasey Canada went with her 23-year-old babysitter to a barbecue at a home in Canaveral Groves, Florida. The host of the party, 25-year-old Justin Adkins, was in the bedroom showing a friend his .380-caliber handgun when the gun unintentionally discharged. The bullet went through the wall and into the kitchen where it struck Kasey in the back. The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The State Attorney's Office will decided whether or not to charge Adkins in the shooting. Grief counselors will be at Kasey's middle school today to talk to students.
Ohh shoot.

Man gets 10 years for celebratory gunfire that killed an 11-year-old boy

On New Year's Eve, 2007, Zenon Fernandez of North Miami, Florida decided to celebrate by shooting off his gun. He took his Glock handgun and shot into a discarded couch outside his apartment complex. Unfortunately, 11-year-old Joshua Arroliga was playing a game of hide-and-seek with his friends and was hiding behind the couch. Joshua was shot several times, including once in the head, and was killed.
Fernandez was sentenced today to 10 years in prison. At his sentencing Fernandez once again apologized to Joshua's family, saying it was an accident and he had no intentions to harm anyone.
"I don't know how you can classify this an accident," Joshua's mother replied, "A person who pulled out a gun and shot - it didn't shoot by itself. Somebody shot it and that was him."
Since the shooting Miami-Dade officials have stressed to the community not to turn to the popular tradition of shooting guns in the air to celebrate the New Year.
Ohh shoot.

Mother and son cleaning out room unintentionally discharge shotgun

A mother and son were working to clean out a room in their Floresville, Texas home when a shotgun was unintentionally discharged.
The woman suffered an injury to her face and her hand. Her son received a superficial gun shot wound to his ear.
The woman is listed in stable condition at the local hospital.
Ohh shoot.

UT Tyler student unintentionally kills himself while cleaning his gun

24-year-old Ben Bradley was at his family's home in Gladewater, Texas when a gun he was cleaning unintentionally discharged and shot him in the chest. Ben died at the scene.
Ben was an engineering student at the University of Texas Tyler. He was also a staff writer for the Talon, the school newspaper. News reports describe the death as "a test of faith for a college family and the family that loses a son."
Ohh shoot.

Boy unintentionally shot his sister, bandaged her up, sent her to school

A fourth-grade girl and her fifth-grade bother were alone in the their home in Green Bay, Wisconsin when they heard some noises outside and went and got a gun. The boy unintentionally shot his sister in the upper chest. The bullet went in at an angle by her throat, hit her vertebrae and exited under her arm. The brother cleaned the wound, bandaged his sister and put her to bed.
The next morning the girl went to school. A teacher noticed something was wrong and persisted in questioning the girl. Finally she told the teacher, "Yeah, I got shot last night."
Doctors say the odds of the girl escaping more serious injury were one in a million. She is currently in the hospital and can go home in a few days.
Police are investigating and say charges could be filed against the father if they find the gun was left unsecured.
Ohh shoot.

Woman who was shot in restaurant when man at next table dropped his gun faces long, long road to recovery

In January, 71-year-old Diana Barker was having dinner at Raffas restaurant in Kingwood, Texas with her husband and friends when a man at the next table dropped his gun. When the gun hit the floor it discharged and the bullet hit Diana in the buttocks.
According to a web site set up by Diana's children to update her friends on her progress, the bullet hit Diana on the left buttocks and then continued up through her hip, into her abdomen and ended at the right side of her chest. Immediate emergency surgery stopped the internal bleeding. The bullet missed the major artery and all vital organs but made a mess of the small and large intestines. Diana underwent a second surgery to rejoin her small intestines and removed another part of her large intestine. She will have to have a colostomy for approximately six months. Diana is still in a rehabilitation facility, struggling to recover from her injury.
The man who dropped the gun said he is totally distraught after the incident. He said he had on a jacket he hadn't worn in a year and didn't know it had his .38-caliber derringer gun in its pocket.
How can you be so nonchalant about your guns that an entire year goes by and you have no idea where a gun is, you don't miss it, you don't wonder about it, and you forget that it is in the pocket of the coat you are wearing?
Ohh shoot.

Secret Service agent shoots self in hip

A Secret Service agent who is assigned to the detail that protects Nancy Reagan unintentionally shot himself in the hip during a firearm training session in Camarillo, California. The agent, who has not been identified, was putting his gun back in his holster when the gun discharged. The bullet struck him in the hip. He has been hospitalized with a non-life threatening injury.
The division that protects the President's wife had rented part of a shooting range for a routine training session.
Ohh shoot.

Man at work at insurance company shot when security guard drops gun

A 34-year-old employee at the Bankers Life and Casualty Company in Chesterfield, Missouri was shot in the leg after a security guard dropped his gun and it fired. The worker's injuries were not life-threatening and he is being treated at a local hospital.
The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. Thursday in a hallway inside the insurance company's office. Police have not identified the 64-year-old security guard but as of now are classifying it as an accidental discharge of a gun. The security guard works for a private firm.
Ohh shoot.

Unintentional shootings at gun shows in Florida and Arkansas

Two men went to gun shows in two different states over the weekend, looking to sell their guns. (Private gun show sales - no background check run on the purchaser, no record of the sale kept.)
56-year-old Stephen Donnelly went to the gun show at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale, Arkansas. Donnelly neglected to unload his shotgun before entering the show. He unintentionally fired the shotgun at the entrance to the convention center. The gun was pointed at the floor and the round struck the tile and pellets ricocheted off the floor and struck a man standing nearby in the stomach and upper arm. The man's injuries were minor. Donnelly was charged with battery third degree, assault first degree and criminal mischief.
A 68-year-old man went to the Suncoast Gun Show at the Manatee Convention Center in Palmetto, Florida. He was looking to sell his 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Gun show staff unloaded the gun and placed a zip-tie device in the trigger housing to prevent the gun from firing. At some point the man went out to the parking lot, reloaded his gun and was trying to remove the zip-tie when he unintentionally shot himself in the stomach. The injury required surgery and the man is in the hospital listed in stable condition.
Ohh shoot.

Man unintentionally fires his gun inside local tattoo parlor

A client at a tattoo parlor in Bellingham, Washington unintentionally fired his gun inside the Black Rose Tattoo Parlor Wednesday. The tattoo artist noticed the man had a gun in a holster on his hip and asked the man to remove the ammunition magazine because the shop had a rule against loaded guns. The man complied. When he was finished getting the tattoo he went to put the magazine back in the handgun and unintentionally fired the gun. The bullet hit the floor and two walls, causing about $500 in damage.
When the owner told the man he was calling the police, the man ran out the back door.
Ohh shoot.

Son of Nebraska's lieutenant governor unintentionally shoots himself in the face

21-year-old Joel Sheehy, son of Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy, was handling a handgun he owns when the gun unintentionally discharged. According to a statement, "the bullet entered Joel's right front cheek and exited behind his right ear. He is under medical supervision and in stable condition. He will undergo surgery Wednesday afternoon to repair facial fractures."
Joel is a senior at the University of Nebraska where he is studying biotechnology. According to his Facebook page, Joel is a fan of the group Anything About Guns.
Ohh shoot.

Officer's gun unintentionally discharges, but he falsely claims he was shot by assailant

On January 19th, Los Angeles Unified School District police Officer Jeff Stenroos claimed he had been shot by a man with a gray ponytail who had been breaking into cars. A massive dragnet followed as hundreds of officers were dispatched to search for the assailant. The manhunt cost an estimated $500,000 and shut down seven square miles of the west San Fernando Valley.
Officer Stenroos has now told investigators that it was all a hoax and that he accidentally fired his gun. Stenroos has been arrested and booked on suspicion of making a false police report.
Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case. "Right now we have more questions than answers," said a senior LAPD official.
Ohh shoot.