Man demonstrating safety features on handgun unintentionally shoots and kills himself

23-year-old Randall Butler of Sanford, North Carolina was showing off the safety features of his new handgun to friends when he unintentionally shot and killed himself. Butler was telling his friends that if the safety was engaged on the gun you could pull the trigger and nothing would happen. So he put the .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun to his head and pulled the trigger.
According to police, "He had held the gun up to his head and pulled the trigger and it went 'click' but it didn't go off." His friends told him to stop and put the gun away but Butler continued. He pulled the slide back and chambered a round, then put the gun to the side of his head for a second time. That time the gun fired.
Police said it appeared that Butler took the weapon off of safe when he pulled the slide, and forgot to re-engage the safety before he pulled the trigger. It did not appear alcohol or drugs were involved in the incident.

Customer and Dealer Unintentionally Fire Gun at Gun Show, Three Injured

A customer was looking at a semi-automatic handgun at a gun show at the Gibraltar Trade Center in Mount Clemens, Michigan when he unintentionally discharged the gun. The gun dealer took the gun back and was inspecting it when he also unintentionally discharged the gun. Two women and a 10-year-old girl were struck by fragments and received minor injuries. They were treated at the gun show.
The trade center's management has banned the gun dealer from future gun shows. Authorities are reviewing the incident to determine if charges will be filed.
Ohh shoot.

Texas town's only police officer unintentionally shoots himself in hand while checking out new gun

Because of police force resignations and terminations in recent months the town of Reno, Texas currently has only one police officer, Thomas Kirby. Monday afternoon Officer Kirby was examining a new duty handgun when he unintentionally discharged the weapon. The bullet hit his pinky. He was treated at a local hospital and returned to work on Tuesday.
"I would expect that to happen on a gun range," said a former Reno mayor. "If they were having a gun training in the back, it should have been with an unloaded weapon with the clip out."
Ohh shoot.

13-year-old checking to see if gun is loaded unintentionally shoots his 2 young cousins

A 13-year-old Mansfield, Texas boy found his father's .22 caliber rifle inside a storage shed. He wanted to see if the gun was loaded so he pulled the trigger. The gun discharged and the bullet went through the shed's open door toward a porch where two cousins of the boy were playing. The bullet went through the chest of 6-year-old Arron, missing all the major organs, and then struck 4-year-old Alicia in the wrist, ricocheted off her bone and lodged into the side of her head. The children were rushed to a nearby fire station and airlifted to a hospital. The boy is home and the girl is recovering from minor head surgery.
According to a family member, "It was an accident. I mean, he knew he shouldn't have been playing. His dad always tells him not to play with stuff that adults should handle."
Police said that since the shooting appears to be accidental no charges have been filed against the boy or his father for not keeping the gun locked up.
Ohh shoot.

Teen faces multiple charges in unintentional shooting death

A 16-year-old Wichita, Kansas boy was showing off his grandfather's .357 revolver when he unintentionally discharged the gun, shooting 16-year-old Nathaniel Terrell in the chest. Nathaniel was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The boy who did the shooting has not been identified. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, criminal possession of a firearm by a juvenile, and being a minor in possession of alcohol. Court records do not indicate if he will be tried as an adult or as a juvenile.
A Facebook page has been set up as a memorial to Nathaniel.

Oregon man unintentionally shoots himself in the groin

A Canby, Oregon man was sitting in his truck in the parking lot of the NAPA Auto Parts Store in Newberg when he unintentionally shot himself in the groin with a .40-caliber handgun. Paramedics from the Newberg-Dundee Fire Department happened to be in the Napa store when the shooting occurred and rushed to attend to the man's injuries. When police officers arrived the man spoke briefly to them and gave them permission to remove the gun from the truck and store it safely. He was then transported to a Portland-area hospital for treatment.
A police press release noted, "At this time, officers do not have any information to suggest the man had any criminal intentions or this was anything but accidental." News video from a local television station show an NRA sticker on the back window of the man's truck.
Ohh shoot.

3 tourists unintentionally shot during Old West shootout reenactment in South Dakota

John Ellis, an optometrist from Pittsburgh, PA, was vacationing with his wife and two daughters in Hill City, South Dakota. The family was watching a reenactment of a Wild West shootout when Ellis fell to the ground, clutching his bloodied elbow. "I was shot in the forearm, and it went through the other side of my elbow," Ellis told reporters, "I had surgery around midnight Friday to remove bone and lead fragments."
Two other tourists were shot and injured during the show. Carrol Knutson of Minnesota was shot in the leg and Jose Pruneda of Nebraska suffered a minor flesh wound.
The Sheriff's office has not released details from its investigation, including refusing to speculate on how normally blank cartridges could have caused the injuries. This is not the first time someone has been injured watching the mock gun battle by the Dakota Wild Bunch Reinactors. In 2002, a woman survived after being shot in the head at the show.
"I'd think, 'OK, well some accidents happen', but with this previous incident, that's a little bit more concerning to me," said Ellis. Ellis also expressed concern for his optometry practice. "I'll be splinted for eight weeks, possibly, and that could be eight weeks weeks of no wages," he said.
Ohh shoot.

11-year-old unintentionally shot and killed after a day of turtle hunting

11-year-old Christian Jordan, of Kiln, Mississippi, was returning from an outing with his father, Blue, and a 14-year-old friend. The three of them had been to a hunting camp where they spent the day shooting turtles in the backwater. They stopped to pick up some food on the way home and while Blue went inside the restaurant the two boys stayed in the car. The older boy was in the backseat and went to move a .22-caliber handgun when he unintentionally discharged the gun. The bullet went through the seat and hit Christian in the chest. He was rushed to the hospital but died a short time later.
The District Attorney is investigating the incident and no charges have been filed. Mississippi law does not prohibit having a loaded gun in a vehicle.
Ohh shoot.

Stepfather who taught firearm safety charged after unintentional shooting death of six-year-old girl

Jarred Dubois, of Fresno, California, has been charged with First Degree Criminal Storage of a Firearm following the unintentional shooting death of his six-year-old stepdaughter Emily. Emily was accidentally shot in the chest by her 2-year-old brother with a gun that belonged to Dubois. The boy found the loaded, unlocked handgun under his father's bed and shot his sister in front of two siblings.
According to Dubois' lawyer the gun was normally kept behind plastic storage containers under the bed but the couple had just purchased a new bed and not everything had been put back under the bed yet. "It was really just a matter of hours, less than a day, and it changed the whole circumstances," said the lawyer.
Dubois is a former Marine and has worked with the Sea Cadets youth program and the Boy Scouts for several years. He teaches firearm safety.
"He talked about how you should never point the gun, the barrel, at somebody when it's not loaded," said a 14-year-old boy who took classes with Dubois.
Police took 53 guns from the Dubois home following the shooting. His attorney said only 3 or 4 guns belonged to Dubois, the rest were his father's and rifles that were used in the Sea Cadet training. He said those rifles were locked in a gun safe in the garage. But police found another loaded, unlocked handgun in a closet, along with several unlocked rifles in the house. Five children, aged 2 to 15, lived in the home.

8-year-old autistic boy unintentionally shoots and kills younger brother

An 8-year-old autistic boy unintentionally shot and killed his 5-year-old brother in a motel room in Houston, Texas where they were living with their father. The family had been living at the Motel 6 for about a year. The father had left the room to pay their monthly bill when the boy got hold of a rifle and shot his brother in the torso.
Police said the 8-year-old ran to get this father after the shooting. "Well, the dad had a gun so I don't know if the gun was in the room or the truck," said the homicide detective, "We don't know exactly where it was at when this happened." The younger brother died at the scene.
The father told police he had been planning to pawn the gun and some power tools to help make ends meet. Police also removed a cat and a chicken from the motel room.

Man ordered to pay roommate $7,178 in restitution following unintentional shooting

25-year-old Blair Margiotti, of Mitchell, South Dakota, was intoxicated on March 5th when he unintentionally shot his roommate, Roger, in the right knee. At the time, Margiotti was trying to unload his .22-caliber handgun.
Margiotti pleaded guilty to reckless discharge of a firearm and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and ordered to pay $7,178.15 in restitution to Roger. He is also barred from possessing firearms for one year.
Roger submitted a letter to the court saying he "did not wish for (Margiotti) to go to jail, seeing as it was an accident" but he did request restitution.
This is the second time in recent months Margiotti has been charged with an accidental discharge of a firearm. In December he unintentionally fired the same handgun at his girlfriend's apartment. No one was injured.

Gun shop owner unintentionally shoots himself in the hand

81-year-old John Coscia was alone in his gun shop, John's Gun & Tackle Shop, in Palmer Township, Pennsylvania when he unintentionally shot himself in the hand with a 9mm Glock handgun. Coscia had just obtained the gun though a trade-in earlier in the day. He was treated and released from the local hospital.
In 2007, as the result of a New York City lawsuit against gun shops, Coscia agreed to have his shop supervised for three years. The lawsuit alleged that the shop participated in straw purchases after 12 guns sold in the store were recovered after being used to commit crimes in New York.
Coscia was also injured during two robberies at the store, one in 2004 and one in 2007. During the 2004 robbery Corcia was pistol-whipped.
Ohh shoot.

Son with diminished mental capacity armed himself because he thought he heard an intruder, accidentally shoots and kills father

20-year-old Marcus White, of Samsula, Florida heard noises outside the camper he was in with his father, 50-year-old Douglas White. Marcus was afraid someone was trying to break into the camper so he tried to wake his father. When he couldn't get his father to wake up, he took his father's handgun from its holster and went to look out the window to see if anyone was there. Marcus didn't see anyone and as he turned around, still holding the gun in his hand, he unintentionally pulled the trigger, firing a bullet that struck his father in the back as he slept in a nearby bed. Douglas was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the sheriff's spokesperson, "Due to the son's mental state, investigators have taken him into custody under Florida's Baker Act for a mental health evaluation." A neighbor told reporters that Marcus had certain mental issues that required him to have adult supervision and that his father provided it, bringing his son along wherever he went.

18-year-old steals loaded gun from car, accidentally shoots friend

18-year-old Heath O'Brien of Rockwell, North Carolina was arrested and charged in connection with a number of break-ins. Rowan County Sheriffs have been investigating reports of numerous car break-ins. The cars were broken into during the night, while the owners slept. A loaded .38-special handgun was stolen from one of the cars. When detectives discovered that Aaron Yarborough, who lived close to the area of the break-ins, had been shot in the hand with a .38-special handgun they questioned him. Yarborough gave conflicted stories but eventually identified O'Brien as the man who had shot him in the hand, but stated the shooting was unintentional.
Detectives have recovered a number of items that it is believed were stolen from the car break-ins. News reports did not say why someone left a loaded gun in their car.
Ohh shoot.

11-year-old waiting to go into movie theater shot

An 11-year-old Stockton, California girl was waiting to get into the movies at Regal Cinemas when two groups of teenage boys started fighting nearby. One of the teenagers pulled out a gun and started shooting, hitting the girl in the leg. The girl's injuries were not life-threatening. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Police say they have plenty of witnesses to the incident but have not made any arrests yet.
Ohh shoot.

Deputy who was suspended for unintentionally discharging gun, fired for using database to look up Hollywood stars

40-year-old Monica Weiben was fired from her job at the Collier County, Florida Sheriff's Office for using the Florida Criminal Information Center, National Crime Information Center, and the Driver and Vehicle Information databases nearly 300 times to look up information on other deputies, professional athletes, musicians and celebrities. In January, she had been suspended without pay for two days and put on a year of probation for an incident involving the unintentional discharge of a gun.
The incident happened when Weiben was visiting a SWAT team member of the Sheriff's Office when the two were off duty. Weiben said she'd had at least two Smirnoff Malt beverages and a shot of vodka when she and the other officer starting "getting intimate" on the couch. To make himself more comfortable, the officer took his gun from his holster and put it on the table next to them. When he went to the bathroom Weiben picked up the gun to move it farther away and unintentionally discharged the gun. The officer said he came out of the bathroom and saw Weiben with the gun in her hand and she had a "look of disbelief on her face" and told him, "I didn't realize it was loaded."
The bullet pierced an area rug and embedded in the wood floor. Weiben was initially charged with use of a firearm under the influence of alcohol but the charges were later dropped.
Ohh shoot.

Man carelessly handling gun shoots and kills roommate

22-year-old Mack Thomas of Plumwood, Ohio was carelessly handling a .25-caliber handgun when he unintentionally discharged the gun and shot his roommate. 17-year-old Brandon Landis was shot in the head and died at the scene.
Thomas panicked after the shooting and ran off into the woods but returned to the home after he fell and injured himself. He was arrested and charged with reckless homicide. According to the Madison County Sheriff there was no fight between the roommates, that Thomas was messing around with the gun when it fired. "It appears he didn't mean for this to happen," said the Sheriff.
Ohh shoot.

14-year-old mistakes father for intruder, shoots him

35-year-old Steven Graham of Orangeburg, South Carolina and his 14-year-old son thought there was a trespasser at their house so the two of them got guns and went outside at 2 a.m. to search. They split up, circling their home. According to the police report when the son spotted what he thought was an intruder, he attempted to communicate but when the person did not respond, he fired a single shot from his .22-caliber rifle. Graham was shot in the arm and chest. He was flown to Palmetto Health Richland where he is recovering from his injuries.
Both father and son stated the shooting was an accident. No charges have been filed. Police found no intruder on the property.
Ohh shoot.

53 guns found in home where 6-year-old unintentionally shot and killed

6-year-old Emily Lavender was in a bedroom of her Fresno, California home with two of her sisters last Sunday when her 2-year-old stepbrother came in with a loaded handgun he had found in his parents' bedroom. The toddler unintentionally fired the handgun, striking Emily in the chest. She died at the home.
When police searched the home to recover the handgun they found other weapons. Police confiscated 53 guns from the home. Emily's stepfather was questioned by police and released. California law requires guns be kept out of the reach of children. The investigation is still ongoing but an arrest could come. Four other children, ages 2 to 15, who lived in the home with Emily have been taken by Fresno County Child Protective Services to a relative's home.

Man accidentally shoots himself twice

A Shreveport, Louisiana man was trying to load a handgun and was having problems when he unintentionally discharged the gun and shot himself in the abdomen. This caused the man to drop the weapon and when the gun hit the floor it discharged and the man was shot a second time.
Police transported the man to LSU Hospital where he underwent surgery and is listed in critical condition. Police were told it was an accidental shooting but they are interviewing witnesses to rule out foul play.
Ohh shoot.