Brothers playing with what they think is toy gun, tragedy follows

Three brothers, ages 4, 7 and 13, of Morristown, Tennessee found what they thought was a toy gun in a bedroom in the house where they live with their parents and grandparents. While playing with the .22-caliber handgun the weapon fired, shooting 7-year-old Jaymee Steward in the head.
Jaymee was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville where he underwent surgery. He remained in critical condition but died three days later. It was unclear exactly how the boys found the gun.
According to local police, "After reviewing all evidence obtained during the investigation, current state law and consultation with the District Attorney's office, it has been determined that no criminal charges will be filed in the incident."
Tennessee law prohibits a parent from intentionally, knowingly or recklessly providing a handgun to a juvenile if the parent knows of a substantial risk that such juvenile will use the handgun to commit a felony. Tennessee does not otherwise impose criminal liability on adults who allow children access to firearms.

Ohio man unintentionally shoots his friend at shooting range

36-year-old Anthony Robinson, of Painesville, Ohio, was at the Sherwin Shooting Sports shooting range in Eastlake. His friend, 36-year-old Anthony Crowe was also at the range. Robinson was attempting to clear his .357 caliber handgun when he unintentionally discharged the gun. The bullet passed through the stall wall and struck Crowe who was in the next stall. Crowe was hit in the right side, near his abdomen. He was flown via medical helicopter to a medical center in Cleveland where he required surgery. His condition is unknown.
Ohh shoot.

New bride gives husband handgun as gift, he then unintentionally shoots them both

Newlywed 22-year-old Tianna Gremore, of Marion Township, Michigan, gave her new husband, 20-year-old Dylan Gremore, a 9mm semiautomatic handgun as a gift. Dylan had the gun a little over a month when he was cleaning the weapon and trying to familiarize himself with the gun. According to police, "He made the major mistake of not taking the clip out, which was fully loaded, before he racked it."
Not realizing that this action had put a round in the chamber, Dylan pulled the trigger. The bullet hit his hand then grazed his forearm and leg before continuing on and hitting his wife's leg.
The couple drove themselves to the hospital where they were treated and released.
Ohh shoot.

Man telling story with gun unintentionally shoots and kills himself

30-year-old Lee Allan Miars of Myrtle Creek, Orgeon was telling friends a story that involved a gun. As a prop, he was using a semi-automatic handgun. According to witnesses "he had worked the action and dropped the magazine. He then put the gun near his head and fired the weapon, shooting himself." He was taken to the hospital but died of his injuries.
According to the sheriff's office, "We are assuming at this point that he believed the weapon was empty."
Ohh shoot.

Fundraiser at church ends with unintentional shooting

St. Patrick Catholic Church in Wentzville, Missouri was holding a fundraiser for a cancer patient Saturday night. As the evening was ending and decorations were being taken down people were popping balloons. According to the local police chief, "During the popping of the balloons there was a pop that was unrecognizable and there was a victim of a gunshot."
23-year-old Aaron Dwan had been shot and fell to the floor. Due to all the activity in the room few people realized what had happened.
Dwan was taken to the hospital where he is in serious but stable condition.
The next day a "person of interest" went to police. After interviewing him, police determined the shooting was unintentional. Police have not identified the person nor have they said how the shooting happened.

Teenager who posed with numerous guns on Facebook page unintentionally shoots and kills himself

19-year-old Jared Hyndrich of Pacific, Missouri has a photo album on his Facebook paged titled "what i do when im bored." The album consists of numerous photos of Jared and his friends posing with handguns and an assault rifle.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Jared was in his room with a friend when he put a handgun to his head and thinking the gun was unloaded, pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, the gun was loaded and it fired one shot, killing Jared.
An autopsy is being conducted but police found no evidence of drugs or alcohol.

Man says bullet from nearby shooting range came through bedroom wall

Glenn Finch of Chalybeate Springs, North Carolina is concerned after a bullet came through his bedroom wall, ricocheted off the opposite wall and landed on his bed. He says this is the third time this year a bullet has hit his house and he blames a nearby shooting range.
"I have guns, and I support the Second Amendment," Finch said. "But I've read it. Nowhere in there does it say you can shoot into somebody's house."
Operators of the shooting range, Drake Landing, declined to discuss the issue. The local sheriff is investigating the complaint.
Other neighbors are also concerned. "Some days it sounds like a war is breaking out over there," said Kent Jeffries. "My family has lived here for generations. We're not all Yankees who just moved here and are scared by noise. But there are people here who are literally afraid to be outside."
The range was opened as a clay target shooting range in 2006 as part of the state's agritourism program, having been ruled "a bona fide farm activity" by the state agriculture commissioner, and as such is exempt from local zoning ordinances. The state also approved the addition of a pistol and rifle range three years later saying "we can see no reason why a shooting range would be any different from a sporting clays course."
The new rifle range has a two story firing bay. Signs ask shooters to not fire in the direction of residential properties.
Ohh shoot.

Husband mistakes wife for burglar, shoots her

40-year-old Neleida Vasquez of Miami, Florida went to run some errands with her two children, ages 4 and 8. She forgot something and returned home. When her husband, 39-year-old Larry Valadez, heard noises coming from the first floor he got his gun and went to investigate.
According to police reports, "Once downstairs, he was confronted by Ms. Vasquez at which point he discharged the firearm striking her in the torso area. She was transported to Kendall Regional Trauma Center where she is listed in stable condition."
Police say Mr. Valadez will not be charged in the shooting. But a department detective added, "God forbid if is wasn't his wife, it would have been his child walking in because he wanted to pick up his toy. This could have turned out to be a real tragedy. Of course, we learn from these events, and we're asking, just the community that owns guns, to be very careful and be a little responsible."
Ohh shoot.

Man straps gun to backpack, unintentionally shoots himself when he picks up pack

21-year-old Joshua Ryan, of Seymour, Tennessee, was in the woods with his brother and his girlfriend. He had a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with birdshot strapped to his backpack. When he picked the backpack up the shotgun unintentionally discharged, shooting him.
Ryan's brother went to get help while Ryan's girlfriend stayed with him in the woods. Reports indicate that the backpack strap was wound through the trigger guard, which could have caused the discharge.
The accident happened about a half a mile into the woods. In order to transport Ryan to the hospital for treatment ambulance services had to use an ATV to take him out of the woods, then transport him to a Lifestar helicopter which then flew Ryan to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
Reports did not indicate where, exactly, Ryan was shot or how much it cost to fly him to the hospital.
Ohh shoot.

Fight between girlfriends ends with unintentional shooting between their boyfriends

27-year-old Jamie Lloyd of Covington, Georgia went out to dinner with his girlfriend and another couple. The dinner was to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of one of the women. During dinner the women starting arguing. The argument continued after they left the restaurant and went to one of the women's homes. It was then that the other man jumped into the argument, standing up for his girlfriend. This angered Lloyd and the two men began arguing.
Lloyd pulled out a gun, unintentionally discharging the firearm. The bullet grazed the other man's head.
The victim was treated and released. Lloyd was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. The sheriff's department said alcohol was a factor in the incident.
Ohh shoot.

Man shot by friend "messing around" with handgun

A 21-year-old Cleburne, Texas man was visiting friends when he went outside to smoke a cigarette. As he was standing on the porch his friends were inside "messing around" with handguns. One man decided to practice shooting what he thought was an empty handgun. When he pulled the trigger the gun fired, sending a bullet through the front door and into the man standing on the porch. The bullet went through the victim's left shoulder blade.
The man had to be flown to a hospital in Fort Worth for treatment.
The sheriff is investigating the incident and has yet to charge anyone. "This is a prime example of irresponsible gun ownership and handling," said the sheriff.
Ohh shoot.

Teen runs away after unintentional shooting, returns after seeing mother crying on tv

17-year-old William Barrow, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was at his home showing his father's handgun to three of his friends. Barrow unintentionally discharged the gun and shot one of the boys in the head. The 16-year-old victim was taken to the hospital where he is listed in critical condition.
After the shooting Barrow got scared and ran away from home. He turned himself in to police after seeing his mother crying on television. Police had issued an arrest warrant for Barrows for aggravated assault but do consider the shooting accidental.

Iowa woman unintentionally shot and killed by 10-year-old

An autopsy performed by the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation has confirmed that 41-year-old Amy Hettinger of Dundee, Iowa died of an unintentional gunshot injury.
Police were called to Amy's home on Thursday were they found she had been shot. According to reports, "D.C.I. determined that Hettinger had been shot by a 10-year-old inside the house who had been handling a loaded handgun. The gun belonged to another family member."
Police have not identified the relationship between the 10-year-old and Amy nor have they said who the gun belonged to. The case is being sent to the district attorney for a review of possible charges.

2 charged with murder when their gunfight kills innocent bystander

20-year-old Jason Denison and 20-year-old Jonathan Flores, both of New Bedford, Massachusetts, have been charged with murder in connection with a gun battle last month that fatally injured an innocent bystander.
The incident began when a crowd gathered to watch a prearranged fistfight between two women. An argument broke out between Denison and Flores and another man. Reports indicate that Denison chased the two men and shot at them with a handgun. Flores fired back. The bullet missed Denison but did strike bystander 20-year-old Michael Pina. Pina was shot in the head and died four days later.
Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter said that a 2001 state appeals court case makes it clear that Denison and Flores "can and should be charged with murder."
The case, Commonwealth vs. Santiago, said a defendant who engages in a gun battle where a bystander is killed can be held liable for homicide even if the defendant's opponent fired the fatal shot. The ruling stated: "By choosing to engage in a shootout, a defendant may be the cause of a shooting by either side because the death of a bystander is a natural result of a shootout, and the shootout could not occur without participation from both sides."
Denison has also been charged with armed assault with intent to murder, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and obstruction of justice. Flores has also been charged with possession of a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearms and possession of a firearm without an FID card.
Ohh shoot.

Weber State University student unintentionally shoots himself while walking across campus

A 24-year-old Weber State University student was walking across the Ogden, Utah campus when a gun in his pants pocket unintentionally discharged.
News reports do not indicate why the gun discharged but do note that the student was shot in his left leg. He was taken to the local hospital where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
WSU director of media relations was quick to point out that the student had a concealed weapons permit and was within his legal rights to be carrying a concealed weapon on campus. Utah is one of the few states that allow guns on campus. (See www.armedcampuses.org)
However, the university spokesperson did not comment on why, despite having a concealed weapons permit, the student would carry a loaded, unlocked handgun loose in his pants pocket.
Ohh shoot.

Man shoots himself while using the bathroom

51-year-old Darrel Johnson of New Haven, Connecticut bought a small caliber handgun for his person protection. At first he put the gun in his pants pocket but then decided to tuck the gun into his waist band. Unfortunately, he forgot that he had moved the gun and when he went to use the bathroom the gun fell to the floor and discharged. The bullet struck him in the leg.
When police arrived Johnson said he had been shot in an attempted robbery. But he later changed his story.
Johnson is a convicted felon and could face charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Ohh shoot.

Woman walking her dogs in the woods shot when hunter thought dog was a deer

66-year-old Cheryl Blair, of Norton, Massachusetts was walking her two dogs on a wooded trail behind her four-acre property when she was shot by a local hunter who mistook her dog for a deer.
In the 911 call released by Norton police 50-year-old John Bergeron, Cheryl's neighbor who is also a state trooper, is heard telling the dispatcher "She's out here with two golden retrievers. I just had a deer come by and I thought it came by again."
Bergeron was hunting in the closing minutes of hunting season. He called 911 at 4:55 p.m. Under state law, hunting is permitted for 30 minutes after sunset, which was at 4:24 p.m. that day.
Cheryl's family report that she will have a permanent limp from the fragmented bullet in her fractured pelvis. She remains in the hospital in stable condition.
No charges have been filed against Bergeron. Police have called the incident an accident and say Bergeron is a licensed hunter and no laws or hunting license violations occurred.
Cheryl's husband said hunters need to be careful about their target before shooting.
Ohh shoot.

12-year-old boy in coma after being shot in head by New Year's celebration gunfire

12-year-old Diego Duran, of Ruskin, Florida, was sitting in his front yard with his parents and family friends watching fireworks on New Year's eve when he fell to the ground, bleeding from his nose and eyes. "He just dropped," his father told reporters. "All of a sudden, hell broke loose - blood all over the place."
His parents did not realize Diego had been shot when they rushed him to the local hospital. There the doctors discovered not only that Diego had been shot, but that the bullet remained lodged in his head. The bullet went into the top of Diego's head and embedded itself in his cheek.
Diego is in a coma and is listed in critical condition. Police are trying to determine where the bullet came from but say it could have traveled miles.
Just last week, officials in Miami launched a media campaign, One Bullet Kills the Party, to implore the public to abandon the tradition of firing bullets into the air to celebrate New Year's Eve. "They can fall on people, they can fall on children," said Miami-Dade commissioner.
Hillsborough County's sheriff also commented on the dangers of celebration gunfire when talking to reporters about Diego. "Nationally it's a huge issue," he said. "What somebody thinks is a cheap form of gun and entertainment, it has potentially catastrophic consequences."
Arizonans for Gun Safety also has a campaign against celebration gunfire, "Celebration Gunfire Kills."