Stray bullet from target shooting ignites $30,000 worth of fireworks

Parris Shepard, owner of Belfair Truck & Auto Wrecking in Belfair, Washington was target shooting with his daughter, trying out a new rifle, around 1 a.m. on Monday when a stray bullet set off a cargo container of fireworks stored on the property.
According to firefighters several mortars ignited which set off multiple explosions.
"You wouldn't believe the crater in the earth here from the magazine of fireworks. It woke my wife up - she thought we were having an earthquake," said a county fire investigator.
The fire chief noted that the container holding the fireworks "blew right off its foundation - in fact it rolled twice."
Fireworks hit junk cars sparking spot fires throughout the property, and a mountain of old tires was set ablaze. A heavy-duty excavator was needed to clear debris and tires so firefighters could get to the flames, which took crews five hours to douse.
The fireworks were intended for Fourth of July shows in Poulsbo and Bainbridge. Organizers hope to be able to replace most of the fireworks in time for the celebrations next week.
Investigators say the parties involved lacked the necessary county permit to store the fireworks at the Truck & Auto Wrecking company. The owner of the commercial fireworks obtained the federal permit to import the fireworks and the state permit to store the fireworks but the county permit was missing. According to the county fire inspector the missing local permit determines placement of the explosives on the property. "We issue a permit for the amount of fireworks, the type of container, the setbacks and signage. The type of fireworks dictates the type of container."
Depending on the results of the investigation the county might seek action against either the property owner or the owner of the fireworks.

Man unintentionally shoots and kills himself while showing relatives the gun he kept with his concealed carry permit

36-year-old Jeremy Ammons, of Marengo, Ohio was visiting his sister. He was sitting in the kitchen with his sister and brother-in-law. Jeremy's brother-in-law, Jeff, said he and his wife were considering getting a handgun and a concealed weapons permit. Jeremy began telling them about the gun he carries with his concealed weapons permit.
Jeremy took his Glock 27 .40-caliber handgun out of his holster. He removed the magazine from the gun and cleared the round from the chamber. After showing them the gun he replaced the magazine. Police speculate that he "must have released the slide chambering another round instead of releasing the slide first and then inserting the magazine."
The gun fired as Jeremy was waving it around his head. He was shot in the left side of the head and fell face down in the kitchen.
Jeremy's sister is a registered nurse and was applying pressure with a towel to his head when emergency arrived. He was airlifted to the Ohio State University Medical Center and died of his injuries the next day.

3-year-old shoots and kills himself with handgun his father had just bought to protect the family

3-year-old Joshua Turner, Jr., also known as J.J., of Independence, Missouri, shot and killed himself after finding an loaded, unlocked handgun that had been stuffed in the couch cushions in his house.

J.J.'s parents talked with the local television station about the shooting.

To view the two stories on the website go here:
http://www.kmbc.com/news/kansas-city/Grieving-parents-talk-about-son-s-shooting-death/-/11664182/15186050/-/elcftvz/-/index.html
http://www.kmbc.com/news/kansas-city/Heartbroken-parents-talk-about-toddler-s-accidental-shooting/-/11664182/15179898/-/22ke6kz/-/index.html

J.J.'s father said he had just purchased the handgun but didn't have a holster to store it in so he stuffed the loaded, unlocked gun into the couch as he sat with his family watching a movie. Both he and his wife had left the room when they heard a pop and returned to find that J.J. had found the gun and shot himself. J.J. died at the scene.
The parents say they have other guns in the house, that J.J. was used to seeing guns and had played with water pistols so knew where the trigger was. They say they have the guns in the house for protection and the father told the reporter he always has one gun "loaded, ready to use at any given moment."
Dawn, J.J.'s mother, says she doesn't want any guns in her house ever again. She says she doesn't want J.J.'s brother to suffer the same fate.

Man falls down stairs while holding gun, unintentionally shoots himself and dies

28-year-old Philip McCarthy, of Farmington, New Hampshire was getting ready to clean his semi-automatic handgun. He was unloading the gun when he tripped and fell down some stairs. According to police:

It appeared based upon our investigation that the victim was clearing his weapon, unloading his weapon, and there was one round left in the weapon, in the chamber. He fell while going down the stairs and during the course of hte fall, something occurred that caused the weapon to discharge, striking him in the head.

McCarthy's girlfriend found him on the landing in his apartment and called 911. McCarthy was declared dead about an hour later.
The police chief urged the community to be cautious when handling weapons, to prevent fatal accidents such as this in the future.

Man unintentionally shoots himself at gun range

71-year-old Wayne Harrison, of Greeley, Colorado was at the Galeton shooting range, practicing with his .357-caliber handgun. While attempting to put the gun into a shoulder holster he unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting himself in the stomach.
Harrison was alert when deputies arrived on the scene. He was airlifted to the North Colorado Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition.

12-year-old unintentionally shot and killed while hunting with 15-year-old brother

12-year-old Brandon Lord, of Washington County, Virginia was hunting groundhogs with his 15-year-old brother in a field behind their house when something went terribly wrong. Police are still investigating the incident, but what is known is that Brandon was unintentionally shot in the head.
He was taken to the local hospital and died the next day of his injuries.
"It's a tragic, tragic incident, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the family," said the local sheriff. "It's a horrible incident, and goes back to show how important gun safety is, period."
Forty-three people have died in hunting accidents in Virginia in the past ten years. Of those fatalities, five were children and four of the fatalities involved children as the apparent accidental shooter.

Woman killed in unintentional shooting when brother drops gun

24-year-old Rochelle Jackson of Houston, Texas was getting ready to go to a family picnic. She was standing in the driveway while her brother Rondrick was walking into the house holding a holster with a semi-automatic handgun. According to police, "the pistol fell out of the holster. When it hit the ground, it discharged one time, hitting the sister in the head and killed her instantly."
A cousin of the victim and her brother described Rochelle as a loving, sweet woman and added, "It has been tearing Rondrick up on the inside. That's his only sister."

Concealed weapons permit holder trying to stop armed robbery unintentionally shoots and kills store clerk

On May 17th, two armed robbers burst into a Family Dollar store in Houston, Texas. They locked the front door and put a gun to store clerk Tyrza Smith's head.
According to reports, Tyrza was cooperating with the robbers when a store customer, who had tried to leave but found the door lock, pulled out a handgun and proceeded to get into a gunfight with the robbers.
Tyrza was caught in the crossfire and was shot and killed. No one else was injured. The customer had a concealed weapons permit and according to ballistics, he was the one who shot and killed Tyrza.
20-year-old Dwight Richardson has been arrested and charged with the robbery. Police are still searching for the other suspect.
No decision has been made yet whether to charge the customer in the death of Tyrza. Even if he doesn't face criminal charges he could still be sued in civil court.

Concealed Weapons Permit Holder Unintentionally Shoots Himself in the Penis

A 45-year-old Birmingham, Michigan man was legally carrying a .40 Glock handgun while working on his job as a heating and cooling repairman. The man had a concealed weapons permit. He had the gun tucked in the waistband of his pants. As he arrived at a house he went to take the gun out of his pants and leave it in the van.
In the process he unintentionally discharged the gun. According to police the bullet went through the man's penis and lodged in his leg.
His partner asked him if he shot himself but the man was just stunned and couldn't talk for 10 to 15 seconds.
He was taken to the hospital for surgery and is expected to recover.
Prosecutors are reviewing the case to see if charges of reckless discharge of a firearm will be filed.

Unintentional shooting at gun show sends man to hospital

53-year-old Pete Tennison, of Skamania County, Washington, unintentionally shot himself in the upper thigh at a gun show at the American Legion Hall on Saturday. Reports do not indicate if the .45-caliber handgun involved in the shooting belonged to Tennison or if he was looking to purchase the gun at the gun show.
He was taken to the hospital where he is listed in stable condition. Tennison is an employee of the Skamnia County Sheriff's Office. He supervises inmate work crews from the county jail. He does not carry a firearm as part of his work.

Father unintentionally shoots and kills his 9-year-old daughter

Tom Wilson, of Fort Worth, Texas, was preparing for a family camping trip. He was removing a handgun from a bag in his home when he unintentionally discharged the weapon. The bullet struck his nine-year-old daughter, Anaya.
Anaya was taken to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Anaya was the oldest of four children. She was in the third grade.
Police are still investigating but have called Anaya's death "a tragic incident."

Gun fight over who makes the best Kool-Aid leaves two bystanders injured

A group of teens were hanging out in the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit when two of them started arguing about who made the better Kool-Aid. The argument escalated and the two men both pulled out guns and began firing at one another.
However, both men missed one another and hit two innocent bystanders instead. One of the bystanders was hit in the wrist, the other in the buttocks. Both men were taken to the hospital, treated and released.
Police are searching for the shooting suspects, one of whom was seen driving off in a purple 2007 Impala.
Police called the situation "utterly ridiculous, but they've seen worse."