Transit police trainee unintentionally shoots himself

An unidentified police trainee at Dallas Area Rapid Transit, in Dallas, Texas unintentionally shot himself during a training exercise Wednesday morning.
According to reports, the trainee was holstering his handgun when he unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting himself in the thigh.
He was transported to the Dallas Medical Center for treatment. He is expected to recover.

Man unintentionally shoots wife while cleaning handgun

23-year-old John Acevedo, of Orlando, Florida had just returned from the gym when he decided to clean his 9 mm Glock handgun. Acevedo was standing in the kitchen of his apartment, attempting to remove the slide from the handgun when he unintentionally discharged the weapon.
The bullet struck his wife, 25-year-old Jean Zambrana, in the right arm and continued into her abdomen. She is expected to recover.
Police have not yet determined if Acevedo will face charges but the Department of Children and Families was notified about the incident because the couple's 1-year-old daughter was in the home at the time of the incident.

Man unintentionally discharges gun in Chinese restaurant, almost shoots customer

28-year-old Michael Swensen was at a Chinese restaurant in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. While he was in the restroom he unintentionally discharged his handgun, sending a bullet through the bathroom wall into the dining area.
A family eating in the restaurant narrowly missed being shot.
Police took Swensen into custody. He could face a number of charges including prohibited use of a weapon.

Father unintentionally shoots and kills 10-year-old son while cleaning gun

34-year-old Christopher Stanlane, of Fairmont, North Carolina, was wiping down the side of his shotgun in his home when he unintentionally discharged the gun.
According to police, Stanlane was on the couch and had the butt of the gun sitting on the floor. His son, 10-year-old Christopher, Jr., was sitting on the floor in front of him, watching television. When the shotgun discharged, the boy was shot in the head. He died at the scene.
Police added that the boy's 8-year-old sister was also in the room when the incident happened.

Father will stand trial in the unintentionally shooting death of his 2-year-old son

33-year-old Kao Xiong, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, will stand trial in May for second-degree manslaughter and child endangerment in the unintentional killing of his son, 2-year-old Neegnco.
Neegnco was shot and killed in December when his 4-year-old brother found a loaded, unlocked handgun stashed between the mattress and the headboard in their parents' bedroom. Xiong told a newspaper that he had bought the gun for safety after a series of break-ins in the neighborhood and thought the gun was adequately hidden in the room.
Police removed seven other guns from the home. Xiong, a vocational rehabilitation counselor, had a concealed weapons permit for the gun.
Xiong's attorney regrets that an agreement to settle the case was not reached and said the decision to go to trial was "the result of very deep discussions over a lengthy period of time."

A look at some unintentional shootings caused by dogs

Since OhhShoot began on January 1, 2010 there have been a number of stories about dogs causing unintentional shootings.
For example, there were two hunting stories at the end of 2001, one where a dog jumped into a boat, caught his paw in the trigger of a shotgun and unintentionally shot a duck hunter in the buttocks. The other involved a dog who knocked over a high powered rifle, discharging the gun and shooting a hunter in the leg, damaging his femoral artery.
In some of the incidents peopled died from the gunshot injuries. A 39-year-old Idaho woman died when the family dog jumped on her bed, causing a shotgun on the bed to discharge. And a 9-year-old Pennsylvania boy died when a dog knocked over a rifle that discharged, shooting the boy in the head.
These stories all came to mind while reading an article titled The Shocking Truth About Gun Violence (By Dogs). The article references incidents dating back to 1937. They even unearthed a 2005 incident where a cat shot its owner with a 9mm handgun. Check it out.

15-year-old unintentionally shoots and kills 17-year-old friend with stolen gun

Three Phoenix, Arizona teens, a 15-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy, and 17-year old Raymond Berryman broke into the house of one of Berryman's neighbors.
They stole several guns as well as a number of other items. While they were back home going through the stolen items the girl picked up one of the stolen handguns and began playing with it. Thinking the gun was not loaded, she pointed the gun at Berryman and pulled the trigger.
Berryman was shot in the chest. Paramedics found him laying in the middle of the street. He was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries.
The girl is being held on homicide and burglary charges. The other boy will be charged with burglary.
Police did not indicate how the stolen guns were stored and whether or not they had been locked up.

Two 19-year-olds cleaning handguns, one unintentionally shoots the other

19-year-old Patrick Caines, of Clark, Wyoming was with a friend, cleaning handguns. Caines' friend was dry-firing the guns after cleaning to make sure they worked properly.
"He hadn't realized one of the handguns was loaded," said the sheriff. "Subsequently, Caines suffered a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen from a .41 caliber magnum revolver."
Caines was flown to a hospital in Billings, Montana where his condition has improved from critical to serious.
The sheriff added that the office "considers this to be an accidental shooting and foul play is not suspected."

Man unintentionally shoots friend while loading handgun

A 35-year-old Lemoore, California man unloaded his .22-caliber handgun. He then went to reload it as he and his friend got ready to go out.
While reloading the gun he unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting his friend who was standing in front of him.
The bullet struck the 32-year old woman in the hand, passed through her hand and lodged in her leg. She was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police declined to release the names because no charges have been filed.
Both the shooter and the victim were drinking at the time.

Father unintentionally shoots and kills 10-month-old son

30-year-old Larry Bass was staying at the Extended Stay America hotel in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife and three sons, ages 3, 2 and 10-months. Bass was handling his semi-automatic handgun when he unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting his 10-month old son, Adam.
Police arrived on the scene just three minutes after being called. Attempts to revive Adam were unsuccessful and he died in the hotel room.
The entire family was in the room when the shooting occurred and witnessed everything. "You've got to imagine the impact, psychologically, that something like this has on a parent," said a police spokesperson. "There's been some suggestion that there was a mechanical problem with the gun," the spokesperson added.
Police report that the family is originally from Texas but came to Nashville so Bass could work at the Music City Center.

Teen unintentionally shoots himself in the groin, runs into school for help

A 17-year-old male was near the Lincoln-Bassett elementary/middle school in New Haven, Connecticut. The teen had a gun in his pants' pocket which he unintentionally discharged.
"Every witness interviewed said they heard one shot," said a police spokesperson. "He shot himself in the groin." Police referred to the injury as a "self-inflicted penis wound."
The teen ran into the nearby school and asked the school principal for help. The principal called 911.
The police spokesperson said the teen's injuries were non-life-threatening and added "the vast majority of groin shots we see are accidental discharges."

Man mistakes pregnant wife for intruder, shoots her

25-year-old Cory Lindblom, of Yakima, Washington, apparently mistook his wife, 27-year-old McKaylee Higgs, for an intruder and shot her early Friday morning in the bedroom of their duplex.
McKaylee, who is eight weeks pregnant, was shot once. Initial reports indicated a neck wound. She is in the hospital in critical condition.
Police have not released details of the incident, but have said multiple shots were fired and a handgun was seized. Lindblom has been cooperative with the investigation and is not in custody.
The chief of detectives said it will be up the county prosecutor's office to determine if any charges will be filed. He said they have eliminated criminal intent and "then you're left with noncriminal intent such as recklessness or negligence."

Two men injured with one bullet in unintentional shooting

22-year-old Matthew Goins and 22-year-old William Bennett, of London, Kentucky were target shooting with a handgun when the gun jammed. While trying to clear the weapon the gun unintentionally discharged.
The bullet hit Goins in the hand and Bennett in the leg. They were taken to the local hospital where they were treated and released.
Police classified the incident as an accidental shooting and no charges are expected to be filed.

Man sentenced for unintentionally shooting and killing friend

23-year-old Gregory Shain, of Boise, Idaho, has been sentenced for unintentionally shooting and killing his friend, Gary Arlen, last March.
Shain and Arlen were at Arlen's house, goofing around, drinking beer and dry-firing a .45-caliber handgun. They took turns pointing the gun at each other and pulling the trigger.

Shain told police he was about to leave when Arlen told him to "do it" - place the gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. Unbeknownst to Shain, Arlen had replaced the empty magazine they had been using before with a magazine that had bullets. When Shain pulled the trigger the gun fired and severed Arlen's spinal cord, killing him instantly.
An autopsy revealed that Arlen had hydrocone in his system and a blood alcohol level of .18, more than twice the legal limit. Shain was not tested, but admitted to having a few beers that evening.
Before sentencing Shain, the judge said he was "satisfied this is an accidental shooting" but was shocked by Shain's recklessness. "This could have been avoided," he told Shain. "You made the decision to pull the trigger..you didn't clear the gun. You didn't make it safe."
Shain was sentenced to a year in jail and 10-years of felony probation.

Teen who unintentionally shot herself outside high school faces numerous charges

17-year-old Morgan Tukes, of Atlanta, Georgia has been charged with felony possession of a pistol by a minor, carrying a weapon within a school safety zone, reckless condcut and disruption of a public school following an incident that took place outside the gym of Grady High School.
Tukes unintentionally shot herself with a pink .380 handgun that she was carrying. She walked into the school clinic around 9:30 in the morning, bleeding from a wound to her thigh.
The school has metal detectors, but Tukes was let in a gym door by two other students. She was taken to the hospital for treatment and when she was released she was taken to jail. She is now out on bond.
Police report that the handgun had been reported stolen, meaning Tukes could face additional charges.

Man unintentionally shoots wife in restaurant

66-year-old William Mize, of Lenexa, Kansas has been charged in the unintentional shooting of his wife at a local restaurant. The couple were sitting across from each other when Mize reached into his front pants pocket and unintentionally discharged the small handgun he had in his pocket.
Mize had a valid concealed weapons permit for the gun, however he had been drinking when the incident occurred. Kansas law prohibits the carrying of concealed weapons if you are under the influence of alcohol.
Mize's wife was hit in the leg, just above the knee. She was treated at the hospital and released.

School safety officer unintentionally discharges gun in high school

After the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school, the Highland, New York School District began a program to put armed police officers in the district schools. Police Officer Sean McCutcheon, from the town of Lloyd, a twenty year veteran of the New Paltz police department, was assigned to rotate between three of the Highland schools.
On Tuesday, while at the Highland High School, McCutcheon unintentionally discharged his firearm in the school's hallway. No details of how the discharge happened have been released. The shooting happened about 1:38 p.m. Fortunately, no one was injured.
"I'm just shocked," said a man whose daughter is a sophomore at the school. "I don't understand how a gun could just go off."
The school resource program has been suspended pending results of the investigation.

Man practicing at gun range unintentionally shoots and kills himself

61-year-old Patrick Richards of Hughesville, Maryland was at the St. Charles Sportman's Club indoor shooting range in Waldorf, Maryland practicing with his shooting when he unintentionally discharged his gun.
Richards was shot once in the head. He died at the scene.
Police said there were no signs of foul play and the incident is being investigated as an accident.

Teen steals AR-15, unintentionally shoots and kills himself

19-year-old Genaro Mendoza, of West Salem, Oregon, broke into a house in Independence, Oregon. He took several items, left the house and hide them, then left the scene. He returned later with a stolen truck, retrieved the hidden items and went back into the house in order to steal an AR-15 assault rifle and a shotgun. He put the guns with their butts on the floorboard and their barrels pointed upward, toward the driver's seat.
While driving away on the bumpy farm road, the shotgun apparently fell against the AR-15, discharging the rifle and firing one shot that struck Mendoza and exited through the roof.
Police arrived to find Mendoza dead inside the truck.

School employee taking concealed weapon class aimed at arming people on school property unintentionally shot

Glenn Geddie, a maintenance department worker in the Van, Texas school district, was one of the "school employees and other persons" who had been authorized under a new program to carry firearms on school property.
When authorizing the new program in January, the Van Superintendent stated, "we are going to go above and beyond on all out training" and only a select number of employees would be chosen to participate in the "guardian plan program."
Geddie was taking a handgun training safety class when he was unintentionally shot.
A statement from the Van superintendent's office reads:

At the conclusion of the CHL training on February 27, 2013, one certified person stayed for private instruction with the instructor and had a mechanical malfunction with his weapon. With the assistance of the instructor, the malfunction was addressed, but the gun misfired and the bullet ricocheted coming back to strike the VISD employee in the left leg. The VISD employee was attended to at the scene and transferred to Tyler for further treatment. The injury is not life threatening or disabling. Because of privacy and security issues we cannot make any further statement.

Geddie is home resting after spending the night in the hospital. He does not wish to comment on the incident.