Friday, November 29, 2013

Man taking apart handgun unintentionally shoots himself and his friend

A Nashua, New Hampshire newspaper reports that a man from New York was at a friend's apartment off Main Dunstable Road. Neither the man nor his friend are being identified at this time.

The man was trying to break down a 9mm handgun,which was still loaded, when he unintentionally discharged the weapon. The bullet went through his hand and then into the upper leg of the woman who lives in the apartment.

Both were taken to the local hospital for treatment. Police say they are expecting to file charges against the man involved.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Toddler unintentionally shoots and kills himself

2-year-old Taj Ayesh, of Lakeland, Florida followed his mother, 29-year-old Stephanie Nealy, when she walked out of her house to get something out of her boyfriend's truck.

Nealy told police that she moved a loaded, unlocked pistol that was inside the truck as she searched for a card. She said she was facing away from the truck when she heard a gunshot and saw her son fall to the ground.

Nealy and her boyfriend rushed Taj to the hospital where he underwent surgery. Taj did not survive.

Police are investigating the incident.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Woman shot and killed in motel when guest in another room unintentionally discharges gun

48-year-old Traci Lynn Reedy, of Irving, Texas, was with her husband and teenage son in a motel room at the Mictorel Inn and Suites in Irving. Traci was in bed, watching television when a bullet fired from an adjoining room came through the wall and struck her in the chest.

According to police, "The bullet came through the wall that was across from where she was lying, went through that wall, through the room, and struck her in the chest as she was lying in bed, sitting up." Reedy was taken to the local hospital where she died of her injuries.

Police have arrested 36-year-old Michael Gray, of Dallas, and charged him with criminally negligent homicide. Gray, who was in the adjoining room with his girlfriend, said he was handling the gun when it unintentionally discharged.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Man unintentionally discharges weapon in Walmart, keeps shopping

50-year-old Christopher Strube, of Centerville, Iowa, was at the Walmart store in town when he unintentionally discharged a .45-caliber handgun that was in his pants pocket.

Strube told police that a bottle he was carrying hit the handgun and caused it to fire one round. Strube kept shopping, paid for his items and left the store.

Police were notified because several employees and customers said they heard a gunshot and smelled gun powder. Police found a bullet hole in a basket and several cans of beans. They also located a .45-caliber bullet in one of the cans of beans.

Strube, who has a valid concealed weapons permit, was arrested and charged with discharging a weapon within the city limits.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Was JFK's assassination really just an unintentional shooting by a Secret Service agent?

As we look back on the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination, one theory is being revisited, the so called "accident theory." The theory holds that after hearing the shots fired by Oswald, Secret Service Agent George Hickey, riding in a car immediately behind the presidential limousine, grabbed a Colt AR-15 rifle, lost his balance when his car stopped suddenly, and unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting the President in the head.

"It's not sexy. It's not rife with intrigue," said Bonar Menninger, a Kansas City journalist and a leading proponent of the theory. "But for that reason, in my mind, it's extremely compelling - because it's the only theory that hues tightly to the available evidence."

Menninger is author of the book Mortal Error: The Shot That Killed JFK. He also appears in the documentary JFK: The Smoking Gun which is currently showing on Reelz channel.

Menninger became interested in this theory after reading an article by Howard Donahue, a ballistics expert who had been investigating the assassination for years. In a recent interview Menninger states:
The evidence supporting Donahue’s theory, in my opinion, is compelling: The trajectory of the bullet was not right to left and sharply down, as it would have had to be from the book depository, but left to right and shallow. The entrance wound on Kennedy’s skull was 6 mm in diameter. The bullets Oswald fired were 6.5 mm in diameter. [It’s] hard to see how you could put a 6.5 mm bullet through a 6 mm hole. In fact, bullets always make holes slightly larger than their diameter in the skull. The AR-15 .223 round was 5.56 mm in diameter. The bullet that struck Kennedy behaved not like a full-metal jacket round from a Carcano rifle, but much more like a frangible, explosive .223 round. A dozen people saw the agent with the rifle at or just after the time of the last shot. Nine people in the motorcade behind the follow-up car immediately smelled gunsmoke after the last shot.

If Donahue’s theory isn’t correct, then these facts need to be explained, and no one has done that as far as I’m concerned.

Interesting theory. Could it be true?

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Fatal unintentional shooting at home also used as child day care

21-year-old Michael Nugent, of San Diego, California, was at his friend's house getting ready for a hunting trip. The house is owned by Sharon Orr, who runs Orr's Family Day Care and Preschool at the house.

According to reports, Orr was downstairs while her grandson and Nugent were upstairs looking at a shotgun when the gun was dropped and unintentionally discharged. Police were called to the home around 1 a.m. Nugent was shot in the chest and died from his injuries.

Under California law, family child care homes require guns must be unloaded and locked up and ammunition must be stored and locked away separately. Orr stressed that the shotgun was kept in an upstairs safe along with other guns that belonged to her grandson and her boyfriend. She noted that the safe was kept in a room with a child-proofed door knob and there was also a childproof gate to keep children from going upstairs. Orr added that she intends to remove all the weapons and the safe from the house.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Teen shot when hunting rifle unintentionally discharges

14-year-old Robert Lutskas, Jr., of Moses Lake, Washington was hunting with his father, Robert, Sr., in the Refrigerator Canyon area in Montana. The teen had never been deer hunting before. When they returned to their vehicle, Robert, Jr., unloaded the Remington M77 model 30-06 caliber rifle he had been using and placed the rifle with the butt of the gun on the vehicle floor and the muzzle toward the roof. The teen did not realize that a bullet remained in the chamber of the gun.

While they were driving, they hit a bump and the weapon discharged. The bullet struck the teen in the right bicep and exited his right shoulder and then continued through the roof of the pickup truck. The father said he turned to look at his son after the explosion and saw him holding his arm.

"The gun was up front, between his legs. He thought he had it unloaded," he said.

Robert, Jr. was taken to an area hospital where he underwent surgery. Another surgery is planned to make sure the wound is clean and control any possible infection. When they return home, the teen will need plastic surgery on the wound.



Monday, November 18, 2013

4-year-old unintentionally shoots and kills himself, father charged with involuntary manslaughter

4-year-old Killian Perez, of Fayetteville, North Carolina found a loaded, unlocked handgun on the top of the refrigerator in his home. The boy took the handgun and was playing with it when he unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting and killing himself.

Emergency responders were called to the home Saturday morning around 10:45 a.m. Killian was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jeffrey Perez, Killian's father, has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and failure to secure a firearm. Perez is a solider in the U.S. Army and is stationed at Fort Bragg. He was released on $5,000 unsecured bond.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

6-year-old unintentionally shot in the head by 16-year-old relative dies

6-year-old Jamerica Ragsdale was staying with her family at her grandmother's house west of Vicksburg, Mississippi. A 16-year-old relative was in an adjacent bedroom handling a .22 caliber pistol when he unintentionally discharged the weapon.

The bullet went through the wall of the bedroom into the living room where Jamerica was standing and struck her in the head.

Jamerica was taken to the hospital where she was put on life support. She died two days later.

The young man is being detained in a youth detention center, charged with possession of a handgun by a minor. Investigators are looking into where the gun came from.

Family members said the teen is showing great remorse and that this awful accident is crushing the family emotionally.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

High school cheerleader struck by stray bullet during practice

A 14-year-old Goose Creek High School cheerleader was hit by a stray bullet Tuesday evening during practice. The practice was taking place on school grounds in Goose Creek, South Carolina but police believe the bullet was fired from an off-campus location.

The girl was shot in the hand. She was taken to the local hospital for treatment and has since been released. She is resting at home.

Police do not know who fired the shot or why and it is being treated as an isolated incident.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Man unintentionally shot and killed while showing friend his gun

25-year-old Wael Ali was showing his friend, 63-year-old Raouf Sanad, his black semi-automatic handgun. The two where in the kitchen of the restaurant Sanad owns in Marietta, Georgia.

According to reports, Sanad pointed the handgun at Ali and pulled the trigger, thinking the safety was on. Ali was shot in the front of the neck and died of his injuries.

Sanad was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, pointing a gun at another person and reckless conduct.

A woman who was dining at a nearby bakery told reporters weapons shouldn't be in a public place. "Any time you have a weapon, you have the potential," she said.

Georgia law allows firearms to be carried into restaurants provided the owner does not prohibit it.



Friday, November 8, 2013

Man unintentionally shoots himself while standing in grocery checkout line

A man and his two young children were standing in the checkout line at the C-Town Supermarket in Reading, Pennsylvania.

According to reports, when the man reached into his right front pocket to get money to pay his grocery bill he unintentionally discharged a .357 Smith & Wesson handgun that he was carrying loose in his pocket.

The bullet hit him in the leg. He was rushed to the hospital. There is no word on his condition.

Fortunately, no one else was injured, including this two young children who were standing right next to him.

According to police, the man had a concealed weapons permit.


Thursday, November 7, 2013

Police officer fired after unintentional shooting

Marvin Willis has been on the Morehead City, North Carolina police force since 2011. In October he was taking part in a training exercise in the police station parking lot when he unintentionally discharged his handgun, shooting Officer Garret Hardin in the chest.

Hardin spent a week in the hospital and is still recovering from his injury. He has not yet been able to return to work.

In reviewing the case, the district attorney stated, "After reviewing the investigative findings of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, I have determined that no criminal charges will be filed in this matter. Former Officer Willis demonstrated a high level of negligence in failing to properly clear his handgun before entering the training exercise; however, his negligent conduct does not rise to the level of criminal intent required to prove that he committed a criminal offense beyond a reasonable doubt.

“After Willis discharged his handgun in the training situation, he immediately assisted a medic in rendering assistance to Officer Hardin. The fact that former Officer Willis will not face criminal charges does not excuse his negligent conduct. His employment has been terminated with the Morehead City Police Department, and this matter will be reported to the Criminal Justice Training and Standards Commission."

The Morehead City Police Department plans to thoroughly review its officer training program to make sure this type of incident never happens again.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Child unintentionally shoots father in the back in Walmart parking lot

Monty Wheeler was at a Walmart in Russellville, Arkansas with his son. According to reports:

It was determined the man had accidentally been shot by his child. While the child was attempting to enter the vehicle, the child accidentally grabbed a hold of a loaded shotgun, that had not been secured, to help pull himself into the truck.
While grabbing the shotgun the child accidentally pulled the trigger and caused the shotgun to discharge and strike his father in the back.

Wheeler was taken to the hospital where he was listed in stable condition. No one else was injured in the incident.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Tourist from South America killed at gun range when gun recoils

25-year-old Andrea Corredor-Rivera, from Colombia in South America, was visiting family in Missouri. She was at the Salt River Gun Range near New London, MO when she lost control of the gun she was shooting.

According to reports, Corredor-Rivera died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. She was shooing a .500-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun when the gun recoiled and she lost control. The sheriff said the gun spun around in her hand, leading to a second fatal shot.



Monday, November 4, 2013

Man cleaning handgun unintentionally shoots himself and his 4-year-old daughter

38-year-old Ryan Matson, of Stonington, Maine, was cleaning his .45 caliber handgun in his kitchen when he unintentionally discharged the weapon.

The bullet hit his leg and continued on and hit his 4-year-old daughter, Riley, in the thigh. Riley was sitting next to her father at the time.

They were taken to the hospital in Bangor where they were treated and released. Authorities say no charges are expected.

This is the second shooting within a week involving a young child in Maine. On Wednesday a man shot his 3-year-old daughter in the neck. A neighbor believes it was an unintentional shooting although it is still being investigated. The child was taken to the hospital in critical condition and remains hospitalized.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Man pleads not guilty to fatal unintentional shooting at egg farm

44-year-old Michael Warbin, of Franklin, Connecticut, entered a plea of not guilty to a manslaughter charge in connection to a fatal shooting at the Moark egg farm in Turner, Maine.

Warbin was working at the farm in August when he was shooting a .22-caliber rifle to kill rodents and stray chickens inside one of the farm's chicken barns that was being cleaned out.

Warbin unintentionally shot another worker, 57-year-old Manual Adame, in the chest and neck. Adame died of his injuries.

Warbin is currently free on bail and is not allowed to possess or use dangerous weapons.