Man drops gun in Cracker Barrel, gun discharges injures customer eating breakfast

William Hoback, of Sanford, Florida, was talking to the person at the checkout counter at a local Cracker Barrel restaurant when his gun slipped out of his holster. When the gun hit the floor it discharged. The bullet hit a kettle and sent fragments flying in several directions.

Three people were hit by the shrapnel, including the restaurant manager, Hoback's finance, and a customer who was eating breakfast.

The customer told police he heard a loud bang and then felt a sharp burning pain in his left shin.  He was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Police did not charge Hoback in the incident and would not say if Hoback had a permit to carry the gun. 

Gunfight at the OK Corral Re-enactment Unintentionally Uses Live Rounds, Wounds Actor

Tom Carter and Ken Curtis have been members of the Tombstone Vigilantes group for more than ten years.  The group re-enacts the historic gunfight at the OK Corral for tourists in Tombstone, Arizona.

But Sunday, the re-enactment went terribly wrong when the gun Tom Carter fired unintentionally contained live ammunition.  One of the bullets Carter fired struck Ken Curtis in the upper-groin area. Curtis was flown to the hospital in Tucson for treatment.

At least two other rounds struck businesses approximately 680 feet from the skit.  One of the bullets caused shrapnel to hit a female bystander.  She was not seriously injured and refused treatment.

Law officials have ordered the Tombstone Vigilante group to stop future re-enactments while the incident is being investigated.  

Gun falls out of woman's purse, discharges, injures woman nearby

A woman was checking her mother out of Christus Outpatient Pavilion in Beaumont, TX. She reached into her purse to grab some paperwork and a small caliber pistol fell out.  When the gun hit the floor it discharged.  The bullet went through a wall and hit another patient in the hip.

A police spokesperson said the injury was not life threatening and that the victim was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Christus issued a statement that read, in part:

Handguns are strictly prohibited on all CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System campuses, as safety for our staff and patients is always a top priority. We are thankful for the rapid response of our teams and will continue to provide ongoing support to our staff as needed. We are working with law enforcement on the ongoing investigation.

Woman almost hit by bullet fired by 3-year-old in neighboring apartment

Police say a 3-year-old child in Peru, Indiana unintentionally discharged a handgun. The bullet went through the wall into a neighbor's apartment.

The woman in the apartment told police she heard a bang and saw drywall flying towards her. Luckily, she was not injured.

The child's mother told police the gun belonged to her finance and that he usually kept the gun in a drawer by the bed with the chamber cleared but he had been in a hurry that morning and left the gun loaded and unlocked on the nightstand.

The Miami County Department of Child Services was called to investigate the incident.

Bystander trying to shoot carjacker unintentionally shoots victim instead

Houston, Texas police are reporting a man was shot in the head during an incident at a Valero gas station in north Houston around 11 o'clock Saturday night.

The victim was in the parking lot when two men jumped out and took the victim's Chevrolet pickup truck.

At that point another man who witnessed the carjacking pulled out a gun and started shooting at the suspects.  He unintentionally shot the carjacking victim in the head.

The victim was taken to the hospital where he is in stable condition.  Police are looking for both the suspects and the witness who did the shooting.  Police said the witness picked up shell casings in the parking lot and left the scene before they could question him.

Man trying to shoot seven puppies shot by puppy instead

37-year-old Jerry Bradford, of Pensacola, Florida couldn't find homes for his 3-month-old shepherd-mix puppies. So he decided the best course of action was to kill the seven puppies by shooting them in the head.

Bradford was holding two of the puppies, one in his arms the other in his left hand, when one of the dogs put its paw on the trigger of the .38-caliber handgun Bradford was using.

The gun discharged and Bradford was shot in the wrist. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Police found three dead puppies and four others in good health. They were taken to a local animal adoption center.

Bradford faces charges of animal cruelty. 

8-year-old boy unintentionally shot by babysitter

39-year-old Mike Lee Dickey was babysitting an 8-year-old Casa Grande, Arizona boy.  According to police, at about 2 a.m., Dickey was in the bathroom removing his .45-caliber handgun from the waistband of his pants when he unintentionally discharged the gun. 

The bullet passed through two doors and struck the 8-year-old in his arm while he lay sleeping in a nearby bedroom.

The boy was flown to a hospital in Phoenix for treatment.  No charges have been filed but the report has been passed on to the County Attorney's Office. 

Man sitting on couch shot by bullet fired in apartment above

A 20-year-old man was sitting on his couch in his apartment in South Providence, Rhode Island when a bullet came crashing through his ceiling.

The man was shot in his right shoulder. When police arrived they found him in the backseat of a car, covered in blood. Blood also covered his kitchen floor and there was a bullet hole in the ceiling above the living room couch. The man was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries.

When police went to the apartment upstairs, the door was locked. Officers broke it down and a search of the apartment uncovered several containers of marijuana, a safe with $2,990 cash,  papers that police believe to be a record of drug sales, a bag of ammunition, an empty rifle case and a 12-guage shotgun.

Police arrested 23-year-old Dara Chav and 30-year-old Steven In. They were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.  Police are still investigating the shooting and whether or not to bring charges.

Woman sentenced for mailing loaded gun that fired in postal processing center

47-year-old Tami Dee Bachart, of McCall, Idaho, mailed a loaded Ruger Blackhawk .357-caliber handgun in December to an address in Connecticut.  The gun discharged while being handled by an employee in a processing center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The postal worker sought medical attention for ringing ears and stinging hands.

Bachart admitted sending the package but claimed she didn't know the gun was loaded. 

Bachart pleaded guilty to mailing injurious articles and causing a firearm to be present in a federal facility.  She was sentenced to a year of probation, ordered to serve 200 hours of community service, pay $3,400 in restitution and a $1,000 fine.

12-year-old shot & killed when brother unintentionally discharges shotgun

12-year-old Halee Marshall, of Catlettsburg, Kentucky,  was helping her 20-year-old brother unpack his pickup truck and move things into the house. The brother's girlfriend was also helping.

According to the county coroner, there was a shotgun hanging on a gun rack in the truck.  As the brother was handing the gun to his girlfriend the gun unintentionally discharged.

The brother told police he had cleaned the weapon and didn't realize the gun had been reloaded.

Halee was shot in the face.  She was pronounced dead at the scene.

"It was accidental," said the coroner. "No drugs or alcohol was involved."

Man taking gun out of truck unintentionally shoots and kills himself

32-year-old Aaron Kondo, of Kapa'au, Hawaii, had gone to check on pig traps on private property. When he didn't return home his family became concerned and went to check on him.

Kondo was found unconscious next to his truck with a gunshot wound to the left side of his chest.

Police determined that Kondo's rifle had been stored loaded and unlocked in the cab of his truck and that when Kondo tried to pull the gun out of the truck by the barrel, something in the truck caught the gun's trigger and caused it to discharge.

Kondo was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Teen unintentionally shoots himself with gun in his pocket

18-year-old Steven Franklin, of Covington, Kentucky, was carrying a loaded .22 caliber revolver in his pocket.  When he sat down the gun unintentionally discharged and shot Franklin in the leg.

Franklin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Covington Police declared the incident an accident and no charges were filed.

Teen shot and killed taking photo of her friend holding a rifle

16-year-old Selena Lewis, of Maiden, North Carolina went with her friends to look at a Ruger .22-caliber rifle one of them was considering buying.

The rifle seller had left the gun in the back of a pick-up truck on his property so 21-year-old Christopher Webb could look at the gun. The seller wasn't home at the time.

Selena was taking a picture of Webb holding the gun when Webb unintentionally discharged the weapon. Selena was shot in the chest.

Selena was taken to a local hospital and died before she could be airlifted to a medical center in Charlotte.

Webb told police he didn't realize there was a magazine in the rifle.  The district attorney is reviewing the case. 

Girl shot in the neck by stray bullet while traveling in car on Interstate 55

An 11-year-old Kirksville, Missouri girl was traveling with her family on Interstate 55 when the driver's side window suddenly blew out. The incident occurred near the 2-mile marker in Missouri.

According to the Pemiscot County Sheriff, "the first thought was the heat caused it; however, the 11-year-old was in the back seat and began complaining of pain in her neck. It was determined she had been shot by a 9mm round."

The girl was airlifted to a hospital in Memphis, TN for treatment.

Deputies are investigating a person who was shooting his pistol in the area at the same time. If a shot missed the berm, it would be in line with I-55. Ballistic testing is being done on two pistols.

The girl was reportedly released from the hospital later that evening and the family continue on its vacation.

Father unintentionally shoots and kills his 14-year-old son

37-year-old Dennis Vanportfliet, of Aitkin, Minnesota was handling his .40 caliber Sig Sauer pistol when he unintentionally discharged the gun.

The bullet hit his 14-year-old son, Dawson, in the neck.   Dawson was airlifted to a medical center in Hennepin where he died of his wounds.

Dawson was in the 8th grade, was active in the Boy Scouts and involved in martial arts.

A community member who works with Vanportfliet at a local restaurant told the press, "I'm worried about Dawson's little sister. It's going to be tough for his parents for a very long time."

A fund has been set up to help the family, who has no health insurance, pay for the hospital bills.
 

Boy finds keys to his grandfather's gun safe, takes gun, unintentionally shoots and kills sleeping woman

A 12-year-old Kalamazoo, Michigan boy, who investigators said is "mentally impaired," found the keys to his grandfather's gun safe, unlocked the safe, removed and loaded a shotgun.

According to his grandfather the boy "got up before anybody this morning at 5:30 a.m. He said he was in my pocket trying to get change and he found the gun safe key. It's always locked up, and I always have the key on me."

The grandfather said that when the boy tried to unload the shotgun he unintentionally discharged the gun.  The pellets went through a nearby closet wall and struck a 28-year-old woman who was sleeping in the living room.

The grandfather said "we turned the light on and we could see all the blood. It was only minutes. She was still breathing, but by the time the police got here, she'd passed away."

The boy is staying with a family member.  The grandfather said his grandson is an apprentice hunter and has used guns before.  He said the boy "handled guns very safely and wouldn't touch a gun unless he was told it was okay to pick it up." He added that the boy "doesn't realize what he's done."

Man shoots himself in the groin during gun safety class

A 36-year-old Emmaus, Pennsylvania man was taking a gun safety class at the Bethlehem police gun range. The class was for people who wanted to obtain a concealed weapons permit.

According to police, "While reholstering his gun, the weapon apparently got caught on some fabric from his shirt and it accidentally discharged."

The bullet hit the man in the groin and grazed his thigh.  Police reported that the man suffered some blood loss but was in stable condition, conscious and alert when he was taken to the hospital.

Police declined to identify the man since he is not charged with a crime.

Man looking to buy handgun unintentionally shot

50-year-old Anthony Williamson, of Duluth, Georgia had arranged to buy a handgun from a private seller. Williamson and his friend, Jonathan Jordan, drove to the Academy Sports parking lot in Newnan to meet the seller.

While Jordan was examining the gun he unintentionally discharged the weapon.Williamson was shot in the abdomen. He was airlifted to Atlanta for treatment and was listed in stable condition after surgery.

The County Sheriff's Office said the shooting "appears to be not reckless - just an error in firearm safety."  No charges were filed.

The Sheriff's Office also noted that in Georgia, as in most states, it is legal to sell a handgun in a store parking lot with no background check run and no records kept.

Sheriff's deputy unintentionally shoots mother during wedding ceremony

Cory Golightly is a sheriff's deputy in the McCracken County Sheriff's Department in Kentucky. He was off-duty, attending a wedding with his mother at the Bardwell Baptist Church in Carlisle County when he dropped his gun.

According to witnesses, Golightly was adjusting his jacket and the gun and holster fell out. The gun discharged when it hit the floor. The bullet hit his mother.

Golightly's mother was taken to the hosptial and is said to be in stable condition.

The pianist at the wedding said Golightly was very composed throughout the incident.  "He said, 'Mom, breathe and be calm. Be calm," she said.

Golightly has been placed on paid leave while the incident is investigated.

Woman shot outside elementary school after man drops gun

A 20-year-old woman was standing outside of L. H. Williams elementary school in Macon, Georgia Monday night around 9:30 p.m. She told police she heard a popping noise and when she looked down at her hands, she noticed they were bleeding.

According to police an as yet unidentified male dropped a gun which then unintentionally discharged, shooting the woman.  The bullet grazed both her arms and she was taken to the local hospital for treatment.

Police are still investigating the incident.

Guns are the only consumer product manufactured in American not regulated by a federal agency for health and safety. Guns that discharge when dropped clearly have a design flaw yet the Consumer Product Safety Commission has no authority to issue a recall on any gun or demand they be redesigned.

Woman cleaning out her purse unintentionally shoots friend

30-year-old Jordan Lynch, of Macon, Georgia, was cleaning out her purse, getting ready to go out to dinner with her friend, 26-year-old Matthew Harvey.

According to a news release from the sheriff's office, "Lynch went to remove her handgun from the purse and accidentally shot Harvey in the right knee."

Harvey was taken to the hospital for treatment where he was listed in stable condition.

There is no indication that Lynch will be charged in the shooting.

Man shoots armadillo, bullet ricochets, hits his mother-in-law

54-year-old Larry McElroy, of Leesburg, Georgia, shot an armadillo with his 9mm handgun while standing outside his mobile home.

The bullet ricocheted off the animal's armor, went through the back door of the mobile home and into the back of a recliner where McElroy's mother-in-law was sitting.

74-year-old Carol Johnson was struck in the back.  She was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

"The whole situation was unusual," said the county sheriff.

Residents are allowed to shoot armadillos as a way to get rid of them and McElroy will not be charged for the shooting.

Man showing gun to friend unintentionally shot and killed

33-year-old Ronald Metzger, of Darlington, Maryland was in his garage Saturday afternoon, showing his shotgun to a friend. The friend was holding the gun when it was unintentionally discharged.

Metzger was shot in the torso.  He was taken to a medical center where he was pronounced dead.

The sheriff's office is investigating the incident to see if any charges will be filed.

Man brings concealed gun to Easter Mass, unintentionally shoots himself

A man took a loaded handgun to Easter Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The gun was not in a holster, but just in his pants' pocket. The safety was off and when he stood up near the end of the service the gun apparently caught on his pants and unintentionally discharged.

The bullet grazed his hand and he was taken to the local hospital for treatment.

"Many people understandably have questions about what would prompt an individual to carry a gun into the Cathedral," said Bishop Bartchak. "I would like to take this opportunity to state my firm belief that guns have no place in our Cathedral or any of the other parishes in our Diocese. Our churches must be an environment in which all feel safe to worship the Lord and celebrate our Catholic faith."

Police are still investigating the incident to decided if any charges should be filed.

School resource officer unintentionally discharges gun inside high school

School police officer Paul Semler unintentionally discharged his gun inside Western Wayne High School in South Canaan Township, Pennsylvania.

According to the school's superintendent, "At approximately 11 .am. our school police officer, while in his office, inadvertently discharged his firearm."

The superintendent would not say how the gun went off or what Semler was doing at the time.  A school staff member was in the office at the time the gun went off.  "Thankfully, no one was hurt," he said, "and there were no students in the office or in the near vicinity."

Semler is a retired state trooper and has been with the district for several years. He has been suspended without pay while investigators determine whether he should be charged with reckless endangerment.

Michigan woman fatally shoots herself while adjusting gun in her bra holster

55-year-old Christina Bond, of St. Joseph, Michigan, was adjusting the handgun in her bra holster on New Years Day when she unintentionally discharged the gun. The bullet struck Christina in the eye.  She was airlifted to a hosptial in Kalamazoo where she died the next day.

According to new details of the incident that were just released, officials report "she was having trouble adjusting her bra holster, couldn't get it to fit the way she wanted it to.  She was looking down at it and accidentally discharged the weapon."

According to her obituary, Christina joined the Navy out of high school, served two terms as an active Military Police, and was an administrator for the Road to Life Church.  She is survived by her two sons and six grandchildren.

Teen unintentionally shoots friend in the arm and the penis

A 15-year-old Collier County, Florida called 911 for help. "I've been shot. I've been shot," he said. "Can you please call the rescue?"

The 911 dispatcher asked him what kind of gun was used and where he had been shot.

"I don't know," the teen replied.  "Just please come get me, please. I'm bleeding out, please. I think I am shot in the arm...and I think my penis."

The teen was flown to a hospital in For Myers for treatment. He told police a friend had shot him unintentionally and that he had told the friend to leave his house to avoid getting into trouble.

Police are investigated in the incident.  It is not known where the teenagers got the gun. The injured teen has been released from the hospital and is in stable condition.

4-year-old shoots uncle with gun he found on the floor

A Milwaukee, Wisconsin man told police he was going to the gun range and that the gun he was planning on using was on the floor when his 4-year-old nephew found it.

The boy picked up the gun and unintentionally discharged it, shooting his uncle in the stomach.

Police did not report on the extent of the injuries but did indicate that the investigation is ongoing.

2 injured when gun falls out of man's fanny pack in grocery store

58-year-old Gerry Good, of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, was shopping at the Richland Township Giant Eagle. When he leaned over inside the store a gun fell out of a fanny pack he was wearing, hit the floor and discharged.

According to police, the gun "fell in such a way that the barrel hit the floor and somehow the gun went off." Pieces of the bullet and the ceramic tile from the floor hit two people shopping nearby. Both were grazed in the leg. The injuries were treated on the scene.

Good, who has a concealed weapons permit, was arrested and charged with two simple assault charges and two reckless assault charges.

Guns are the only consumer product manufactured in American not regulated by a federal agency for health and safety. Guns that discharge when dropped clearly have a design flaw yet the Consumer Product Safety Commission has no authority to issue a recall on any gun or demand they be redesigned.

Kentucky police officer unintentionally shoots self in elevator

Surveillance video captured an off-duty Kentucky police officer unintentionally shooting himself in an elevator in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The officer, Darryl Jouett of Erlanger, Kentucky, was in the elevator with his wife.

The video shows Jouett fumbling with a gun while holding a box.  The gun discharges and shoots him in his abdomen.  Jouett falls to his knees before stumbling out of the elevator and clutching a wall.

Jouett was taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. He was kept overnight and released the next morning.

Jouett is a 25-year veteran of the police force.

Woman shoots husband mistaking him for intruder

27-year-old Tiffany Sequel, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, had gone back to bed after her husband, 28-year-old Zia Segule, left for work.

Zia later came back home to surprise his wife with breakfast. When he walked through the front door he triggered the home's alarm system.

The alarm woke Tiffany up and she grabbed a handgun that was near the bed.  Thinking there was an intruder in the house Tiffany fired the gun through the closed bedroom door.

The bullet struck Zia in the chest.  He was taken to the local medical center where he was listed in stable condition.

A neighbor said that while he understands how this can happen, "I wouldn't open fire just like that."

Police Chief Unintentionally Shoots Himself, for the Second Time

Connersville, Indiana Police Chief David Counceller was shopping for a new handgun last year when he unintentionally discharged his service Glock handgun.  Newly released surveillance footage from the gun store shows the incident.

According to Counceller, the Glock "got tangled in my clothing. I was wearing a sweatshirt and a fleece jacket. I felt it go in the holster and I pushed it, but it was tangled in the material which caused it to discharge.  The bullet went into my leg and then into the floor."

The injury to his leg was minor. Counceller said he drove himself to the hospital for treatment and then returned to work.

In 1999, Counceller also unintentionally shot himself.  "I was working third shift as a captain," he explains. "I was unloading [the gun] to take it to the gunsmith and I didn't drop the barrel to see if there was [a bullet] in the chamber. The shot hit my hand. That one really hurt."

Counceller has been Chief of Police in Connersville for seven years.

Man struck and killed by stray bullet while watching fireworks on New Year's Eve

43-year-old Javier Rivera, of Houston, Texas was standing in his driveway with his wife, watching neighborhood fireworks when he was struck by a stray bullet.  Rivera, who was struck in the head, died at the scene.

Police think that Javier was struck by a falling bullet from celebratory gunfire. They say the shot could have been fired up to a mile away.  Police are trying to determine who fired the shot.

In addition to his wife Javier is survived by three children.

Other reports of damage from celebratory gunfire on New Year's Eve include a woman in Tampa, FL who was hit in the leg by a stray bullet while waiting for a fireworks display, a woman in Atlanta, Georgia who was shot when a bullet came through the ceiling of her home, and a man in St. Louis, Missouri who was grazed by a bullet that come through his wall.