Woman watching tv killed when stray bullet comes through window

 A 26-year-old Akron, Ohio woman was sitting on her couch, watching tv when a stray bullet came through the front window and hit her in the head. Her boyfriend discovered her lying in a pool of blood on the living room floor. She was taken to the local hospital where she was declared dead.

Police speculate that the shot may have been fired by someone celebrating the 4th of July. Two 9mm bullet casings were found on a dock across the lake from the house. 

The woman leaves behind two young daughters. 

High school basketball star paralyzed by stray bullet

18-year-old Columbus C. was visiting Indianapolis for a friend's graduation. They were having a high school graduation party in the garage when shots rang out. 

"Shots just get fired out of nowhere. I'm running and I heard the last shot just go through the garage, and just hit me in the back. I took two steps and it was just done," said Columbus. 

The bullet severed the side of his spinal cord, collapsed his lung and left him paralyzed from the waist down, in a wheelchair with only a five percent chance of ever walking again.

Columbus had just graduated high school and had received a full scholarship to play D-1 basketball at Alabama State University.

"It's hard," said Columbus. "This is me now, so if I want to do better I have to work for it. That's my mindset to work every single day to get back to where I was hopefully."

Police have not made any arrests for the shooting. 

Woman playing with handgun unintentionally shoots and kills stepson

 A Pembroke Pines, Florida woman was fooling around with a handgun when she unintentionally shot and killed her 15-year-old stepson. According to a friend of the teen who was there that night the family was celebrating another child who had just graduated from elementary school. 

The friend said the gun was on the dining room table and the stepmother was playing with it. He said she was laughing and told everyone to stay calm as she pointed the gun at everyone including the dogs. The teen left the room and a moment later he heard a gunshot. When he ran back into the room his friend was on the floor and he wasn't breathing. 

According to the police: The firearm was discharged unintentionally due to negligence and mishandling." Prosecutors have yet to determine if charges will be filed. 

Stray bullet hits pregnant woman sitting in her apartment

 A pregnant woman was sitting inside her apartment in Manchester, New Hampshire when a bullet came through her wall and struck her. She was taken to the local hospital where she was listed in stable condition.  Her unborn baby appears to have not been harmed.

Police arrested five people who barricaded themselves inside the apartment where the gunshot originated. They were charged with resisting arrest.  Police are still investigating the incident and have not determined if more charges will be filed. They did not say what kind of firearm was discharged. 

Man unintentionally shoots and injures his 8-year-old son

 A 38-year-old Windsor, Colorado man was handling a gun inside his house when he unintentionally discharged the weapon.  The bullet hit his 8-year-old son who was in another room.  The boy was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The injury was not life-threatening. 

Police are still investigating the incident and have not said if any charges will be filled against the father. 

Man attempting an armed robbery unintentionally shot and killed instead

 A man was walking down the street in Houston, Texas when a car pulled up next to him, two men jumped out and attempted to rob him. The robbers pulled out a gun and shot the man in the leg. One of the robbers was also unintentionally shot. 

Police haven't determined if one robber was shot by the other or if the gunman shot himself. They both got in the car and left. They drove to a nearby apartment complex. The injured man was dragged inside an apartment where he then died. 

The surviving suspect has been arrested on robbery charges and may be charged with manslaughter or murder pending the outcome of the investigation. The victim who was shot was taken to the hospital and treated. 

A neighbor commented: Dumb criminals. Dumb criminals, man.. wow. Like, I mean, that was very stupid. Like whatever happened, it was uncalled for and it was just stupid, plain stupid."

15-year-old unintentionally shoots and kills boyfriend while playing with a gun

 Two 15-year-olds were playing with a handgun inside a boy's home in Mount Croghan, South Carolina.  According to the sheriffs the two were tossing the gun back and forth when the gun went off in the girlfriend's hands and hit the boy in the chest. The boy died at the scene.

The girl was taken into custody and charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of her boyfriend. The boy's mother was home at the time but was not charged. However, police continue to investigate. If the handgun is found to have been purchased by an adult and not stored properly that could result in charges. 

"It's real tiresome," said the sheriff, "We have to continue going to these mothers and fathers and telling them their child is deceased over recklessness, over negligence, over unnecessary stuff. And it's just getting..it's really getting old."

14-year-old in critical condition after unintentionally shooting himself in neck

 A 14-year-old Ocala, Florida boy was visiting a friend when he found a loaded, unlocked gun in the parents' dresser drawer. The boy unintentionally discharged the gun, shooting himself in the neck. 

When police arrived they found the boy lying on the floor and two women attempting to resuscitate him. The officer took over the CPR and after a few minutes the boy began breathing again and was able to move his head.  

The teen was taken to the hospital where he remains in critical condition. 

The owner of the gun was at work when the shooting took place. Police are investigating the incident and note that under Florida law guns must be stored in a locked box or secured with a trigger lock to prevent a minor accessing the gun. 

Gun range employee unintentionally discharges firearm, shoots self and teenage customer

 A 50-year-old employee at a gun shop and shooting range in Waukegan, Illinois was sitting at a table just outside of the firing range inside the store when he unintentionally discharged his handgun. 

The bullet went through his thigh, ricocheted off the floor and struck a nearby teenager in the hand. The 19-year-old's injury required surgical care from a hand specialist and he will have a long road to recovery.

The teen has filed a lawsuit again the gun range seeking an unspecified judgment. The suit claims that the employee was violating company policy by handling a loaded firearm while not in the shooting area and also that the employee failed to properly secure the firearm. 

Gunfire erupts on street, stray bullet hits 2-year-old inside her apartment

 A fight involving several individuals broke out on Bluff Street in Marion, South Carolina around 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon. One man was shot and a stray bullet entered a nearby apartment striking a 2-year-old girl inside. Both victims were taken to the hospital. The girl had to be airlifted to a hospital in Charleston for treatment. 

Police did not have any information about the injuries but did say they had several leads on the shooter and their accomplices. The police added: This is enough. If you want to shoot at each other so be it, but when your poor decision-making almost takes the life of an innocent child then that is another level of evil.

80-year-old great-grandmother killed by stray bullet while leaving grandson's high school graduation

 An 80-year-old woman was shot and killed and two others wounded when an argument turned into a gunfight outside of a high school graduation ceremony in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The woman was struck by a stray bullet while walking to her family's car. 

Her daughter posted on Facebook: Today you took my world away from me and my family, all you had to do was walk away. It was graduation for my son, my mom was so happy to see her youngest grandchild graduate. You have ruined my son and families world, all you had to do was walk away. 

A New Orleans city council member commented: This lady went to a graduation; she didn't sign up to be executed. What was so devastating about the argument that you had to shoot out there? We live in a sick time where shooters and killers feel emboldened to do what they want, where they want, no matter if security or police are near. 

The woman killed was the mother of six, grandmother of 15, and great-grandmother of 12. Her daughter told reporters that her mother loved to garden and she pushed her kids and grandchildren to pursue education. She was thrilled to be attending her grandson's graduation. 

She added: My mother hated guns, she didn't want them anywhere around her, and to say that this happened in such a senseless way, that's the hardest part.

5-year-old unintentionally shot and killed by 9-year-old. Days later mother of the 5-year-old shot and killed outside local restaurant.

 A five-year-old South Bend, Indiana boy was shot and killed by his nine-year-old relative while visiting at the relative's house. The police said it was a "tragic accident"  but did not comment on how the 9-year-old got hold of the gun. (Note - this was not an accident, is was an unintentional discharged that could have been avoided.)

The boy's father told reporters, "We don't have guns in the house because that was one of my biggest fears.  Take the precautionary steps to have the guns."

The pastor who spoke at the boy's funeral told reporters, "I was compelled to say at the funeral that we never know the day nor the hour of our death. The family is mourning the death of a 5-year-old boy and is mourning for the 9-year-old relative who is suffering from the events. A gun may make a person feel powerful, but once you pull the trigger, you can't take it back. Individuals have to learn that with gun violence, nobody wins." 

Just a few days after the boy's funeral, his 32-year-old mother was shot and killed outside of a South Bend restaurant.  The mother got into an argument with a 26-year-old woman inside the restaurant. The younger woman took a handgun from her purse and followed the mother outside, firing multiple shots at her and others who were fleeing. The mother was rushed to the hospital where she died of her injuries. 

9-year-old hit by stray bullet while playing outside her home

 A 9-year-old girl was playing with friends on the sidewalk outside her home in Woodbridge, Virginia when she was struck by a stray bullet. The bullet was fired by a 15-year-old boy who was shooting at a car driving through the apartment complex. 

The shooting was captured on a neighbor's security camera. The video shows the children playing on the sidewalk when a silver car enters the parking lot, drives by and then stops, reverses and turns around, heading towards a groups of boys walking on the other side of the parking lot. One of the boy pulls out a gun and fires three times and the car drives off. The 9-year-old girl falls to the ground and starts screaming, "I can't feel my legs!" 

The girl was rushed to the hospital were she underwent multiple surgeries. She suffered from a partially collapsed lung and damaged liver. The bullet lodged in her spine. She was listed in critical condition. 

Police arrested a 15-year-old male who was charged with aggravated malicious wounding, attempted malicious wounding, shooting at an occupied vehicle and gun charges. Police did not identify the teen nor did they say where the 15-year-old got the gun.

Every illegal gun starts out as a legal gun. 

Arkansas teen unintentionally shoots man while target practicing

 Saline County, Arkansas, Sheriff reported that a 45-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl were target practicing with a 9mm handgun.  The girl was holding the gun when her grip started to slip. She grabbed the gun tighter and unintentionally discharged the weapon. 

The bullet went into the man's abdomen and exited out his back. He told the sheriff it felt like someone had tackled him. He also told the sheriff that he and the girl "were practicing gun safety."

13-year-old Shot and Killed While Playing with Gun

 A 13-year-old Grand Rapids, Michigan boy was shot and killed Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. He and his friend were playing with a 45-caliber handgun when the gun was discharged, striking the teen in the chest. 

The boy, also 13, who unintentionally discharged the weapon had taken the gun from his grandfather's bedroom. The grandfather told reporters that he stored the weapon in an unlocked dresser drawer. He expressed sympathies for the family of the teenager killed. 

The teenager who pulled the trigger was taken in to custody. The grandfather, who negligently left the gun unsecured thus allowing the boys to gain access, was not.  

Public Safety Training Instructor and Student Shot and Wounded At Gun Range

 An instructor at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) was shot and injured when another instructor unintentionally fired his handgun.  A student was also injured.

According to reports a 58-year-old instructor at GPSTC was drawing his firearm from his holster when he lost his grip, as he tried to regain his grip his finger got stuck in the trigger and he fired the gun. The bullet struck another instructor, William Skinner, 49, in the leg and a student, Andrew Jordan, 30, in the foot. Both men were taken to a hospital in Macon for treatment. Skinner was treated and released. Jordan's injury required surgery. 

The Georgia Public Safety Training Center is a "comprehensive training complex for all state and local public" officers. It is home to the Georgia Police Academy, the Basic Training Division and the Instructional Services Division.