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.
 

Newlywed killed when duck hunting buddy stumbles with gun

23-year-old Adam Poole, of Nevis, Minnesota was duck hunting with his friend in a 14-foot flat-bottom aluminum boat. According to reports:

"They both stood up in the boat in an effort to shoot a duck. The hunting partner lost his balance, and the shotgun he was carrying discharged. Poole was struck in the head and died from his injuries."

Poole died at the scene. Authorities are treating his death strictly as an accident and do not expect to file charges.

The education coordinator with the Department of Natural Resources warned "anytime you are on the water, it's going to be unstable. The main thing is to keep in mind is zones of fire because you are in a confined space."

Poole, an avid duck hunter, wore a hunting camouflage tuxedo vest when he got married last month.

In-laws unintentionally shoot each other in two separate incidents

One family in Chaska, Minnesota is having a rough week. First, a man who was negligently handling a handgun unintentionally shot his father-in-law in the foot.

A few days later, the man who was shot in the foot was also mishandling a handgun when he unintentionally shot himself in the hand. The bullet passed through his hand and struck his wife in the stomach. The family was playing Monopoly at the time.

The son-in-law, who had previously shot his father-in-law in the foot, drove his in-laws to the local hospital. They were transferred to a larger medical center for treatment.

Police say alcohol does not appear to have been involved in either incident.

Man shoots granddaughter mistaking her for an intruder

A 61-year-old Rochester, Minnesota man was sleeping when he heard a noise outside at around 11 o'clock Monday night. The man grabbed his 9 mm handgun and told his wife to call the police. He took the gun and went to investigate the noise.
When he saw a figure at the back door the man fired at least two shots. The person at the backdoor was his 16-year-old granddaughter. She was struck once in the upper torso. She was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive her injuries.
The granddaughter had been living with her grandparents for a few months. They thought she was home when they heard the noise outside.
"The homeowner and his wife remain cooperative and are extremely shaken by last night's events," said the local police captain. "It doesn't appear there was any dispute, any problems with the homeowner, his wife or the granddaughter. It's just a tragic event."

Man who had never handled gun before, unintentionally shot and killed friend, pleads guilty to manslaughter

22-year-old Derrick Dahl, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, had never handled a gun before when he went to his friend's house last summer. Dahl, 22-year-old Ben Hanson, and another friend began fooling around with several guns inside the home. According to police, the home contained a Kimber .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, a Colt .357 magnum revolver, a Ruger .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun, and several long guns.
The three friends were "just playing around" and "pointing the empty handguns at each other." Dahl told police that he saw his friend take the magazine out of the Kimber handgun, remove a bullet from the chamber and place it in the magazine, and put both the gun and magazine on the counter. Dahl then left the room to look at the long guns. When he came back in the room he picked up the Kimber, cocked it, pointed it at Ben Hanson and pulled the trigger.
But the gun had been reloaded and Hanson was shot in the head. Hanson was taken to the hospital and died the next day of his injuries.
Dhal pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and was sentenced this week to 90 days in jail, 10 years probation and a stayed prison sentence of four years.

Man sentenced to 4 years in unintentional shooting death of his son

58-year-old Howard Bascomb of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota has been sentenced to four years in prison in connection with the unintentional shooting death of his son, 23-year-old Alexander Bascomb. The shooting occurred last November.
According to reports, Bascomb told police he and his son had been drinking when they decided at 3 o'clock in the morning to field strip Bascomb's 9mm Beretta handgun and put it back together. As they were trying to put the gun back together Bascomb unintentionally fired the weapon, hitting his son in the chest. Alexander's girlfriend was awakened by the shot and called the police. When the police arrived they found Alexander slumped over in a chair. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bascomb pleaded guilty to second-dgree manslaugher and was sentenced this week.

Father trying to fix pistol unintentionally shoots 11-year-old daughter in the head

Jesse Montanye was target practicing outside his home near Braham, Minnesota when his .22-calbier pistol jammed. He brought the gun inside to try and fix it and unintentionally discharged the gun. The bullet hit his 11-year-old daughter, Maddy, in the head. Jesse was in the living room and Maddy was seated at the kitchen table when the gun discharged.
Maddy is in critical condition and is currently in a medically induced coma. Her grandmother tells reporters that Jesse is devastated.
Too sad.

23-year-old son unintentionally shoots his mother with a handgun

A 23-year-old Owatonna, Minnesota man was handling a handgun when he unintentionally discharged the gun. The bullet struck his 59-year-old mother, Dixie Williams, in the leg. Dixie has been hospitalized for her injuries.
Her son was taken into police custody and is being held on probably cause for reckless discharge of a firearm. Police are trying to "figure out what he was doing to make that firearm go off."
Dixie assured news reporters that the shooting was accidental.
Ohh shoot.

Father unintentionally shoots teenage son while deer hunting

Doug Gess of Bloomington, Minnesota was with his 16-year-old son, Jesse, on opening day of deer hunting season. As he was loading his gun it unintentionally discharged. The 12-gauge slug plowed through the metal box of the truck, then the metal cab, through the backseat and into Jesse's back. Seconds later, he watched his only son climb out of his truck, drop on all fours, and saw the half-inch hole in his back.
Jesse was flown to a hospital in South Dakota. The slug hit his lung, diaphragm and liver but the injuries were not life-threatening.
There have been two fatal and 23 nonfatal hunting incidents in Minnesota this year. There's an average of 32 hunting incidents in South Dakota each year.
Ohh shoot.

Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune story: Gun Play: Kids Shooting Kids

The accidental shootings send dozens to Minnesota hospitals each year. Immaturity and today's gun culture create a persistent problem.

A fascination with firearms and a false sense of security around guns has fueled more than 1,550 unintentional shooting of young Minnesotans between 1999 and 2008, a Star Tribune analysis of state Health Department data found. What's more, unintentional shootings of young people is a statewide problem, not just an urban phenomenon. Each year, accidental shootings break down in roughly equal numbers between the seven-county metro area and the state's other 80, mostly rural counties.

Ohh shoot.

Deputy sheriff unintentionally shoots wife.

A Minnesota deputy sheriff unintentionally shot his wife in the thigh while checking to see if a hunting rifle was unloaded. The couple were returning from early morning deer hunting and because they have little children wanted to double check that the rifle was unloaded before they brought it home.
According to the sheriff's department the deputy had the gun on his lap and while checking it his pinky or part of his clothing hit the trigger. His wife was struck in her thigh.
The deputy faces possible misdemeanor charges including recklessly handling a gun.
Ohh shoot.