3-year-old unintentionally shot and killed during game of "gun tag"

26-year-old Galen Hawk, of Ninepipes, Montana, was playing with his 3-year-old nephew, Lonato Moran-Allen.

According to documents, Hawk saw the boy holding his handgun and he took it away from him.  Hawk said the boy then ran down the hallway, looking back toward him while pretending to shoot a toy gun. Hawk responded by pointing his gun at Lonato and pulled the trigger.

The gun discharged, shooting the boy in the back.  The boy died at the scene.

Hawk said he thought the gun wasn't loaded because he had the magazine for the gun in his pocket.  He also told investigators that before the shooting he had been drinking whisky and alcoholic lemonade.

Hawk was charged with negligent homicide.  He faces up to 20 years in prison.

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.

Former candidate for governor unintentionally shot during hunting trip

Ken Miller, a former Montana State Senate and Republican candidate for Governor of Montana, was unintentionally shot while hunting Wednesday.
Miller was hunting on the family farm near Joliet, Montana when, according to his wife, "He was shot in both lower legs when a member of the hunting parties' gun accidentally discharged. His wounds are not life threatening, and the family expects a full recovery."
Miller was in surgery for more than two hours on Wednesday.
Miller served in the state senate for 8 years. He was Chairman of the Montana Republican Party from 2001-2003. He is a strong advocate for Second Amendment Rights.

8-year-old unintentionally shoots 5-year-old friend, leaves him bleeding in the park

Two boys, ages 5 and 8, were playing together at the High Sierra dog park in Billings, Montana. Both boys had permission from their parents to be out together. What the parents didn't know is that the 8-year-old boy had a .22-caliber rifle.
Police are still investigating the incident, but what is known is the 5-year-old boy was shot in the lower abdomen and the 8-year-old dropped the gun, left the boy laying on the ground, and went home. Police found the boy at his home later that evening. He was taken to the police station with a parent to be interviewed.
Two girls, ages 12 and 14, were in the dog park riding dirt bikes when they spotted the 5-year-old boy.
"We saw him laying there covered in blood and not crying, which scared me the most," said the 12-year-old girl.
"He couldn't answer anything I was asking - his name, if he was hurt - he just moaned," said the older girl. "I think we was in complete shock."
Police believe the boy was shot at least 15 minutes before the girls found him.
The boy was taken the hospital where his injures required two surgeries and a blood transfusion. He is recovering from a broken femur and a punctured femoral artery and is in a half-body cast. The doctors hope he will be out of the intensive care unit soon.

U of Montana student unintentionally shoots, injures another student

20-year-old Michael Ream, a student at the University of Montana in Missoula, was showing off his brand-new 20-gauge shotgun when he unintentionally discharged the firearm, striking his 19-year-old friend in the hand. The wound was not serious and the friend was treated at the local hospital and released. Ream was charged with misdemeanor negligent endangerment.
The incident happened in a parking lot on the campus on the first day of fall semester classes. University of Montana allows students to bring weapons on campus only if they are locked in a private vehicle or stored in one of the gun closets in a residence hall. Concealed weapons are not allowed on campus, even if you have a concealed weapons permit.
A university spokesperson said that as hunting season approaches more students bring weapons on campus. But he can only recall three or four times when firearms were discovered in a student's dorm room. "Sometimes I think they're somewhat forgetful about checking it in," he said. Adding that the concern was not so much about the gun owner but about other people, like roommates, having access to these guns.
Ohh shoot.

Friends shooting at road signs in Montana when woman in car unintentionally shot and killed

Four friends were driving, drinking, and shooting at road signs near Libby, Montana. 30-year-old Jacob Stufflebeam was sitting in the back seat handling the gun when he unintentionally discharged the firearm. The bullet passed through the seat in front of him and struck 25-year-old Sarah Gudmundsen in the back. Sarah was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Stufflebeam has been arrested and charged with felony negligent homicide.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff, "Alcohol appears to have been involved in this tragic incident."
Ohh shoot.

Man shoots woman in apartment next door while cleaning his gun

A 22-year-old Kalispell, Montana man was cleaning his rifle in his apartment around 2 a.m. when the gun discharged and the shot went through the wall into the apartment next door. The 28-year-old woman who lives there was awakened by a burning sensation in her leg and discovered she had been shot. She was taken to the local hospital where she was treated and released.
Hours after the shooting the man called police to report the incident. He was taken into custody but later released. No charges have been filed.
Ohh shoot.

Man shoots himself in buttocks after threatening his girlfriend with a gun

27-year-old Johnathan Hartman of Missoula, Montana was fighting with his girlfriend about his upcoming sentencing for writing bad checks (just one of his four felony convictions). As the two of them were standing on Main Street, Hartman began drinking a bottle of whiskey, took his handgun from his waistband and fired the gun into the roof of their car.

He then stuck the gun in his girlfriend's mouth and threatened to kill her.

He removed the gun, fired a shot by her ear, and pushed her into the car. Hartman then got into the car and drove away. As he went to put the gun into the back of his pants the gun discharged, shooting him in the buttocks.

Hartman was arrested after his release from the hospital and charged with felony assault with a weapon. Newspaper reports did not detail how Hartman, a convicted felon, obtained the handgun. However, it should be noted that Montana allows for the private sale of firearms where there is no criminal background check run on the purchaser.

Ohh shoot.

Person moving things inside a car unintentionally shoots friend in the back

A group of friends was at a gas station in Montana. One of them was moving things around inside the car. While moving a .243 caliber rifle the gun discharged, striking Michelle B. in the back. Michelle was taken to the hospital in Billings where she is listed in fair condition.
According to police, "We don't like to see these things happen, but they do. I'm just happy that the woman is still with us and it wasn't a homicide."
Ohh shoot.