73-year-old Utah man arrested for shooting at kids he thought were driving too fast

 A 73-year-old Ivins, Utah man was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault and felony discharge of a firearm after alleged firing a gun at a group of teens he thought were driving too fast. The man told police that he chased the car driven by the teens because they were "driving fast and kicking up dust and rocks." 

The teens told police the man pulled up behind them when they parked their car at their house.  According to the police report "the driver of the van opened the door, ordered the juveniles onto the ground, and then shot a round into the ground. The juveniles ran into the house and the man proceeded to follow with the pistol still in his hand." 

The man was not able to get into the house and eventually left. He was stopped by police a short time later. Two guns were found in his car, including the .38 special that had just been fired. 

Utah is one of the 26 states in this country that do not require any sort of permitting process or firearms training in order to carry a gun in public. 

8-year-old unintentionally shoots his 9-year-old cousin

An 8-year-old boy and his 9-year-old female cousin were riding in the back seat of a car in Richfield, Utah. The boy was holding a .45-caliber handgun which he unintentionally discharged. The bullet hit his cousin.

According to police, the bullet "entered and exited the victim, and then exited the vehicle. At this time the victim is expected to be fine and is in stable condition."

Police are not releasing the names of the children nor are they saying where the gun came from or how the boy got hold of it.

50-year-old man unintentionally shoots and kills himself

50-year-old Rowland Denison, of Spanish Fork, Utah was taking a .270-caliber rifle from his vehicle when he unintentionally discharged the gun.  Denison was shot in the stomach.

When police arrived they found Denison conscious and communicative.  He was taken to the local hospital. Doctors wanted to fly him to a larger medical center in Provo but weather conditions prevented the flight.

Denison was operated on at the local hospital and flown to the hosptial in Provo later in the day.  He later died of his injuries.

They both reached for the gun

51-year-old Scott Park, of Taylorsville, Utah, and his wife were sitting in a vehicle outside their home, arguing, a little after midnight January 1st.

According to police, at one point a gun was placed on the dashboard of the vehicle. The argument became physical and both the husband and wife tried to gain control of the firearm.

"It appears that while they were arguing over the gun, the husband pulled the trigger on the gun, which, ultimately, the bullet struck his wife in the face" said a police spokesperson.

The 48-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Her condition has been upgraded to stable.

Park has been charged with discharging a firearm during a domestic dispute. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

Utah police chief unintentionally shoots himself during training exercise

Police Chief Kevin Warren, of North Ogden, Utah, unintentionally shot himself Thursday during a training exercise at the department's shooting range.
"He was doing some drills required of him that involved reaching across his body to get his gun," said a police spokesperson. "Somehow, his finger hit the trigger."
Warren's .40-caliber handgun discharged and the bullet hit his right forearm. He was taken to the local hospital where he was treated and released.
The training exercise was described as a simulation of scenarios officers are likely to encounter in the line of duty. Two certified firearms instructors were supervising the range at the time.
Warren has 33 years of law enforcement experience.
"You know, if you drive a car for 30 years there's a good chance you will get in an accident," the police spokesperson added. "Same here, this can happen to the best of them."

Utah man killed while target shooting with family members

24-year-old Joshua Hooper of Salt Lake City, Utah was target shooting with three family members in Manning Canyon. The four had just reloaded and were walking back to shoot when one of the family members unintentionally discharged his gun.
Josh was shot in the back of the head, killing him instantly.
According to police, "The gun went off. The person who was holding the gun said he believed he just tapped the trigger. It was a sensitive trigger. There's no question that some rules of firearms safety could have been followed better but it doesn't change that you have a number of people suffering right now because of the loss of Mr. Hooper."
Josh leaves behind a wife.

Vendor made up story about robbery, too embarrassed to admit he unintentionally shot himself

30-year-old Dusty Moore, of North Ogden, Utah, operates a corn stand at a small strip mall. He told police that he was robbed and shot Saturday morning. He described the robber as a man between 25 and 30 years old, 5 foot 6 inches to 5 foot 8 inches tall and 190 pounds. He added that the suspect appeared to be Hispanic and was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.
The owner of the farm that sells the corn to Moore told reporters that Moore was robbed at the same location about a month ago. "He didn't go back to work for a few days after the robbery," the farmer said. "He was jittery."
But after a police investigation and interview with Moore, it was determined that Moore unintentionally discharged his handgun, inflicting a single gunshot wound to his lower back.
Police said Moore made up the story about the crime because he was embarrassed that he had wounded himself.
Police have also determined that Moore's claim of being robbed earlier in the summer are also false.
Moore faces charges of accidental discharge of a firearm and making a false report to police.

Weber State University student unintentionally shoots himself while walking across campus

A 24-year-old Weber State University student was walking across the Ogden, Utah campus when a gun in his pants pocket unintentionally discharged.
News reports do not indicate why the gun discharged but do note that the student was shot in his left leg. He was taken to the local hospital where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
WSU director of media relations was quick to point out that the student had a concealed weapons permit and was within his legal rights to be carrying a concealed weapon on campus. Utah is one of the few states that allow guns on campus. (See www.armedcampuses.org)
However, the university spokesperson did not comment on why, despite having a concealed weapons permit, the student would carry a loaded, unlocked handgun loose in his pants pocket.
Ohh shoot.

Man shoots at mouse, misses, hits roommate. Police investigate, arrest 3rd roommate on sex charges

To quote from www.mediatite.com - "Paul Klunzer's four-month relationship with a 13 year-old girl ended like many of these illegal relationships do: with his roommate shooting at a mouse with a handgun, missing, hitting a third roommate in the chest, and having police find the girl hiding in a closet in the course of the investigation."
It all started around 2 a.m. when a 27-year-old Taylorsville, Utah man saw a mouse in the kitchen. He took a 9mm handgun and shot at the mouse. He missed the mouse and the bullet went through the wall and into the bathroom. His 28-year-old roommate was in the bathroom at the time and the bullet struck him directly in the chest.
While police were conducting a routine search of the house they came across a 13-year-old girl hiding in a basement closet. Turns out the girl was having a relationship with a third roommate, 34-year-old Paul Klunzer.
Because the girl was underage, Klunzer was arrested on suspicion of multiple counts of rape, sodomy and aggravated sexual abuse.
The roommate who was shot was taken to the hospital, initially in serious condition but later upgraded to fair condition.
The roommate who did the shooting was not charged with any crime. Police said that alcohol was a factor in the shooting.
Ohh shoot.

Dog shoots duck hunter in the buttocks

46-year-old Robert Cottingham of Brigham City, Utah was duck hunting with his friend. The two were sitting in a boat while a hunting dog jumped in and out of the boat, retrieving birds. As the dog climbed back into the boat his paw caught the trigger of a 12-gauge shotgun, unintentionally discharging the gun. The pellets hit Cottingham in the buttocks.
He was taken to the local hospital where 27 pellets were removed.
Ohh shoot.

Father unintentionally shoots son at indoor shooting range

An unidentified Taylosville, Utah man was with his 16-year-old son at Doug's Shoot 'n Sports indoor shooting range. The father was trying to put a loaded handgun away in a case. According to the store manager, "As he was securing the gun in his case, he attached the strap around the hand and the gun went off."
The bullet hit the teen's pinkie and then struck his abdomen. The teen is expected to make a full recovery.
"The guy learned an easy lesson the hard way," said the manager. "He became, I believe, a little complacent or a little mistaken in his practices, and his gun accidentally went off and hit his son."
The man called his wife on the phone and apologized profusely, he also called his son in the hospital and apologized. Police say the shooting was accidental and don't plan to file any charges.

15-year-old unintentionally shoots himself while at gun range

A 15-year-old boy was shooting handguns with his father at the Davis County Rifle Range in Fruit Heights, Utah. The boy was holding a .45-caliber handgun when he went to sit down on a swivel chair. He stumbled and fell, losing control of the gun and unintentionally discharging the firearm. The boy was shot in the head. He was flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City where he is listed in critical condition.
His family has asked that the boy's name not be released but they have reported that the boy was improving and "responded" to hospital workers and family members, though he is still not able to speak.

Man showing off new gun unintentionally shoots his mother-in-law and his 2-year-old son

A 32-year-old Centerville, Utah man was showing his off his newly-purchased .40-caliber handgun. He was sitting on his couch, next to his mother-in-law. Thinking the gun was unloaded, he pulled the trigger. The gun fired and the bullet traveled through his mother-in-law's calf and hit his two-year-old son in the foot. The gunshot seriously damaged the boy's foot.
According to police, the father does have some experience with firearms although "he does not have a concealed weapons permit, we don't know if he's had any formal training in the use of firearms."
Utah, along with the majority of states in this country, has no requirements for gun safety training before purchasing a firearm.
Ohh shoot.

Parents sue neighbor who unintentionally shot their 3-year-old son

David & Lisa Hart, of West Valley City, Utah, have filed suit against their neighbor Ronald Ferguson. The suit claims, "Mr. Ferguson negligently discharged his pistol indoors in an environment where any reasonable person would have known of the danger posed to those present in the same building from flying bullets."
In June, 2010, the Hart's 3-year-old son, David, was playing in their basement apartment. Ferguson was in the apartment above, showing his newly-purchased 9mm handgun to his girlfriend when he unintentionally fired the gun. According to police the bullet "went right through the floor, passed through some drywall downstairs and into the room where the boy was playing." David was shot in the hip and required surgery to remove the bullet.
The lawsuit is asking for compensation in an amount not less than $20,000 for medical and other associated expenses as well as punitive damages.
Ohh shoot.

Utah man unintentionally shoots self while checking for burglars

A Salt Lake City, Utah man was awakened around 3 a.m. Thinking he heard a burglar in his apartment he grabbed his .22-caliber handgun and his flashlight. When he went to turn on the flashlight he pulled the gun's trigger instead. The bullet hit him in the chest.
He was able to call 911 but officers had to break down the apartment door to get to him. He is in the hospital in critical condition. There is no evidence of a burglary in the apartment.
Ohh shoot.

The problem with keeping a loaded gun under the couch.

Two 19-year-olds were playing video games at a home in Ogden, Utah when one of them found a loaded .22-caliber rifle under the couch. The teen picked up the gun, pointed it at his friend and pulled the trigger.
According to police, the bullet struck the man in the back, traveled along his side and exited his left side. No vital organs were injured.
Ohh shoot.

Two injured in unintentional highway shooting

A man playing with a gun in a car on Utah Interstate 15 unintentionally shot himself and the man driving the car. The two are students at Brigham Young University and were going to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints General Conference.
The shot from the Glock handgun hit the shooter in the left hand and the driver in the forearm. The driver pulled the car over and waited for emergency services to arrive.
Ohh shoot.

Passenger checking gun at airport forgot gun was loaded........

A passenger checking his firearm for shipment at the Salt Lake International Airport unintentionally fired the gun. The bullet hit the pavement and bullet fragments hit a skycap worker in the foot.
The passenger said he thought the Glock semi-automatic handgun was unloaded. The airport superintendent of operations said there is a set procedure for checking firearms at the airport.
"It has to be in a hardened, locked case with the weapon cleared and the ammunition stored separately. In this case, the procedure was not followed correctly."
According to news reports a witness hearing the gun shot "felt a few moments of fear and concern, saying a gunshot at the airport certainly grabs your attention."
Ohh shoot.