Man falls asleep holding handgun, shoots himself

A 34-year-old Mitchell, South Dakota man feel asleep on his back porch while holding a loaded handgun.  The man was sitting in a lawn chair and fell asleep around 2 a.m.  When a family member turned on the porch light and opened the door the man became startled, woke up, and unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting himself.
He suffered a flesh wound and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The man told police he had taken some items from this truck, including the handgun, and sat down on the porch to have a cigarette when he dozed off.
His name is not being released because no criminal charges have been filed.
"He was lucky it wasn't more serious," said the police investigator.

Man showing off his new AR-15 unintentionally shoots and kills 16-year-old

23-year-old Christian Cardon, of Marrero, Louisiana, had recently bought an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle and wanted to show it to his friends. Before taking the gun into his friend's house he removed the magazine and left it in his vehicle. But he didn't realize there was still a round left in the chamber.
Cardon told investigators that he was showing off the weapon to four males and a female in the kitchen. Not realizing the gun was loaded, he pulled the trigger.
The bullet hit 16-year-old Trey Stahl in the neck. Trey died at the scene.
Cardon was arrested and charged with negligent homicide.

Woman thinking she was shooting to scare away intruders shoots and kills her grandson instead

57-year-old Tina Owens, of Jarvisville, West Virginia, heard noises outside her home Sunday evening around 11:30 p.m. Owens and her son, who lives next door, thought there were intruders trying to tamper with their property.
According to the sheriff, "Tina went outside to investigate, in doing so she brought a .40-caliber handgun with her. Upon hearing what she thought were intruders she fired her .40-caliber several times in an attempt to scare the intruders away."
One of the bullets pierced the wall of her son's home and struck 11-year-old William Owens as he lay sleeping in his bed. William died of his injuries.
It is unclear whether there were any intruders. Police didn't find anyone else at the scene when they arrived.
Harrison County Prosecutor said he will seek criminal indictment of Owens in the death of her grandson, William. He said it was a difficult but necessary decision because the case could have resulted in injuries to even more people.
"It's an important public issues," he said, "particularly concerning the responsibility that comes along with exercising your Second Amendment rights."

Man putting away rifle unintentionally shoots and kills 12-year-old

36-Mitchell Gilliland, of Randolph County, Indiana was putting a rifle away in a gun cabinet when he unintentionally discharged the weapon.
The bullet struck 12-year-old Kyle Fisher in the chest. He was taken to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police did not say what the relationship was between Gilliland and Kyle. They have ruled the shooting an accident.
Kyle would have entered 7th grade in the fall. He enjoyed all sports, band and fishing.

75-year-old man unintentionally shoots and kills himself while cleaning his gun

75-year-old Frank Kern, of Flemington, New Jersey, was cleaning and disassembling his .22 caliber rifle when he unintentionally discharged the gun. Kern was shot in the abdomen.
When police arrived, they found Kern lying in his garage.  He was flown to a medical center in Trenton but died the next morning of his injuries.
According to the county prosecutor's office, "This is a terrible tragedy and our condolences go out to the Kern family."

Woman didn't know gun was loaded, shoots and kills boyfriend

20-year-old Makenzie Halinski was at her boyfriend's house in Festus, Missouri. She and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Cole Campbell were in the basement smoking marijuana and drinking. In a police interview, Halinski said that Campbell was showing her how to use guns and that he would always unload a gun and put the safety on before handing it to her.
At some point, Campbell handed Halinski a handgun and told her it was unloaded and the safety was on. He told her to point the gun toward him and said "shoot me." Thinking the handgun was empty, Halinski pulled the trigger.

The gun discharged and Campbell was shot in the forehead. Campbell was declared dead at the scene.
Neighbors said they were not surprised, that Campbell had set up a shooting range in his basement and that at times he practiced shooting targets from his basement bed.
Police seized multiple guns as well as several pipe bombs from the house.
Halinski was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Police chief unintentionally shoots himself with newly issued weapon

Chief Mark Hathaway, a 25-year veteran officer and current chief of the Bangor, Maine police, was cleaning his newly issued weapon Monday when he unintentionally discharged the gun.
According to a statement from the city, "At approximately 5:15 p.m., while officers were cleaning their new guns at the Bangor police station, Chief Mark Hathaway sustained a non-life threatening injury to his left hand in what appears to be an accidental discharge of his duty weapon."
Hathaway was taken to the local hospital where he was treated and released.
The department had just replaced the police firearms with .45-caliber semiautomatic Glock handguns.
"There are different mechanisms in the gun that is for sure," said a police spokesperson.

Teen who received handgun as graduation present unintentionally shoots friend

18-year-old Logan Evans, of Plankinton, South Dakota, was riding with three friends on I-90 Saturday morning. Evans had just received a 9mm handgun as a high school graduation present and was showing off the gun.
He removed the magazine from the gun and, thinking the gun was now empty, pointed it at Nick Lawson, who was sitting in the back seat, and pulled the trigger.
Lawson was shot in the chest. He was airlifted to the hospital in Sioux Falls. The hospital has not released his condition but according to social media posts, Lawson is improving but remains in the hospital.
The local school superintendent said that Evans graduated high school this year and that Lawson will be a senior next year. "It's obviously a tragic accident," he said, "we just hope and wish for the best for all people involved."
Evans has been charged with aggravated assault and reckless discharge of a firearm.

Man loading handgun unintentionally fires weapon, hits cyclist passing by

49-year-old John Albers, of Herndon, Virginia, was in his home Saturday night cleaning and reloading his handgun. Albers unintentionally discharged the weapon.
The bullet traveled outside and hit a man on a bicycle who happened to be riding by at that moment. The man was hit in the abdomen. He was taken to the hospital for surgery. "He should make it though this," said a spokesperson for the police, "but the injuries were pretty significant."
Albers was charged with reckless handling of a firearm, a class one misdemeanor.

Parents fighting over handgun shoot and kill 6-month-old daughter

26-year-old Angela Major and 40-year-old Ken Mason, of Knoxville, Tennessee were struggling over a handgun when the gun unintentionally discharged.
According to a witness, the couple was fighting over a handgun while their six-month-old baby sat at their feet. The gun went off, striking the father in the hand and hitting the baby girl in the head.
The baby was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Major has a criminal history that includes charges of aggravated burglary, aggravated arson, theft and vandalism. She had three other children but has lost custody of them. Mason also has a criminal history.
The parents have been charged with reckless homicide and are being held on $1 million bond.