Thursday, October 31, 2013

Woman walking with her daughter in the Bronx hit by stray bullet

79-year-old Norberta Duval was walking with her 61-year-old daughter, Medina, in the Bronx, about three block from Yankee Stadium.

"We were waiting for the light to change," said Medina. "I heard a shooting but I did not understand what it was. I said 'Mommy, I think you got hit' so I pulled her coat open and saw blood."

Norberta suffers from early-stage Alzheimer's disease and does not remember being shot.

A CT scan at the hospital discovered that the bullet only grazed Norberta.

A surveillance video from a nearby area shows three men talking to a fourth man out of the camera frame. In the course of the video, one of the men pulls out a gun and fires three shots at the fourth man, who is not visible, before jumping into a silver SUV and fleeing the scene.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Man target shooting in his backyard unintentionally shoots and kills 4-year-old

4-year-old Zoie Dougan and her mother were staying at a friend's house in Rogersville, Missouri.

According to reports, the 24-year-old man who lived in the house was outside target shooting with a .22 caliber rifle.

"The position he was shooting from - his vision was blocked to his right and a visiting 4-year-old girl walked into the path of fire and he shot her in the head," said the county sheriff.

Zoie died on the way to the hospital.

No charges have been filed relating to the death, although the man was arrested on an outstanding warrant and is currently in the county jail.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

11-year-old boy hit by stray bullet from gunfight two blocks away

29-year-old Quentin Singletary and 27-year-old Dominique Williams, both of Rochester, New York, were arrested following a shootout Sunday morning.

According to police, Singletary and another man allegedly fired shots an one another after an argument escalated between the two.

An 11-year-old boy who was two blocks away when the gunfire broke out was hit by a stray bullet. The boy is recovering at Strong Hospital.

"The fact that this occurred on a Sunday at 10:30 in the morning, personally, I think it's atrocious," said the Rochester police chief. "It's not something we will tolerate."

Singletary and Williams were arrested. Singletary was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Williams, who was not at the shooting scene, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. Singleton was also shot in the incident and remains in the hospital.

Police are still searching for the other man involved in the shooting.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Man cleaning his new handgun unintentionally discharges gun, shoots passing car

A San Diego, California man had his new semi-automatic handgun for just a few days. After returning from target practice Wednesday afternoon, he was cleaning the gun in his living room.

"When he was reloading his gun, he accidentally fired off a round out his window," said a police spokesperson.

The bullet traveled through his window and hit a passing car, piercing the rear window and lodging in the car's back seat. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Police have temporarily confiscated the weapon. It will be up to the district attorney's office whether any charges will be filed.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

3 kids hurt after child pulls trigger on police AR-15 at elementary school event

China, California police were at a local elementary school during an anti-drug event when one of the students walked over to a police motorcycle with an AR-15 rifle latched to it. According to reports, the police were playing ball with the kids and not watching the motorcycle.

The child pulled the trigger on the rifle and discharged the weapon. The child was startled and ran into a nearby field.

Three students were injured. One student was treated for scrapes and cuts at the school and two were taken to the hospital with lacerations due to being struck by bullet fragments.

"They came to the school to say no to drugs," said an 8-year-old boy who witnessed the incident. "And then the bullet happened and it got shot. I saw the kid running to the grass, crying."

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Woman films her own unintentional shooting

Shelly Molchak, of Chardon Township, Ohio, was filming a volatile confrontation between her husband, Tony Molchak, and the boyfriend of Tony's ex-wife, Gary Schussler. The two were arguing over child visitations when a fight broke out.

Schussler pulled a handgun from a holster on his back. He dropped the gun during a scuffle and when Molchak picked up the gun he unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting his wife in the back. The bullet also caused her lung to collapse. She was taken to a hospital in Cleveland for treatment.

Schussler was arrested and charged with second-degree felony assault and first-degree misdemeanor using a weapon while intoxicated. Molchak was arrested and charged with first-degree misdemeanor assault and third-degree negligent assault.


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Woman shot when bullet comes through wall of her apartment

A Charleston, West Virginia woman was walking up the stairs in her apartment when a bullet came through the wall and struck her in the shoulder. She was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

According to police, her neighbor, John Tucker, was showing off a gun to his friends when he unintentionally discharged the weapon. Police say Tucker was not familiar with the gun and that it apparently went off as the result of improper handling.

Neighbors are upset with how police are handling the investigation. Tucker hasn't been charged with anything but one neighbor thinks he should be. "What makes it any different for him?" she said. "He needs to be locked up like everybody else does for a crime that he does. There's no such thing as an accidental shooting. The gun doesn't go off by itself. It takes the wrong person to pull that trigger."


Monday, October 21, 2013

Woman drops gun in Sam's Club, unintentionally shoots husband

50-year-old Helen Duncan, of Glendora, California was in the local Sam's Club Sunday afternoon with her husband, 48-year-old Robert.

Helen was carrying a handgun inside of a fanny pack when she dropped the fanny pack and the gun unintentionally discharged.

The bullet struck Robert in the arm. The couple drove to the hospital where Robert was treated.

After leaving the hospital, the couple was arrested and charged with negligently discharging a firearm and illegally possessing a concealed firearm without a permit.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Man unintentionally shoots son with handgun he just purchased

Charles Simonton, of Newport, Indiana, had just purchased a .22-caliber handgun from Darrel's Custom Firearms shop in Cayuga. As Charles and his son, 20-year-old William, were getting in their pickup truck Charles unintentionally discharged the weapon.

William was shot in the leg just above his knee. William had to be airlifted to a hospital in Indianapolis for treatment.

Police said William's injury did not appear to be life threatening. They did not indicate if any charges would be filed against Charles.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

College student waiting for taxi hit by stray bullet, left paralyzed

18-year-old Martha Childress, a freshman at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, was waiting for a taxi cab with her friend early Sunday morning when a fight broke out nearby between three men.

One of the men, 21-year-old Michael Smith pulled out a .40-caliber handgun and fired. The bullet hit Martha in her midsection and lodged in her spinal cord. The bullet left her paralyzed from the hips down and damaged her liver and kidney.

Before being shot, Martha was out with a high school friend who was visiting her at college. The two had been to a Hunter Hayes concert and had gone out afterwards for something to eat. Her mother had told her to take a cab home rather than risk walking late at night.

Smith faces charges of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and possession of a stolen pistol.





Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Man playing with gun unintentionally shoots woman in apartment below

22-year-old David White, of Nashville, Tennessee, admitted to police that he was playing with his gun inside his bedroom when he unintentionally discharged the weapon.

The bullet went through the ceiling of the apartment below White and struck a woman who was sleeping in her bed. The woman's husband told reporters that he woke to his wife screaming.

The bullet hit her below her left shoulder and went into her chest. She was taken to the hospital for treatment. Doctors plan to leave the bullet in her for now.

White was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Couple out on a walk when husband drops gun, unintentionally shoots wife

54-year-old Constance Bayless, of Pitsburg, Ohio, was on a walk with her husband, James.  When James adjusted his pants as they walked a handgun dropped out of his pants.

When the gun hit the sidewalk it discharged.  The bullet struck Constance in the leg.

She was taken to the local hospital where she underwent surgery.  She was listed in stable condition.

The sheriff's office is investigating the incident.  They offered no information on the caliber of the gun but did note that James has a concealed carry permit for the weapon.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Mother watching 11-year-old son's soccer game shot in the leg

43-year-old Melissa Jaramillo, of Gainesville, Virginia, was sitting with her daughter and husband watching her 11-year-old son's soccer game at a park in Manassas about 5pm on Sunday when she felt a stabbing pain in her upper thigh.

She told a reporter, "All of a sudden I felt a sting on my leg. It was very sore and my leg was a little numb and it was bleeding a little bit and then I realized something had happened - it wasn't a bug bit, it wasn't somebody had slapped me. Something had happened."

X-rays at the hospital showed that Melissa had been hit with a small caliber bullet, possibly a .22 caliber round. Doctors have decided the best course of treatment for now is to leave the bullet in her leg.

No one at the game heard a gunshot and police have no suspects.

Melissa said the mystery of the case made it even more worrying. "It's a concern for the safety of everyone that's out there," she said.

Friday, October 11, 2013

"I woke up and I had a bullet in my chest"

14-year-old Jordan Miller, of Vancouver, Washington was visiting his father in Portland, Oregon. He was sleeping on the floor of his father's apartment when a bullet came through the window, hit a chair, and then hit Jordan.

According to his brother, "We are all sleeping and heard about five loud bangs. We all jumped and woke up. My brother started screaming. Me and my dad couldn't figure out why he was screaming."

Jordan told a reporter, "I woke up and I had a bullet in my chest. I pulled the collar of my shirt down. There was a black hole in my chest with blood coming down. The bullet stuck between a major artery and some nerves that make my arm work. If they dig around trying to get the bullet out, it could immobilize my arm."

Police say Jordan was not the target of the shooting but was hit by stray gunfire during a gang shootout.

Jordan was treated in the local hospital and is now back home with his mother in Washington.



Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Woman unintentionally shoots herself in the leg while walking up the stairs

33-year-old Brenda Carter, of Ramseur, North Carolina, decided to take her 9mm handgun outside her house and fire a round in the ground. She told police she "did not know why she fired the shot."

She was headed back inside, walking up the stairs, when she unintentionally discharged the gun. The bullet hit her in the leg and caused her to fall off the steps.

Two kids inside the house ran out to help. One them picked up the gun and according to police "apparently didn't know any other way to unload it other than to fire three rounds into the ground."

Carter was taken to the hospital for treatment. She was also arrested and charged with discharging a firearm in city limits.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

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.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Man target practicing inside his trailer unintentionally shoots neighbor

30-year-old Trent Kowalski, of Columbus, Nebraska, was target practicing inside his residence at Collegeview Trailer Park.

According to reports, Kowalski was shooting a .22-caliber rifle inside his home when a bullet exited the residence and struck 57-year-old Mark Foxvog in the leg.

Foxvog, who lives next door to Kowalski, was inside his home at the time of the shooting.  He was taken to the local hospital where he was treated and released.

Kowalski was arrested and charged with third-degree assault.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Man unintentionally shoots himself and his roommate with newly purchased gun

24-year-old Josheph Gunderson, of Colorado Springs, Colorado was at home around 6:30 Tuesday evening, examining a 9mm semi-automatic handgun he had just purchased.

According to reports, Gunderson unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting himself in the left palm.  The bullet continued on and then struck his roommate, who was standing nearby, in the right arm and left side.

Both men were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Gunderson has been charged with prohibited use of weapons.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Two guys sitting in a car looking at a handgun. One unintentionally shoots the other.

20-year-old Choncy Fields and 21-year-old Darius White were sitting in a car outside a home in Bossier City, Louisiana.

White was holding a semi-automatic handgun. According to reports, White took the magazine from the weapon and thought the gun was unloaded. However, there was still a round in the chamber and when White pulled the trigger the weapon fired.

The bullet hit Fields in the jaw. He was taken to the local hospital and then transferred to University Health Shreveport for treatment.

Bossier City police determined the shooting was accidental and warrants no criminal charges.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Man unintentionally shoots and kills girlfriend trying to adjust his gun while hugging her

24-year-old Amanda Mosley, of Phoenix, Arizona, was hugging her 18-year-old boyfriend. She complained because the handgun sticking in the waistband of his pants was uncomfortable to her. When he went to remove the handgun from his waistband he unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting Amanda.

Amanda was taken to the hospital but died as a result of her injuries.

Police say the incident appears to be accidental but the case will be sent to the Maricopa Attorney's Office for review.

According to an article in the Phoenix New Times at least 10 other people in Arizona have been unintentionally shot and killed this year.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Man unintentionally shoots wife in both of her legs

47-year-old James Clark, of Bassett, Virginia was handling his .40 caliber Springfield semi-automatic handgun when he unintentionally discharged the weapon.

The bullet struck his wife, Tammy, in the right leg, passed through the leg, entered her left leg and passed through that leg as well. She was taken to the local hospital and then transferred to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Clark was arrested and charged with one count of reckless handling of a firearm and one count of unlawfully discharging a firearm.

The local sheriff reminded people that "even people who have handled all their life can accidentally fire a gun." He added that even the most experienced professional can never use too much caution when handling a gun.