High school basketball star paralyzed by stray bullet

18-year-old Columbus C. was visiting Indianapolis for a friend's graduation. They were having a high school graduation party in the garage when shots rang out. 

"Shots just get fired out of nowhere. I'm running and I heard the last shot just go through the garage, and just hit me in the back. I took two steps and it was just done," said Columbus. 

The bullet severed the side of his spinal cord, collapsed his lung and left him paralyzed from the waist down, in a wheelchair with only a five percent chance of ever walking again.

Columbus had just graduated high school and had received a full scholarship to play D-1 basketball at Alabama State University.

"It's hard," said Columbus. "This is me now, so if I want to do better I have to work for it. That's my mindset to work every single day to get back to where I was hopefully."

Police have not made any arrests for the shooting. 

5-year-old unintentionally shot and killed by 9-year-old. Days later mother of the 5-year-old shot and killed outside local restaurant.

 A five-year-old South Bend, Indiana boy was shot and killed by his nine-year-old relative while visiting at the relative's house. The police said it was a "tragic accident"  but did not comment on how the 9-year-old got hold of the gun. (Note - this was not an accident, is was an unintentional discharged that could have been avoided.)

The boy's father told reporters, "We don't have guns in the house because that was one of my biggest fears.  Take the precautionary steps to have the guns."

The pastor who spoke at the boy's funeral told reporters, "I was compelled to say at the funeral that we never know the day nor the hour of our death. The family is mourning the death of a 5-year-old boy and is mourning for the 9-year-old relative who is suffering from the events. A gun may make a person feel powerful, but once you pull the trigger, you can't take it back. Individuals have to learn that with gun violence, nobody wins." 

Just a few days after the boy's funeral, his 32-year-old mother was shot and killed outside of a South Bend restaurant.  The mother got into an argument with a 26-year-old woman inside the restaurant. The younger woman took a handgun from her purse and followed the mother outside, firing multiple shots at her and others who were fleeing. The mother was rushed to the hospital where she died of her injuries. 

Man cleaning gun fires weapon, bullet grazes 11-month-old in apartment below

An unidentified man was cleaning his gun in his apartment at Cedar Glen apartments in South Bend, Indiana. He unintentionally discharged the weapon and a bullet went through the floor into the apartment below. 

The bullet grazed an 11-month-old baby who lived in the apartment.  He was hit in the leg. It was very fortunate that the child was not seriously injured.

According to reports, the officer reported to dispatch: "Caller advises she heard a loud bang. Looks like there is a bullet hole in the ceiling."

The property manager stated, "While its certainly regrettable, we want to emphasize it was an accident and we're just really grateful that no one was seriously injured."

Note - this was not an "accident," this was a discharge that could have been avoided. 

Woman almost hit by bullet fired by 3-year-old in neighboring apartment

Police say a 3-year-old child in Peru, Indiana unintentionally discharged a handgun. The bullet went through the wall into a neighbor's apartment.

The woman in the apartment told police she heard a bang and saw drywall flying towards her. Luckily, she was not injured.

The child's mother told police the gun belonged to her finance and that he usually kept the gun in a drawer by the bed with the chamber cleared but he had been in a hurry that morning and left the gun loaded and unlocked on the nightstand.

The Miami County Department of Child Services was called to investigate the incident.

Police Chief Unintentionally Shoots Himself, for the Second Time

Connersville, Indiana Police Chief David Counceller was shopping for a new handgun last year when he unintentionally discharged his service Glock handgun.  Newly released surveillance footage from the gun store shows the incident.

According to Counceller, the Glock "got tangled in my clothing. I was wearing a sweatshirt and a fleece jacket. I felt it go in the holster and I pushed it, but it was tangled in the material which caused it to discharge.  The bullet went into my leg and then into the floor."

The injury to his leg was minor. Counceller said he drove himself to the hospital for treatment and then returned to work.

In 1999, Counceller also unintentionally shot himself.  "I was working third shift as a captain," he explains. "I was unloading [the gun] to take it to the gunsmith and I didn't drop the barrel to see if there was [a bullet] in the chamber. The shot hit my hand. That one really hurt."

Counceller has been Chief of Police in Connersville for seven years.

Stray bullets hit 10-year-old girl, just miss her 8-year-old sister sleeping nearby

Last month, Indianapolis police responded to a triple homicide in Lakeside Manor. An attempted drug robbery turned into a shoot out where three people were killed. Several nearby homes were struck by stray bullets. One of the homes belonged to Darye and Dija Henry.

The Henrys told reporters that their 10-year-old daughter was hit in the leg by one of the bullets that hit their home. Another bullet hit the pillow of their 8-year-old daughter who was in bed sleeping.

Their daughter was rushed to the hospital were she was treated for a non-life threatening injury.

20-year-old Montrel Humphrey was arrested and charged with three counts of murder and one count of robbery.

In 2011 Dija produced a play called A Song for Peace to bring awareness to crime and violence in Indianapolis.

4-year-old boy finds gun parents bought for protection, shoots & kills himself

4-year-old Cash Irby, Jr., of Merrillville, Indiana climbed on shelves in a closet in his parent's bedroom in order to get to the top shelf and the loaded, unlocked handgun that was stored there.

Cash took the gun back to his room and unintentionally discharged the gun, shooting himself in the head.  He was rushed to the local hospital where he died of his injuries.

His parents and his 5-year-old sister and 2-year-old brother were all home at the time of the shooting.

A family relative told reporters that the parents bought the gun for protection.  She described Cash as an affectionate child. "He would just come and kiss his dad, like every 10 minutes. He and his sister would play all the time, so well together."

Police are investigating the incident. Indiana law states that "an adult who knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly provides a firearm to a child for any purpose other than those specified commits “dangerous control of a firearm,” a Class C felony."

2-year-old killed by stray bullet while playing in front yard

2-year-old John Swoveland, Jr., of South Bend, Indiana, was playing in the front yard of his aunt's home with his 7-year-old sister. About a block away, a gunfight broke out between two rival gangs.

A stray bullet hit John in the chest. He died at the scene.

According to a neighbor, at first the boy's parents thought he had been hit by a car. But then the mother saw blood along the edge of John's diaper and when she pulled up his shirt she saw the gunshot wound.

Police are still investigating the incident and no arrests have been made.

John's mother is currently expecting another child. Before John was born, his mother suffered another tragedy when her baby daughter died of natural causes at just nine days old.

Father charged with felony in unintentional shooting death of son

34-year-old Jason Forshee, of Greensburg, Indiana was cleaning his M4 assault rifle when he left the gun unattended in the living room of his house.  Forshee told police he removed the magazine from the gun but didn't realize there was a bullet still in the chamber.

When Forshee was in the other room his 6-year-old son picked up the gun, pointed it at his 13-year-old brother Craig and pulled the trigger.  Craig was shot in the chest and died later that night in the hospital.

Forshee said he was only out of the room for 10 to 15 seconds when he heard the gun go off.

According to the police investigation, Forshee had let the 6-year-old hold the weapon before.  Just a short time before the shooting, Forshee was showing the gun to a plumber at the home and when the child asked to see the weapon, Forshee handed it to him.   This was not the only time Forshee had let the child handle the gun.

Forshee was charged with two felonies, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and dangerous control of a child.

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.

10-year-old finds key to gun safe, unintentionally shoots and kills brother

13-year-old Logan Armendariz and his 10-year-old brother were home alone in Daleville, Indiana. The 10-year-old found the key to his parents' gun safe, went in to the closet where the safe was, opened the safe and took out the revolver inside.
The boy thought the gun was empty, pointed it as Logan and pulled the trigger. Logan was shot in the chest and died of his injuries.
The police detective told reporters, "There was one round. One single round in the gun."
Logan would have been in the seventh grade at Daleville Junior-Senior High School. He was an honor-roll student who like to play basketball and baseball.

Woman fearful of person beating on her front door tries to load shotgun, unintentionally shoots herself

26-year-old Christina Pennington, of Sunman, Indiana was home Tuesday night when someone started beating at her front door. She called 911, telling the dispatcher she was afraid because she didn't know who the person at the front door was.
While on the phone with the dispatcher Christina went and got a 12-gauge shotgun and loaded it. When she took the safety off, the shotgun discharged, shooting her in the lower section of both legs. She was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Police were not able to locate the person who had been at her front door. While police were still at the home investigating, Christina's father-in-law, Anthony Pennington, arrived. Police watched as Pennington nearly struck one of the patrol cars. Pennington was subsequently arrested for Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated.


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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.

Teen shot when gun goes off in room above her

18-year-old Rachel Myers, of Avon, Indiana, was visiting friends and had gone into a downstairs bathroom to change her clothes. While she was in the bathroom two male teenagers were in a room above her handling a loaded 12-gauge shotgun.
The teens unintentionally discharged the gun and the round went through the floor and hit Rachel in the bathroom below. She was flown to a hospital in Indianapolis for treatment of injuries to her thighs. She is listed in stable condition.
The shooter was the 19-year-old son of the homeowner.
Police have ruled the incident an accident but are still investigating.

5 people shot at 3 different gun shows on Gun Appreciation Day

A 36-year-old man from Wilmington, North Carolina wanted to sell a shotgun at a gun show at the North Carolina State Fairground in Raleigh. He had the gun in a case and was unfastening the case at the security table when the gun unintentionally discharged.
Three people were hit by the bird shot. A retired sheriff's deputy suffered an injury to his hand. He was treated and released from the local hospital.
A 54-year-old woman from Benson was being treated for a wound to her right torso and a 50-year-old man from Durham was treated for an injured left hand.
Police have banned any private gun sales for the remainder of the two day gun show. Only licensed firearms dealers will be able to sell guns. Police have also banned any private gun sales on the fairgrounds for the indefinite future.
54-year-old Emory Cozee was leaving a gun show in Indianapolis, Indiana. The gun show does not allow loaded guns inside, so he had unloaded his .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun. He was reloading the gun while walking back to his car when he unintentionally discharged the weapon. Cozee was shot in the hand and taken to the local hospital for treatment.
A dealer at a gun show in Medina, Ohio was examining a semi-automatic handgun he had just bought when he unintentionally discharged the gun.
The bullet ricocheted off the floor and struck a man standing nearby in the leg and arm. The man was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Cleveland. His condition is unknown.
Police have not said if anyone will be charged in these incidents.
The shootings occurred on Gun Appreciation Day, a nationwide event organized by Political Media. Political Media is a political advertising agency dedicated to promoting right of center causes. They are a for profit corporation that is keeping a portion of Gun Appreciation Day contributions.

Father says gun that teen used to unintentionally kill his son bought off Craigslist

When 15-year-old Nicholas King, of Indianapolis, Indiana knocked on the front door of his friend's house, his friend opened the door and pointed a Romarm 7.62 rifle at him. His friend wanted to scare Nicholas and thinking the gun was unloaded, he pointed and pulled the trigger.
The rifle fired and a round struck Nicholas in the neck. Paramedics were unable to revive the boy and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two adults were in the house at the time of the shooting and they did not know there was a rifle in the home. The gun belonged to 18-year-old Kevin Edwards. Kevin let his 15-year-old stepbrother handle the gun. It was the stepbrother who shot and killed Nicholas.
Nicholas' father told reporters that he believes Kevin bought the gun off Craigslist. He said is was too easy for his son's friend to get a gun.
Indiana allows for the private sale of guns, where there will be no background check run, no records kept. All Kevin had to do to purchase a gun was find what he wanted on Craigslist, arrange to meet the seller somewhere and give him the money. No paperwork, no background check, no waiting, no safety training.
Both Kevin and his stepbrother have been arrested. Kevin has been charged with criminal recklessness and his stepbrother has been charged with reckless homicide.

Benefit to teach gun safety, honor teen who unintentionally shot and killed himself

19-year-old Zackery Freeman, of Crawfordsville, Indiana was an avid hunter who had taken gun safety classes. But on August 22nd he made a mistake and ended up paying for it with his life.
That day Zack and a friend were out shooting. According to a friend, "Zack's friend laid the weapon behind the front seat. Zack picked it up by the business end, not knowing it had a round in it."
Zack was removing the shotgun from the back seat of his car. He grabbed the gun by the barrel, assuming it was not loaded. But it was loaded and one of the guns' two safeties was off and the weapon discharged, striking Zack in the abdomen.
Zack was rushed to the hospital but died a short time later.
"It was a terrible accident, and Zack knew better," said his mother. "But he had to go to work and he was in a hurry."
This Saturday an event will be held at the Big R store in Crawfordsville. The benefit is called "A Cause for a Rebel" and will feature a silent auction, music, food, and a car, truck and bike show. Local law enforcement will also be at the event to teach the do's and don'ts of handling firearms as well as handing out gun safety locks and literature about gun safety.

Man teaching minor how to hunt unintentionally shot and killed

28-year-old Kenneth Moore, of Rochester, Indiana, was with a group of four who were teaching a 12-year-old how to hunt as part of Indiana's Youth Deer Season. This year's youth hunting session was Saturday and Sunday, during which time only hunters younger than 18 are allowed to have weapons.
According to reports, the hunting party had split into two groups. Moore and the youth were walking in a cornfield when Moore was shot in the head. Police have not identified the shooter but did say he was an adult.
Moore was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The incident is still under investigation.

3-year-old finds gun, shoots and kills his father

33-year-old Michael Bayless, of Martinsville, Indiana was watching television with two of his children when his other child, a three-year-old boy, found a loaded, unlocked .45 caliber handgun nearby.
According to police, "He picked up the gun and it discharged, striking the deceased victim."
Michael was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to a neighbor, "It's a bad tragedy. He was carrying the gun for his personal safety."
The police are still investigating the incident but have called it "a tragic accident and a tragic mistake" of leaving a loaded, unlocked gun within a child's reach.

Man unintentionally shoots himself at shooting range

52-year-old Joel Dale, of Munice, Indiana, was with a friend at the Deer Creek Conservation Club shooting range when for some unknown reason his SKS miltary-style assault rifle discharged several times.
Dale was shot twice in the abdomen and had to be flown by medical helicopter to the Fort Wayne hospital. The bullets pierced his small intestine and part of his colon. He also had major damage to his skin tissue and it will take multiple surgeries to close the wounds. He is currently in stable condition and is expected to remain in the intensive care unit of the trauma center for at least two weeks.