Young Teen Unintentionally Shoots and Kills Boy. Will an Adult Be Held to Account?

 A 14-year-old Dallas, Texas girl has been charged with murder after unintentionally shooting and killing an 11-year-old boy. 

According to a police statement, the girl was arguing with another 14-year-old girl in the parking lot of her apartment complex. She "retrieved a handgun and shot in the direction of the female she was fighting. However, the shot struck a male juvenile bystander." The boy, De'Evan, died at the scene. 

Where did the 14-year-old get the handgun? Every gun in the hand of a child had to pass through the hands of an adult first.  Will the adult who enabled this girl be held accountable? News reports give no indication of where the gun came from, who owns it, or how the girl came to possess it. 

De'Evan's mother wants people to know that "he was a very talented young man, he had a great future ahead of him." She also wants people to "take this story and do something productive with it. Let my son not have died in vain and let this save somebody else's child."

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. 

13-year-old Shot and Killed While Playing with Gun

 A 13-year-old Grand Rapids, Michigan boy was shot and killed Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. He and his friend were playing with a 45-caliber handgun when the gun was discharged, striking the teen in the chest. 

The boy, also 13, who unintentionally discharged the weapon had taken the gun from his grandfather's bedroom. The grandfather told reporters that he stored the weapon in an unlocked dresser drawer. He expressed sympathies for the family of the teenager killed. 

The teenager who pulled the trigger was taken in to custody. The grandfather, who negligently left the gun unsecured thus allowing the boys to gain access, was not.  

He would have turned three on April 20th

Two-year-old Ian Allen died after shooting himself in the head. Ian found a loaded, unlocked handgun in a bedroom in his home. Police arrived at the scene to find Ian in the driveway being held by his great-grandmother. Ian was crying and a gunshot wound was visible to his head.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Families said that they will investigate how Ian was able to obtain a loaded gun.

"People keep guns at home a lot of times for safety reasons, but what we find often is that children end up getting hurt with the gun in the home instead."

Ohh shoot.

Kids Find Grandma's Gun - Tragedy Follows

Three teenagers at their grandmother's house in Indiana found grandma's loaded .38-caliber handgun. The 13-year-old girl fired one shot. The bullet struck her 14-year-old cousin in the head.
The girl was taken to the hospital and is listed in critical condition.
According to the police, the grandmother had a lockbox for the gun, but for some reason the gun was unsecured.
Ohh shoot.