19-year-old playing with gun unintentionally shoots himself and his brother

Thomas and Brandon Everhart, ages 19 and 16, were at their grandmother's house in Lexington, North Carolina. The brothers were in the kitchen with their cousins when Thomas "playing with a handgun" unintentionally discharged the weapon. According to reports:

When he pulled the hammer back, it slid off his thumb, which caused it to hit the primer and send the shell off. The bullet hit him and then it ricocheted off the ground and hit his brother.

Thomas was hit in the leg and Brandon was struck in the calf area. Thomas, whose wound was more serious, was taken to the medical center in Winston-Salem. Brandon was treated at a local hospital and discharged.

Mother tells 911 toddler shot himself with gun left "where he usually can't reach it."

3-year-old Lucas Heagren, of Mount Vernon, Ohio found an loaded, unlocked handgun in his home and unintentionally shot himself in the head. Lucas died of his injuries six hours later.
Kaitlin Campbell, Lucas' mother, called 911 and reported her son had shot himself with a 9mm handgun. She told the dispatcher the gun was being kept on top of the television "where he usually can't reach it."
However, the sheriff thinks another gun was involved in the tragedy. The investigation indicates that a .45-caliber handgun was involved in the shooting, not a 9mm. Investigators found the .45-caliber handgun on a couch and think Lucas may have found it on a dresser in the bedroom. Reports indicate that the 9mm was still on top of television. Reports do not indicate if any other guns were found in the home.
The prosecutor has not yet determined is any charges will be filed against the parents for failing to safely lock up the guns.

Man running errands with his parents and young children killed by stray bullet

43-year-old Justin Ferrari, of Madrona, Washington, was looking forward to a weekend away with his wife. Justin's parents had flown in to baby sit their grandchildren, ages 5 and 7, so Justin and his wife Maggie could be on their own. Thursday evening Justin was running some final errands in Seattle. He was driving his van through the Central Area. Justin's father was sitting next to him in the front seat. His mother and two children were in the back.
While the van was stopped at an intersection, two young men were outside, arguing on the street. One of the men pulled a gun and started shooting. A stray bullet hit Justin in the head. Justin died at the scene, in his father's arms.
This is the second Seattle resident to be killed in a random shooting in the past month. In April, Nicole Westbook, 21, was walking in Pioneer Square when she was killed by gunshots from a moving car.
No arrest has been made in either killing.
Saturday afternoon a man was walking near the Folklife Festival in Seattle when he was hit by a stray bullet. Ryan Burr was waiting at a crosswalk with two men started fighting nearby. One of them pulled out a gun and opened fire. A bullet passed through Ryan's calf. He was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. Police have arrested a suspect in the case.

Man who had never handled gun before, unintentionally shot and killed friend, pleads guilty to manslaughter

22-year-old Derrick Dahl, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, had never handled a gun before when he went to his friend's house last summer. Dahl, 22-year-old Ben Hanson, and another friend began fooling around with several guns inside the home. According to police, the home contained a Kimber .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, a Colt .357 magnum revolver, a Ruger .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun, and several long guns.
The three friends were "just playing around" and "pointing the empty handguns at each other." Dahl told police that he saw his friend take the magazine out of the Kimber handgun, remove a bullet from the chamber and place it in the magazine, and put both the gun and magazine on the counter. Dahl then left the room to look at the long guns. When he came back in the room he picked up the Kimber, cocked it, pointed it at Ben Hanson and pulled the trigger.
But the gun had been reloaded and Hanson was shot in the head. Hanson was taken to the hospital and died the next day of his injuries.
Dhal pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and was sentenced this week to 90 days in jail, 10 years probation and a stayed prison sentence of four years.

3-year-old finally home from hospital, 6 weeks after being injured in unintentional shooting

17-year-old Christopher Smith, of Fairhope, Alabama, was babysitting his two younger siblings, Teela, age 5, and Jayden, age 3. According to reports, he took two rifles out of a closet and began loading and unloading them and cleaning the scopes. At one point he turned the Remington 710 towards the children and watched them through the scope of the rifle, but quickly realized that was "a stupid thing to do."
Christopher says that when he put the weapon down across his lap it accidentally fired. The bullet struck Teela in the head and proceeded on and struck Jayden in the chest. Teela was killed and Jayden was taken to the hospital.
Christopher is facing manslaughter charges but his attorney maintains the Remington rifle has a long history of problems. (See 2010 CNBC report Remington Under Fire.)
Jayden came home this week after spending six weeks in the hospital. According to a family friend, "They are learning to cope and trying to get back into a normal lifestyle. Christopher's mother loves him, she understands this is a total tragic accident....that's her son."

14-year-old wanted to teach toddler about gun safety, unintentionally shoots and kills him instead

A 14-year-old Urbana, Illinois boy wanted to teach his 3-year-old nephew, Mekhi Woods, a lesson on gun safety. The teen found Mekhi playing with a stolen .25-caliber handgun he had hidden in his room. So he took the magazine out of the gun thinking he had successfully unloaded the gun. Wanting to scare Mekhi and teach him about gun safety, the teen pointed the gun at the toddler and pulled the trigger, not realizing there was still a bullet in the chamber.
Mekhi was shot in the forehead and later died of his injuries.
"I lost two grandsons," said Vicki Moss, the boys' grandmother. "Now because of a stupid choice or mistake or whatever you call it, he is going to live with this for the rest of his life. I don't think he's ever going to be the same ever again."
The teen is being held at the Juvenile Detention Center and has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with the fatal shooting.

22-year-old looking at handgun unintentionally shoots and kills 27-year-old

22-year-old David McRea, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was with a group of people standing on a porch when a woman handed him a semi-automatic handgun to look at. According to reports, McRea was inspecting the gun when he hit the trigger and unintentionally fired the weapon.
The bullet hit 27-year-old James Crouch in the chest. Crouch was taken to the hospital and later died of his injuries.
McRea told police he had no argument with Crouch and in fact they didn't even know each other. McRea has been arrested on charges of second degree assault and manslaughter.
A neighbor said Crouch was a military veteran and owned several guns. "Jimmy was a nice, down-to-earth sociable guy," he said. "He certainly didn't deserve this to happen to him."

Man mowing lawn drops gun, gun discharges and shoots him

A Colorado Springs, Colorado man was moving his lawn Sunday with a loaded, unlocked handgun in his pocket. The gun fell out of his pocked, hit the sidewalk, and discharged, hitting him in the lower leg.
Police were called to the resident about 2:30 in the afternoon. The man was taken to the hospital, treated and released.

Paralyzed in unintentional shooting, man faces eviction from hospital

28-year-old Adam Martin, of Sarasota, Florida, was in the wrong place three years ago when his brother's gun unintentionally went off, injuring his spine and leaving him a quadriplegic.
"I don't know what he was doing," Martin said. "Unloading his gun or something, putting it away, and it happened to go off. It paralyzed me."
Martin it only able to move his arms. He had been shifted from hospital to nursing home and back again for the past three years. Since last September he has been in a small room at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The hospital receives no money for his intensive, 24-hour care, even though he is covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, because he has no medical diagnosis that warrants hospitalization. According to a news report, "He is simply existing there, at the end of a corridor on the 10th floor, at taxpayer expense."
The hospital has been trying to find a new home for Martin and has located a nursing home in Georgia but Martin has refused to move because he wants to remain in Sarasota near family and friends. The hospital is taking steps to have Martin evicted.
Nursing homes in Florida are reluctant to offer Martin a bed because Medicaid pays about $150 less per day than their rates. Because he is so young, the nursing home would have to absorb that loss for years to come.
Martin's family and friends are trying to move him into a private residence. But federal funds that could have helped Martin are not available in Florida because state lawmakers rejected a federal grant that would move elderly and disabled patients from nursing homes to their own homes. The grant was part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (also known as Obama Care).
"The legislature didn't feel it was appropriate to take money from a bill that is unconstitutional," said one Republican state representative.
Martin said living in a health care facility he misses eating home cooking and playing music as loud as he wants.
"It would just be more peaceful," he said. "I could just do normal things."

Man unintentionally shot in butt when neighbor takes law into his own hands

Robert Rider, of SeaTac, Washington was concerned when he heard a voice in the house next door that was supposed to be empty. He found a man in his 20s who was trespassing. According to an interview with Rider, "Something had to be done, I wanted him gone. I tried to get him to go and he wouldn't go."
So Rider went back to his home and instead of calling the police he got his shotgun and returned to the house next door. He didn't know where the young man was so he decided to cock his gun.
"He got past me and I turned and I was following him out of the house and tripped over my own shoe and the shotgun went off," said Rider. "He had blood stains on his pants and I immediately felt bad."
The injured man was taken to the hospital where he is being treated for a birdshot wound to the buttocks. His injuries are not life-threatening.
"I feel real bad about it. I've never shot anyone before in my life. I wished I could take it back. I don't like the idea that I shot somebody," said Rider.
Police said that such actions by neighbors are discouraged. "It's always better to pick up the phone and call us," said the sheriff. "It could have been a much different scenario if the suspect was armed."
Rider was booked for investigation of assault but has yet to be charged with a crime. The injured man could be charged with trespassing.