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.