Friday, January 31, 2014

Ex-cop who unintentionally shot himself outside school faces felony charges

42-year-old Douglas Good, of Glenwood, Iowa, was in his car outside of Glenwood elementary school, waiting to pick up his daughter who attends the school when he unintentionally shot himself with a 9 mm handgun.  Good was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Police did not give details of how the shooting happened.  Good has been charged with carrying weapons on school ground, a Class D felony.

Good is a former Glenwood police officer and has taught training classes for people seeking permits to carry concealed weapons.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

5 kids unintentionally shot while playing with shotgun

A group of kids were in the basement of a local home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, handling a loaded shotgun when one of the kids unintentionally discharged the weapon.

The bird shot struck five kids, ranging in age from 11 to 17.  All were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Police say they are investigating the incident but are not getting a lot of cooperation from those who were present when the shooting occurred.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett visited a local high school to talk with students about gun violence.  He stressed that adults who own guns must take responsibility for them. "If you have a gun you have to have it locked up so children don't have access to it," he said.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Suspect in armed robbery unintentionally shot himself in the testicles

Portland, Oregon police report that Tuesday night a 40-year-old man attempted to rob a 32-year-old man who was his neighbor.  The incident took place in the parking lot of an apartment building.

During the dispute, the 40-year-old man pulled out a gun and shot the other man in the leg.  He then fled scene.  According to police, as he fled he unintentionally shot himself in the groin.

"The suspect's wound is consistent with somebody putting a gun in his pants," said a police spokesperson.

Both men were taken to the hospital for treatment.  Police haven't identified either man nor cited any charges.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

14-year-old unintentionally shoots himself with handgun dad gave him for Christmas

52-year-old Joseph Streff, of Chicago, Illinois, gave his 14-year-old son a handgun for Christmas. Less than two weeks later the teen unintentionally shot himself in the leg with the gun.  Police report that the injury was not life-threatening.

Streff has been charged with reckless conduct for providing his son with the gun. His bond was set at $1,00 and he is scheduled to appear in court on February 27th.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Young mom unintentionally shoots and kills herself

A 25-year-old Fountain, Colorado woman was found unconscious inside the bedroom of her home.  According to police, she unintentionally shot herself in the abdomen.

She was taken to the hospital where she died of her injuries.

The only other person in the house at the time of the shootings was the victim's young child.  Police are withholding the name of the victim until they notify the woman's family.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Sheriff unintentionally shoots his own deputy during standoff with gunman

Davie County, North Carolina Sheriff Andy Stokes told a news conference that a standoff situation was "a mad scramble for a few moments" and "I am the person who shot my own deputy last night."

The incident began when Deputy Chris Fleming attempted to serve an arrest warrant on 19-year-old Scott Tilley in connection with a home invasion. Tilley fled the scene and deputies found him at a mobile home about 90 minutes later. Tilley told police he was holding the juvenile and a man that lives there hostage. He ended up releasing the hostages in exchange for some cigarettes.

During the exchange a police dog went inside the trailer, followed by Fleming, Stokes and three other deputies. Tilley opened fire with a shotgun, striking the dog. Deputy Fleming was hit in the face by pellets that ricocheted inside the home.

Stokes said he then unintentionally shot Fleming in the right shoulder as he was trying to provide cover for the deputies who were leaving the mobile home.

Fleming was taken to the hospital where he is listed in stable condition. The dog died from his wounds.

Tilley ultimately surrendered to the deputies and was taken to the Davie County jail. Police seized a 12-gauge shotgun, a .308 caliber rifle and two handguns from the trailer.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

17-year-old unintentionally shot and killed by stepmother

Cynthia Bowman, of Decatur, Alabama, was hugging her stepson, 17-year-old Kedrick Bowman.  According to reports, when Cynthia walked into their house Monday night, Kedrick came up and put his arms around her and laid his head down.  Cynthia was holding a .380-caliber handgun and when she brought her hand up the gun unintentionally discharged.  The bullet struck Kedrick in the head.

Kedrick was taken to the hospital in critical condition.  He was pronounced brain dead the next day but kept on life support so his organs could be donated.  "His death saved eight lives today," said his father.

His father said the gun was faulty.  He said they had called police about six months ago after the gun randomly discharged while on a dresser in their bedroom.  The store where they bought the gun said there was a faulty spring and replaced the magazine.

Cynthia said she had the gun with her Monday when she got home.  As she was walking toward the house, carrying the pistol, it unintentionally discharged. She told her husband they would have to bring the gun back. It was right after this that the gun discharged again, killing her stepson.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Texas Poet Laureate killed in unintentional shooting

68-year-old Steven Fromholz, of Eldorado, Texas was killed Sunday when a rifle he was handling fell and unintentionally discharged.

According to reports, Fromholz and his girlfriend were going to hunt feral hogs. A rifle was in case with the bottom unzipped. When Fromholz went to transfer the gun from one vehicle to another the gun fell out of the case and discharged when it hit the ground, shooting Fromholz. He was taken to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Fromholz is a Texas-based singer-songwriter who was influential in the Outlaw Country movement of the 70s. His biggest success came in 1976 when Willie Nelson recorded his song "I'd Have to Be Crazy." The track, on which Fromholz sings harmony, went to No. 2 on Billboard's country chart.

In 2007, Fromholz was named Texas Poet Laureate.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Father unintentionally shoots 8-year-old son

Fresno, California police report that an 8-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital Friday afternoon after being unintentionally shot by his father.  The boy and his father were home, along with others, while the father was doing some work on a shotgun which he thought was empty.

He unintentionally discharged the weapon, hitting the boy.  Police said luckily only a few pellets hit the boy.  He was taken to the local hospital for treatment.

Police say these types of accidents happen far too often.

Police confiscated 6 rifles and 4 handguns from the home while the incident is under investigation.

Friday, January 17, 2014

5-year-old shot dead by stray bullet while eating breakfast

5-year-old Payton Benson, of Omaha, Nebraska, was inside her home, eating breakfast, when she was struck by a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting.  Payton was taken to the local hospital where she died of her injuries.

According to police, no one in Payton's house was the intended target.  The bullet was reportedly meant for someone standing on the street and was fired from a city block away.

Police have not made any arrests in the shooting but say they will "leave no stone unturned to solve this homicide."

According to a neighbor, "What I heard was just massive amounts of gunfire. Both guns had to be completely unloaded.  Uh, it both guns were very large guns. They weren't small guns."