Seven of 33 guns discovered by TSA agents LAST week. Because THIS week, their blog is shut down.
Lots of eyes, including my own, on the government shutdown this week. I can't imagine that that really slowed the pace of accidental shootings, but it seems to have slowed the pace of reporting of them in the news at the very least.
This week was heavy on the police involvement in GunFAIL incidents. Five active duty police officers were accidentally shot this week, and a sixth—a Houston, Texas, school district officer—had his gun just plain snatched away from him. But don't worry. That never happens, so it clearly won't happen again. Probably. Even if you put 10 or 100 times as many guns in our schools. Just for good measure, we'll throw in the retired cop who accidentally shot himself in this week's gun-in-the-bathroom mishap (his gun fell off a chair in the bathroom and discharged, shooting him in the leg).
This week also saw four home invasion shootings, two accidents while cleaning loaded guns (plus one while "dismantling" a gun, which is something you'd usually do in preparation for cleaning one). Two of our accidents fall into the familiar "I took the magazine out, so I thought that meant it wasn't loaded" category, and two more were "two-fers," with two people wounded by the same accidentally fired bullets. Just one each this week of some of our other categories: one hunting accident, one man who says he thought his wife was an intruder so he shot her, one man who dropped his gun and shot himself while checking out at a WalMart, and one man out for a walk with his gun who tripped, fell down and shot himself.
Oh, and one gentleman who accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend when he removed the gun he was carrying in his waistband because it made hugging uncomfortable. My assumption is that it was less uncomfortable than being shot to death, but perhaps only if you don't measure over time. In any case, it's not clear that she was given any other option.
There were mercifully few child victims of GunFAIL found this week, though one story in particular stood out from the rest: the story of the 14-year-old boy who intentionally shot his foster father and another man at a hunting cabin at which they were staying, and then accidentally shot himself during his getaway. Outside of that sad story, just four other child victims were found, ages 4, 6, 13 and 14.
And in our last recurring high-volume category, guns were discovered in schools this past week in: Winona, Minnesota; Omaha, Nebraska; Dumfries, Virginia; and Pearland, Texas.
Here's to things staying quiet. This week's list is below the fold.
- COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 9/22/13: Benjamin J. Brown III is accused in the the fatal shooting of Logan Treguier, 20, according to Colorado Springs police. Treguier was found inside a house with a gunshot wound to the chest, following reports of gunfire at 5461 Mosquito Pass Drive, shortly after 11 p.m. According to the affidavit, Brown, 21, initially told investigators he wasn't at the house when the incident occurred. Later, Brown admitted he had been in the basement of the home with Treguier and three other males, the affidavit said. Brown told police he had found a handgun under the couch cushion he was sitting on and when he tried to set it on a table, he fumbled the weapon. "Brown said as he went to catch the gun in his hand, the gun unintentionally discharged and struck Logan Treguier," the affidavit said. "Brown said he then ran to his vehicle and hid the handgun underneath a seat." Brown told police he smoked marijuana upon arriving at Treguier's home and that he had never had firearm training, handled a gun, or shot a gun before Friday's shooting, the affidavit said.
- LAWTON, OK, 9/23/13: An overnight shooting sent a Lawton woman to a hospital Tuesday morning. Police say her husband pulled the trigger. Officers were called to a house near 7th and G Avenue at 3 a.m. on reports a 34-year-old woman was shot in the shoulder. Her husband was also there. They both tell police it was an accident. The husband claims he thought his wife was an intruder because they've been dealing with burglars. He told police he saw a shadowy figure standing in his bedroom so he fired a 30 caliber rifle before learning it was his wife.
- GERMANTOWN, WI, 9/27/13: Police responded to Community Memorial Hospital after receiving a report that a resident in the N96 W16100 block of County Line Road was being treated for a gunshot wound to his left hand at 7:20 p.m. Sept. 27. The subject allegedly shot himself in the hand accidentally while cleaning his .45-caliber 1911 handgun. The incident is currently under review for possible charges.
- EDINBURG, TX, 9/27/13: Hidalgo County Sheriff’s have come forward about an accidental shooting involving swat deputies on Friday. In a statement from Sheriff Guadalupe “Lupe” Treviño, 32-year-old SWAT Member, Angel Gonzalez was accidentally shot in the arm by K-9 Sergeant, Javier Solis during a training exercise at a building near Highway 281 and El Cibolo Road. [Ed. note: One building in that area: the Hidalgo County Jail.] Deputy Gonzalez underwent surgery and is in stable condition. Sergeant Solis is on administrative leave pending ongoing investigations.
- ST. CLAIRESVILLE, OH, 9/27/13: One man was arrested in St. Clairsville on Friday after police received reports of shots fired in the area of Dennis Lane and High Street. At approximately 3:44 a.m., St. Clairsville Police Officer T. J. Stewart, with assistance from the Belmont County Sheriff's Department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, arrived at the scene and spoke with a Devin Robertson, who was on the rear deck of a home at 137 High Street. Officers then noticed a 9mm assault rifle laying in a chair, and several shell casings laying in the yard and driveway from three different types of guns. The following morning, a resident reported that she discovered a bullet hole which had entered a rear window of her home and lodged in an interior wall. The bullet was reportedly found lodged in the wall within feet of where her children were sleeping.
- HARTFORD, CT, 9/28/13: Hartford police say a city officer was shot while responding to a robbery when a gun accidentally fired. Authorities say the officer suffered a non-life threatening arm injury Saturday night while responding to a robbery at a sandwich shop off Franklin Avenue. The officer's name hasn't been released. Police haven't disclosed other details of the shooting. It's not clear if the officer shot himself by accident or was shot by someone else's gun. UPDATE: A Hartford police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow cop as the two were responding to a robbery late Saturday night, according to police. The officers were responding to a robbery at a Subway restaurant on the 400 block of Franklin Street in Hartford. Police say two armed men went into the restaurant, displayed a weapon and took money from the register. When police arrived on the scene, one officer accidentally discharged his gun. It struck another officer in the forearm.
- SALEM, OR, 9/28/13: Salem Police are responding to reports of an accidental gunshot wound on the 1500 block of State Street. Police dispatch did not have any other details available. According to radio dispatch, the shooting occurred in a residence.
- COATESVILLE, PA, 9/28/13: A Coatesville Police Officer shot herself in the leg, right in front of police headquarters last night while she was trying to arrest a man. The man she was pursuing is being charged with driving under the influence and related offenses. According to a police statement, the officer was attempting to arrest Michael Vega when she pulled out her gun and it went off.
- PORTLAND, OR, 9/28/13: A 15-year-old boy was hit by gunfire during a gang shooting in Southeast Portland early Saturday morning, police said. Sgt. Pete Simpson said multiple shots were fired near 139th Avenue and Stark Street at 2:15 a.m. Jordan Miller was sleeping on the floor of his father's apartment when he was shot in the chest. His brother, Shane Abers, said a bullet when through a window, hit a chair, and then hit Jordan. Simpson said Miller's father lives below the apartment of a gang associate. Miller was not the target of the shooting.
- JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, NJ, 9/28/13: A 74-year-old man was hospitalized after he accidentally shot himself in the leg, police said. Officer Rich Reina responded to Bear Drive at 11:40 p.m. Saturday in response to a report of a gunshot wound, according to police Capt. Eric F. Wilsusen, a department spokesman. Reina’s initial investigation revealed that Charles Johnson, 73, of Jefferson Twp., was handling his .45 caliber handgun when it accidentally discharged, Wilsusen said. Detective Rich Geib also responded and determined that Johnson was handling the weapon to check on its condition. The weapon did not have a clip in it and Johnson did not realize there was a bullet in the chamber and it accidently discharged, Wilsusen said. The investigation determined the shooting was accidental and no charges are likely to be filed, Wilsusen said.
- HALLSVILLE, OH, 9/28/13: A Ross County woman suffered an accidental gunshot wound Saturday when she dropped a .22-caliber rifle, causing the weapon to fire. Angela M. Kuhn, 28, of Hallsville, was carrying the rifle — and several other items — from her Colerain Avenue home to her garage about 10:45 p.m. when the gun fell, hit the ground and went off, said Sgt. Mike Preston, of the Ross County Sheriff’s Office. Kuhn, who was struck in the left side of her chest, was taken by ambulance to Adena Medical Center, Preston said.
- CHILHOWIE, VA, 9/28/13: A 10-year-old Smyth County girl was injured over the weekend in an accidental shooting incident. Smyth County Sheriff’s Office reported the incident happened Saturday, Sept. 28 at a residence located off Shuler Hollow Road in the Chilhowie community. SCSO units responded along with Chilhowie Police Department and Chilhowie Fire & Rescue. Deputies found the girl suffering from a gunshot wound to her back. The child was attended to by members of the Chilhowie Fire & Rescue and air lifted by Wings to Johnson City Medical Center. On Monday, the child remained in Johnson City Medical Center. SCSO discovered that after returning from a morning hunting trip, the father of the victim was unloading a firearm which discharged accidentally striking the child. The investigation continues.
- ROCHESTER, NY, 9/29/13: A 6-year-old Rochester boy was shot by accident Sunday, according to the Rochester Police Department. The child was shot in the lower body in a house on Rugraff Street, between Lyell Avenue and Jay Street. He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Lt. Jeremy Anzalone wrote in a press release. The shooting seems to have been accidental. Police are interviewing the adults who were in the house at the time. No one has been arrested.
- YAMHILL, OR, 9/29/13: A 52-year-old man shot and wounded himself when he tried to remove a handgun from a leather holster so he could show the firearm to a friend, according to Yamhill County sheriff's officials. The incident took place Sunday afternoon in the 21000 block of Northeast Fairdale Road in Yamhill. Police said the man, who was not identified, dropped the Colt .45 caliber black powder pistol as he was removing it from a holster. It discharged when it hit the ground. The bullet entered the man's abdomen, traveled upward and lodged in his neck. Police could see the bullet protruding from his skin.
- TULSA, OK, 9/29/13: A Tulsa boy was hospitalized after he accidentally shot himself while handling a gun, police said. The 13-year-old boy sustained a single gunshot wound to the right wrist shortly after he dropped a loaded .22-caliber pistol about 12:09 a.m. Sunday while at a residence in the 900 block of North Rockford Avenue, police said. It is unknown how the juvenile was able to gain access to the gun, according to police.
- WILLIAMSTOWN, WI, 9/29/13: The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department received a call around 8:50 a.m. from officials at Aurora Medical Center in Hartford reporting that a man was in the emergency room receiving treatment for buckshot wounds to the upper torso. Wisconsin DNR Conservation Warden Todd Schaller said the man had been hunting on the state-owned portion of the marsh in the town of Williamstown north of Mayville around 7 a.m. when the accident occurred. “The man was with a hunting party that had walked into the marsh on a trail to do some duck hunting. A bird flew in and one of the hunters took aim and accidentally shot another member in the party,” Schaller said. “This is a case where the group failing to plan out the hunt and establish who was going to be where and then following that plan.” This is the 12th incident in the state of Wisconsin this year where a hunter has been injured with a firearm, Schaller said.
- PHOENIX, AZ, 9/30/13: A 24-year-old woman was accidentally shot to death when her boyfriend removed a gun from his waistband because it made hugging uncomfortable, police say. The woman and her 18-year-old boyfriend were embracing Monday near 83rd Avenue and Camelback Road when the gun in his waistband began to cause her discomfort, according to Phoenix police. The gun discharged once, striking the woman. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Police did not release her identity Tuesday.
- PORTLAND, OR, 10/01/13: This afternoon, Tuesday October 1, 2013, 12:59 p.m., East Precinct officers responded to a residence in the 8700 block of Southeast Ellis Street on the report of a shooting with two people injured. Officers and medical personnel arrived and located two victims, a male and a female, suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Both people were transported to Portland hospitals for treatment. A preliminary investigation indicates that the male was handling a firearm and unintentionally pulled the trigger, injuring himself and a female.
- EVERGREEN, MT, 10/01/13: Evergreen Fire Rescue responded to a South Cedar Drive home after a man accidentally shot himself in the stomach while cleaning his gun. Fire Chief Craig Williams said the man was in stable condition by the time he arrived at the emergency room at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where he was set to undergo surgery.
- COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 10/01/13: Two people were hurt in an accidental shooting Tuesday evening, according to Colorado Springs police. Both were injured with the same shot. It happened at about 6:30 p.m., in the 3700 block of Rebecca Lane at the Newport Square Apartments, near the intersection of Academy Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway. According to police, 24-year-old Joseph Gunderson was handling a newly-purchased 9mm handgun when it went off. It struck him in the left palm. The bullet then excited his left hand and hit his roommate in the right arm and left side.
- MOREHEAD CITY, NC, 10/02/13: A Morehead City police officer was critically injured after being accidentally shot by another officer Wednesday morning. A law enforcement source identifies him as Officer Garrett Hardin. Vidant Medical Center says the officer was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon. Officials say Hardin was wounded during a tactical training exercise and was transported to Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City. The shooting happened in the back parking lot of the police department. A man who says he witnessed the shooting tells WITN that it appeared officers were training in and around a police car, and he heard what sounded like several clicks from handguns. The man says one of the guns then went off, wounding the officer who was sitting in the back seat. The man says he heard them yell "officer down, officer down" and then saw more police running to the parking lot.
- ANTIOCH, TN, 10/02/13: A man has been sent to the hospital after accidentally shooting himself at a Davidson County Walmart. The shooting happened at the Walmart on 3035 Hamilton Church Road in Antioch around 4 p.m. Wednesday. Company officials confirmed the man was at a cash register when he shot himself in the leg with his concealed weapon as he was checking out. MORE: The man had a valid Tennessee handgun carry permit and was carrying a .40 caliber pistol in his waistband. He felt the gun slipping as he neared a Walmart checkout line with a gallon of milk in hand. When he reached for the unholstered firearm, the gun discharged a single round into his left leg, police said.
- HOUSTON, TX, 10/02/13: Police have arrested a man who allegedly snatched a Houston Independent School District officer’s gun Wednesday morning during an altercation near a southeast Houston high school. According to HISD, it happened around 8:30 a.m. about two blocks from Chavez High School, which is located in the 8500 block of Howard. An HISD officer pulled 19-year-old Eduardo Morales over after he was acting suspicious, police said. The officer said he smelled what appeared to be marijuana. A witness said the officer ordered Morales to get out of his car. That’s when the officer pulled out his gun. “The suspect lunges at the officer, disarming the officer, and leaves from the location,” said Detective Jesus Sosa, with HPD Homicide. The HISD Police Department arrested the 19-year-old man at about 1:30 p.m. The suspect, who is a former Chavez High School student, surrendered to an officer at Chavez High School. The stolen gun has been recovered.
- MADISON, WI, 10/02/13: A Madison man was arrested Wednesday night after he unintentionally fired a handgun inside an apartment on the North Side, the bullet going through a wall in an adjacent apartment. Joseph Ross, 21, was tentatively charged with second degree recklessly endangering safety, Madison police said in a news release. It happened at about 7:20 p.m. in the 100 block of Kennedy Heights. Police said: Ross, who had been drinking, was handling a 9-millimeter handgun inside his apartment when the gun went off. "The bullet entered a nearby apartment which was occupied by adults and several children," said Sgt. Brian Chaney in the news release. A woman with children present told police she heard a loud noise when the gun was fired, the bullet coming through a wall of her apartment.
- BOSSIER CITY, LA, 10/02/13: Bossier City police responded to an accidental shooting Wednesday night that left a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his jaw. Choncy Latrey Fields, 20, of Bossier City was shot just after 9 p.m. as he sat in a car with a friend, Darius Demarcus White, 21, outside a residence in the 300 block of Yarbrough Street. White told Bossier City police the shooting occurred while he was handling a handgun while the two sat in the vehicle. At one point White pulled the trigger and the gun fired with the round striking Fields. White said he had just removed the magazine from the weapon and thought the gun was unloaded however a round remained in the chamber and fired when White pulled the trigger.
- COARSEGOLD, CA, 10/02/13: A retired law enforcement officer from Atlanta shot himself in the leg Wednesday morning in his hotel room at the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold, the Madera County Sheriff's Department said. According to sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart, the man set his gun on a chair in the bathroom of his hotel room and it fell off the chair and discharged, wounding him in his left leg.
- GRANITE, OR, 10/02/13: The two Baker County men who were shot to death at a cabin near Granite late Wednesday have been identified as Michael Piete, 43, and Kenneth Gilliland, 64. Piete was the foster father of the 14-year-old boy suspected of shooting the men, Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said Friday. The three were staying with two others at a cabin at a deer camp on private land off Forest Road 1305 about nine miles southwest of Granite, in Grant County. The cabin is owned by Bill Gilliland, of Tidewater on the Alsea River east of Waldport. He is Kenneth Gilliland’s brother. After the shooting, Bill Gilliland drove to Granite, where he contacted police and ambulance service, Palmer said. According to authorities, the boy left the cabin on foot and at some point accidentally shot himself in the right leg. He returned to the cabin for help and another man held the boy at gunpoint and ordered him to the floor.
- LA PLATA, MD, 10/03/13: On Oct. 3 at 5:50 p.m., officers responded to the 10800 block of Hopewell Place in La Plata for the report of an accidental shooting involving a child. When officers arrived, they spoke with the child’s grandmother who said she was outside watching her grandson play. He got into a car which was parked in the driveway and suddenly she heard a gunshot. The child ran to her and she noticed he had an injury to his head. Emergency personnel arrived and the child was flown to a hospital where it was learned he had a graze wound; his injury is not life-threatening. Detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division responded and recovered the gun inside the car. A computer check revealed the gun – a 9mm semi-automatic handgun - is registered to a member of the child’s family.
- WASCO CO., OR, 10/03/13: Deputy responded to Tygh Ridge on Highway 197 Thursday afternoon on a report of an accidental gunshot wound to the foot. Victim stated he was walking and had a loaded pistol in his fanny pack, he then fell causing the gun to discharge, shooting himself in the foot. An informational report was taken.
- HOUSTON, TX, 10/03/13: A member of Houston Police Department's Tactical Operations Division will be off the job for at least a week after being injured by another officer. It happened Thursday morning at the home of billionaire businessman Tilman Fertitta in River Oaks. According to a source, the officers were practicing a skit that was going to be performed later this month at the True Blue Gala at Fertitta's house. The event is a fundraiser for the police department. One SWAT officer was playing a bad guy and the other officer was playing a good guy who gets shot. The gun was loaded with blanks, but the muzzle blast burned the officer on the abdomen.
- COLUMBUS, NE, 10/03/13: A rural Columbus man has been charged with third-degree assault after accidentally shooting his neighbor late Thursday night. According to the Platte County Sheriff’s Office, 30-year-old Trent Kowalski was conducting target practice inside his Collegeview Trailer Park residence around 10:45 p.m. Thursday when the accident occurred. The sheriff’s office says Kowalski was shooting a .22-caliber rifle inside his home at 6034 55th St. No. 545 when a bullet exited the residence and struck 57-year-old Mark Foxvog in the leg. Foxvog was inside his residence at 6024 55th St. No. 546 at the time of the shooting. Foxvog was transported to Columbus Community Hospital, where he was treated and released.
- STAMFORD, CT, 10/04/13: Police are investigating what they believe to be an accidental shooting Friday evening when a man in the Cove blew off part of his right hand while dismantling a semiautomatic hand gun. Lt. Diedrich Hohn said police were called to 12 Soundview Ave. on the report of a man shooting himself. When police arrived they found a 34-year-old man who had blown part of his right hand off. Hohn said that the man explained that he was dismantling his .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun when the gun went off. Hohn said the man said he did not realize that one bullet was in the chamber when he was taking the gun apart. The slug was fired into the man's right palm and traveled under the skin, exiting through his pinky finger. The slug then went through a wall and lodged in a bedroom bureau, where it was recovered by police. No one else was injured during the incident, Hohn said.
- AURORA, IL, 10/04/13: A 14-year-old from Aurora was seriously injured Friday night when another 14-year-old from Aurora accidentally shot him in the leg, apparently while showing him a gun he had found, according to police. The 14-year-old Aurora boy who allegedly fired the gun was charged as a juvenile with reckless discharge of a firearm and is now in Kane County Youth Home, police said. The incident occurred near Boulder Court and Blackstone Drive in Aurora at around 10:20 p.m. Friday. Police responded to a 911 call and found the teen had been shot in the leg. One bullet was fired, police said, apparently by accident.