GUN ACCIDENT JOURNAL X (61 days) June 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021 TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2021 A nine-year old Canton, Mississippi child is in stable condition at the hospital after his two-year old sister found a loaded gun in the family truck and shot him in the head. Police say that the children’s parents had gone inside a home and had left the children in their truck unattended. The Canton police chief said “[t]hrough our investigation, what we have found out so far is the daddy of the kids and mother just stopped here at the daddy’s mother’s house to go inside and visit for a minute, for a short period of time. And the kids were left in the truck and playing around and found the handgun.” Child protective services were called to the home. According to the report, the children’s parents are likely to face negligence charges. Source: Jordon Gray, David Kenney, “9-year-old Child Shot by 2-year-old Sibling after Gun Left in Car,” WMC5 (June 2, 2021). WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021 For the second day in a row, a two-year old toddler got ahold of and fired a loaded gun. In this instance, a Joliet, Illinois toddler shot herself. According to the local police, she “unfortunately succumbed” to her injuries. No other information is available. Source: “2-Year-Old Child Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound in Joliet, Police Say,” nbc5chicago (June 2, 2021). THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2021 A Myrtle Beach, South Carolina man showing off a new gun holster to his friend shot himself in the hand while dropping the magazine out of his gun. The man was treated at the hospital. Police found the gun in a filing cabinet and a shell casing on the floor. Ó The Gun Accident Journal (2021) 1 GUN ACCIDENT JOURNAL X (61 days) June 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021 In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a 21-year old man who was disassembling a pistol shot himself in the leg below the knee. He was also treated at the hospital. Sources: “Police: Man Showing Off New Gun Holster Accidentally Shoots Self in Myrtle Beach,” WMBF News (June 4, 2021). “Allegheny Township Shooting Accidental,” Altoona Mirror (June, 4, 2021). THE DANGERS OF FACSIMILE WEAPONS MADE TO LOOK REAL A good deal has been written about the risks of paint ball weapons and toy guns that are designed to look real. The marketplace has far too many facsimile weapons that can be mistaken as potentially lethal. Police officers frequently report being unable to tell the difference between individuals armed with real guns from kids armed with toys, the most famous example being the police shooting of Cleveland 12-year-old, Tamir Rice, at a neighborhood playground. As Americans arm themselves for purported self-protection, there is an increasing risk of gunowners using real guns in response to the perceived threat they see in a facsimile or toy. An incident this week that is horrifying on many levels illustrates the problem. An Opa-locka, Florida, homeowner shot and wounded a ten-year old whose father had taken him to surprise his friends with a paintball gun “drive-by” shooting: Ó The Gun Accident Journal (2021) 2 GUN ACCIDENT JOURNAL X (61 days) June 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021 Michael Williams, 26, told Opa-locka police his son begged him to drive by a home where young people were gathered Sunday night so he could fire his paintball gun out the window, according to a police report released Tuesday. Williams drove by the home as his son fired off several rounds, police said. The homeowner confused the paintball for real gunfire, telling police he thought his family was being attacked. He fired one shot, which struck the child. The boy then lost his balance and was run over by his father’s vehicle, police said. Williams was charged with child neglect. According to police, Williams “acted recklessly by agreeing to conduct a drive-by paint ball shooting.” Replica guns pose serious risks. Not only should parents recognize and protect their children against the risk that their toy guns will be misidentified as real, but better government safety regulation is necessary to protect children who thoughtlessly engage in dangerous conduct with fake guns. Source: Associated Press “Boy, 10, Shot Sfter Florida Man Let Him Use Paintball Gun in Drive-by Shooting, Police Say,” Tampa Bay Times (June 2, 2021). FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2021 In Dallas, Texas, a five year old boy was shot and killed by an 8-year old who found a loaded gun. Authorities announced that they are investigating how the 8-year old fgot possession of the gun. No other details have been released. Source: Jozelyn Escobedo, “5-year-old Boy Dies After Being Shot by Another Child in Dallas Apartment, Police Say,” wfaa.com (June 5, 2021). SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2021 Ó The Gun Accident Journal (2021) 3 GUN ACCIDENT JOURNAL X (61 days) June 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021 A Mission Bend, Texas woman who went to her daughter’s home after an argument with her husband was shot multiple times by her son-in-law. He believed she was an intruder. According to the report, the 43-year old woman, who had been drinking, was banging on the back door when her son-in-law fired multiple shots through the door. The woman was struck in the chest, back and arm. Deputies said the woman is likely to be OK and that “charges are not likely.” The report says the woman was seeking comfort from her daughter in light of the argument. It does not explain why the woman’s son-in-law believed an “intruder” would bang on the door or why he did not simply ask whoever was banging to identify herself before firing. Source: “Fort Bend County Woman Mistaken for a Burglar and Shot by Son-in-Law,” abc13.com (June 5, 2021). SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2021 In Miami Beach Florida, a Georgia woman accidentally shot her sister in the head while they were filming a video for Instagram. The sisters were riding in a Jaguar SUV at the time of the accident. The woman, Taniyria Akias Holt, age 24, was arrested “on charges of culpable negligence inflicting personal injury and improper exhibition of a firearm.” Police said the gun belonged to one of the other women inside the vehicle, but Holt was holding it and racked the firearm and saw a live round being ejected.“Thinking the firearm was free of live rounds, Ms. Holt said she went to pass the firearm to her (redacted) but accidentally shot her,” the arrest report stated. The victim is on life support and is not expected to survive. Source: Amanda Batchelor, “Woman Arrested after Accidental Shooting in Miami Beach Leaves Sister on Life Support,” Local10.com (June 8, 2021). Ó The Gun Accident Journal (2021) 4 GUN ACCIDENT JOURNAL X (61 days) June 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021 MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 Thomas Marrinan, a retired New York transit police officer was shot by a friend, a former corrections officer, when the two attempted to subdue an unruly man during a street fight in Brooklyn, New York. Robert Velasquez, the former corrections officer, accidentally shot his friend when he pulled his gun to end a scuffle with a third man, Michael Soto. Marrinan and Velasquez had attempted to come the aid of Velasquez’s father, who was being harassed by Soto. After a confrontation in the street, Velasquez pulled a gun, apparently to subdue Soto, and fired the shot that killed Marrinan. Soto has been arrested but not charged. Police sources said Marrinan retired from the department in 2015 after 23 years on the job. “He is a terrific human being. It’s a real tragedy,” said a friend of Marrinan. Marrinan’s neighbor called him “the sweetest man I have ever known.” Witnesses report that Soto was leaving the scene at the time the incident began. While leaving the scene, he apparently threatened Velasquez’ father. There is no word about whether Velasquez will be charged for accidentally killing his friend. Source: Larry Celona, Joe Marino, Tina Moore and Kenneth Garger, “Retired NYPD Cop Dead After Being Shot by Friend During Scuffle in Brooklyn,” New York Post (June 7, 2021). Ó The Gun Accident Journal (2021) 5 GUN ACCIDENT JOURNAL X (61 days) June 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021 TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021 For the second time this week, a man who believed he was acting In self-defense shot and killed someone in error. In today’s incident, 37-year old Mathew Sharpf shot and killed his best friend, Jonathan Hankins, also 37, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Hankins was knocking on a window of Sharpf’s home when the fatal shot was fired. Friends described Hankins as a man with a boisterous personality. “You find one real friend in life and that was Matt and John,” a family member said. Sharpf was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter. “Matt loved John, he would never intentionally try to harm him,” a family member said. Source: “Family: Man Accidentally Shoots, Kills Best Friend,” NBC12 (June 9, 2021). WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021 In Americus, Georgia, a 16-year old boy was listed in critical condition after being accidentally shot. He and a group of boys were horsing around with a gun on the back deck of a local home. One of the boys, Jordan Hamilton, age 17, was arrested and charged with reckless conduct. In Waterbury, Connecticut, a state parole officer was injured in a shooting range accident.