Articles labeled: gun accident

Further proof that guns and people do not go together like peanut butter and jelly. A kid with a future ahead of him, how unfortunate that his life is lost in an accident that was so preventable.

LAVACA COUNTY, Texas — A 14-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed in a hunting accident by his grandfather, investigators said.

According to the Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor Michalec’s grandfather said he was walking behind the teen when the trigger on his AK-47 assault rifle snagged a branch and discharged, striking the teen in the back.

In a case that was first chalked up to a gun accident, a 13 year old boy is now being accused of intentionally shooting his older brother.

The charge marks a major shift in investigators’ understanding of the incident. Police said in March that a preliminary investigation indicated that the child had found the gun — it belonged to his father, a security guard– and discharged it, striking his 15-year-old brother, “while playing with it.”

Law enforcement officials declined to say yesterday why they now think the child acted deliberately. State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said he has never considered the shooting an accident.

An 11-year-old boy in Centralia, Washington, was found dead in his home from a gun shot wound. Police believe the gun accidentally discharged while the boy was handling it. We just have to shake our heads at how some parents can be so careless with such deadly items.

Detective Sgt. Stacy Brown said this morning that the handgun involved in the incident had been kept in the house northeast of Centralia, at 724 Teitzel Road, where two brothers were eating dinner in separate rooms.

Although no names have been released as of press time today, Brown said the parents of the children were both working at the time of the shooting and the incident is under investigation. The gun belonged to the father, according to a sheriff’s office press release.

“The kids obviously knew where the guns were kept,” Brown said.

According to Internet address listings, Aaron and Tanya Rothmeyer live at the residence. Based on Lewis County tax lot information, the couple bought the 1920s-era home in April 2001. Brown said multiple firearms were kept there, although she declined to elaborate, citing the active investigation.

Charlris Fleming, a 6-year-old in Frayser, Tennessee, which is just outside of Memphis, fatally shot himself in the eye while playing with a handgun which accidentally discharged. His uncle, Jerome Black, is facing criminal charges for bringing the gun into the house and hiding it in an insanely stupid place:

Police say Jerome Black has admitted bringing a gun into the Greenbriar apartment in Frayser. He reportedly said he hid the loaded handgun under a couch cusion (sic).

Charlris and a seven-year-old were playing with the gun in a bedroom. The revolver went off and Charlris was shot in the face. Neighbors say the victim’s mother, Black and a third adult were in a separate room.

Paramedics rushed the boy to Le Bonheur Childrens’ Medical Center. He died while in the hospital.

“It’s devastating,” said Susan Helms of Le Bonheur. “This was a preventable tragedy, this did not have to happen.”

According to Helms, last year the hospital treated 50 kids for gunshot wounds. That’s nearly one child every week.