13 year old Arizona boy shot by friend when father left gun with children

An Arizona father decided to leave a gun with his son and a friend when he left the house. His son accidentally shot his friend. From an article:

A 13-year-old boy is on life support after being shot in Wickenburg Friday night, according to a spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

In an email to 3TV, Officer Christopher Hegstrom stated that the boy had been shot by a friend around 7 p.m. He was then flown to Phoenix Children's Hospital where he remains on life support.

Saturday afternoon, Sheriff Joe Arpaio told 3TV the father of the shooter had left the gun with the kids intentionally.

According to Arpaio, the father needed to do some shopping, so he left his 13-year-old son and his son’s 13-year-old friend home alone.  A ten-year-old not involved in the shooting was also left at the house.

Apparently, according to Arpaio, the dad had been worried about the family's safety so he left the gun with the kids thinking they would be able to protect themselves.

While the father was gone his son accidentally shot his friend in the head.

Although the sheriff’s office is investigating the shooting as an accident, Arpaio said criminal charges could be coming for the father.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

4 year old Florida child injured in drive-by shooting

A 4 year old Florida boy is injured because of a drive-by shooting. From an article:

A person of interest has been named in the investigation into a drive-by shooting that left a 4-year-old boy injured.

Investigators want to speak with 20-year-old Horatio Papillion. They say he may have been in the vehicle that drove by the home and opened fire.

It's a house that sits on a busy Bradenton street and shares property with a church.

It's quite possibly the last place you'd expect to be targeted by drive-by shooters in broad daylight.

But that's exactly what happened just after 11 a.m. Saturday to a house at the intersection of 26th Street and 36th Avenue West, leaving behind bullet holes and a very young victim.

"One of the rounds hit entered through a window and struck a 4-year-old boy," said Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube.

That unidentified boy was flown to All-Children's Hospital where he was listed in stable condition.

He's expected to survive.

"It's a 4 door orange either Dodge Charger or Challenger with spinning wheels," said Steube.

Damon Walpole lives on 36th Avenue not too far from where the shooting took place.

"Right there, I mean that's right on 26th street, that's really right out in the open that's pretty brazen," said Walpole.

So close that his wife heard the shots and thought it was something far different.

"I was brushing my teeth and my wife came in and asked if I threw some firecrackers at her," said Walpole.

Walpole has been living on his street for 10 years and describes his neighborhood as an average, quiet community.

He says the fact that his son Jeremiah is the same age as the victim in this case makes it that much harder for him.

"It's scary, it could have been my little guy had he been in the front yard or something, it's pretty unnerving," said Walpole.

Investigators say they believe the house was targeted.

Random or not, Walpole says violence like this needs to stop.

"It seems like the pressure of the world is getting to a lot of people," said Walpole.

The boy's mother was home at the time of the shooting but was not injured.

Four year olds should be safe from bullets on the streets and in their homes.

8 year old California girl wounded by sawed off shotgun in her home

A sawed off shotgun fired by someone in a home wounded an 8 year old California girl. The gun belonged to her mother. From an article:

Stockton police have arrested a mother on weapons and child endangerment charges after her 8-year-old daughter was shot Thursday night.

According to Stockton Police reports, officers responded to a home on the 6800 block of Allegheny Place following a call of a person shot.  However, when officers arrived at the residence, the shooting victim, an 8-year-old girl, had been taken to a local hospital.

An ensuing investigation revealed the girl had been shot in the foot with a shotgun. Her mother was subsequently questioned, during which time she gave conflicting statements and refused to allow officers into her home, said spokesman Joe Silva.

Police were forced to get a search warrant for the home and found a sawed-off shotgun and handgun inside the property, said police.

Aurora Almaraz, 32, was taken into custody, and continued to be uncooperative with police, said Silva.

Silva said police did not initially believe the girl accidentally shot herself, but a later police report stated the shooting did appear to be the result of some type of accidental discharge. 

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Minnesota 9 year old shot by 5 year old brother with .22 rifle

It's happened again. A small child has found a loaded gun laying out in his home and shot his 9 year old sister. The family, in the home at the time, are very lucky this didn't turn out worse. From an article:

Gun advocates are issuing an urgent reminder to parents following the accidental shooting of an Oakdale girl.    

Police said her five year old brother shot her with a rifle Friday night.

Authorities believe the girl will recover but some are using this case to stress the importance of gun safety.

Jeff Byrne is a firearms safety instructor at his sporting goods store, Cabin Fever in Victoria.

He brought out a box of unspent gun shells and said, "We use this little display in our firearm safety class.

What do the shells have in common?

Byrne said, "All these shells, whether it's a shotgun shell, rifle or pistol, all came out of an unloaded firearm."

When he said 'unloaded,' he meant a firearm the owner thought was unloaded but was not.

Byrne said, "What we teach in all our firearm safety classes is you first open up and look inside of [the gun] to make sure there is nothing in there."

At Friday's shooting in a home on the 1800 block of Helena Road North in Oakdale, its unknown if the father knew a gun was loaded.

But Oakdale Police said dad and grandpa and a total of five children were home when the 5-year-old boy picked up a firearm and accidentally shot his 9-year-old sister in the upper chest.

According to Michelle Stark with Oakdale Police, as of Saturday afternoon, the girl remained in stable condition at Gillette Children's Hospital in Saint Paul, expected to recover from the gunshot wound.

Stark said the gun was a .22-caliber rifle and, "It's our understanding that a family member was repairing an item associated with the gun and it was left out."

Byrne said, "Never leave your guns unattended while you step away to grab the phone or do something else.

He said it's important to always store ammunition separate from firearms, and store guns with trigger locks or in a safe.

He said, "That way the kids don't grab them and we don't run into these situations."

Oakdale Police are investigating the shooting and looking into whether charges should be filed.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Children's Defense Fund releases 2013 "Protect Children Not Guns" report

Every year, the Children's Defense Fund puts together an extensive report called, "Protect Children Not Guns". The 2013 report is now out. There is a lot of good information in this report about the number of children and teens who are affected by gun deaths and injuries every year. This is a thorough report with much to study. Here are a few of the main points of the report:

Guns killed more preschoolers in one year than they did law enforcement officers in the line of duty. Ask yourself if this is really what we as Americans mean by putting our children first?

American companies manufacture enough bullets each year to fire 31 rounds into every one of our citizens. How many more mass-murders will it take to get Congress to pass sensible gun regulation?

America’s military and law enforcement agencies have four million guns. Our citizens have 310 million. Has this made our children safer?

The number of children and teens killed by guns in 2010 was nearly five times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in action that year in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shouldn’t our legislators be as concerned about the wars at home as they are about the wars overseas?

The number of children and teens killed by guns in one year would fill 134 classrooms of 20 students each. Too many children and teens are still being killed and injured by gun violence. Isn’t it time to demand more common sense ways to protect them?

— From the “We Can Do Better” Campaign, created for CDF by Fallon Worldwide

We post stories on this blog about real incidents of shootings of and by children. There are so many that we can't keep up with them. This report verifies the frequency with which children die and are injured by guns. We hope you will take the time to read it.

Arkansas 3 year old finds gun and shoots himself

There's been another accidental gun discharge, killing a 3 year old in Arkansas. From an article:

This morning a family is grieving the loss of a three-year-old little boy who accidentally shot and killed himself.

It happened Sunday afternoon on Kerr Station Road in Lonoke County.

Detectives say the boy was at a neighbor's house, when he followed a man into the bedroom.

As the man took out his contact lenses, investigators say the toddler grabbed a loaded gun off the nightstand and pulled the trigger.

Lt. Jim Kulsea said, "Any gun, doesn't matter if it has a safety or not, make sure it's not anywhere where a child can reach it or get to it."

Lonoke County Sheriff's detectives believe this was an accident but they're still investigating it.

After they're finished, the case will be turned over to the district attorney who will decide if any charges should be filed.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Texas Mom shoots 10 and 12 year old children and herself

A Texas mother, upset over not qualifying for Food Stamps, shot her 2 children and herself in a welfare office:

A Texas woman who for months was unable to qualify for food stamps pulled a gun in a state welfare office and held a seven-hour standoff with police that ended with her shooting her two children before killing herself, officials said Tuesday.

The 10-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl remained in critical condition Tuesday. Authorities identified the mother as Rachelle Grimmer, 38, and children Ramie and Timothy.

New Jersey couple remembers 6 year old son shot by neighbor child

It's been difficult for the Holt family to recall the day their son, Brandon, was shot by a neighbor boy. From the article:

This is the tale of two families whose lives intersected — violently and permanently — on April 8 in Toms River. While playing "pretend shooting" games with Brandon Holt and other children, authorities and neighbors say, the Senatore’s 4-year-old boy bounded into his father’s bedroom, grabbed an unlocked and loaded .22-caliber rifle, walked outside to his yard and hoisted the weapon. Suddenly, one shot exploded, from 15 yards away, discharging a bullet that hit the head of 6-year-old Brandon, killing him, authorities say.

Police have said it is unclear whether the 4-year-old triggered the gun intentionally, or whether it went off by accident.

This is also the story of another American gun tragedy involving young children. In this case, it’s the type of suburban, child-on-child shooting that, at first, seems nearly unimaginable. But it’s more common than many realize.

News articles and interviews with gun-control advocacy groups reveal that the Holts and Senatores are far from alone in confronting the horror of what happens when young children grab loaded and unlocked guns.

This is also a story about how many Americans live today, even as the gun-control debate, fueled by Newtown, Conn., and other mass killings, rages around them. Through detailed reporting, this article examines a lifestyle among some New Jerseyans in which guns, hunting and target shooting are revered forms of recreation and protection.

Some gun-rights advocates say the Senatores’ way of life played no role whatsoever in the tragedy that struck Brandon Holt. But gun-control groups push back: They pound the argument that the prevalence of household guns in the United States leads, unfailingly, to disasters such as the one that took the young boy’s life.

Furthermore, say groups such as the Children’s Defense Fund, in America a child or teen is injured from guns every 30 minutes. And between 1963 and 2010, an estimated 166,500 children and teens died from guns on U.S. soil, the Defense Fund reports, whereas fewer than 53,000 American soldiers were killed in action in the Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq wars combined.

In 2010, 82 children under age 5 lost their lives to guns, the advocacy group also says, compared with 58 law enforcement officers killed by guns in the line of duty. Meanwhile, children and teens in the United States are 67 times more likely to die from guns than children and teens in the United Kingdom.

But the National Rifle Association, the powerful lobbying group, cites statistics of its own. In just one example, the NRA writes that the nation’s total violent crime rate hit an all-time high in 1991, and then declined in 18 of the next 20 years — a 49 percent drop overall — until it reached a 41-year low in 2011. At the same time, says the NRA, gun ownership and the number of privately owned guns rose to all-time highs, with the number of privately owned firearms in the United States increasing by more than 120 million.

There's much more in this story about access to guns by children.

As we always say here on this blog- Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Texas woman, unhappy about denial of food stamps, shoots her kids and then herself

Timothy and Ramie Grimmer, ages 10 and 12

A woman in San Antonio, Texas, went to the state welfare office with her two children, unhappy about being denied food stamps.  The woman, Rachelle Grimmer, 38, then pulled out a gun and a standoff occurred.  It ended when she shot her two children, a girl named Ramie, age 12, and a boy named Timothy, age 10, critically injuring them, then killing herself.

From an article:

When the family entered the office on Monday shortly before it closed, Grimmer asked to speak to a new caseworker, and not the one whom she worked with before, Texas Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said. 

Grimmer was taken to a private room to discuss her case, then she revealed a gun and the standoff began, Goodman said. 

Police negotiators stayed on the phone with Grimmer throughout the evening, but she kept hanging up, Laredo police investigator Joe Baeza said. She allegedly told negotiators about a litany of complaints against state and federal government agencies. 

Grimmer let a supervisor go unharmed around 7:45 but stayed inside the office with her children. After hanging up the phone around 11:45, police heard three shots, and a riot police team entered the building. Inside, they found Grimmer's body and her two wounded children. 

The children were "very critical" and unconscious, Baeza said.

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9 year old Mississippi boy dead after friend found gun and shot him

A 9 year old in Mississippi was shot by a friend who found a gun in his home. From an article:

The 9-year-old boy who died Wednesday morning after being shot at a home in Copiah County has been identified.

Copiah County Coroner Ellis Stewart confirms the young victim is Isaac Tervino, of Raymond.

Copiah County Sheriff's Department Undersheriff Derrick Cubit says Tervino was with two other children in a bedroom of the home on Highway 18. Cubit said the two other boys were brothers and Tervino was their cousin. The adults were reportedly in another room of the house eating.

One of the other children found a gun, picked it up and fired, striking the 9-year-old above the right eyebrow, Cubit said.

Tervino was driven to River Region Medical Center in Vicksburg by a private vehicle and was later airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Cubit says the shooting appears to be accidental, and no charges have been filed at this time. 

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

16 year old Alaska teen shot by friend

An Alaska teen was visiting a friend when a shotgun when off, critically injuring him. From an article:

A Kodiak teenage boy is reported to be in critical condition after sustaining a shotgun wound Sunday night at a home on Woody Way Loop, and Police Chief T.C. Kamai says another teen is in custody, charged with first-degree assault.

    The 16-year-old victim was visiting in the home of the 15-year-old boy when the shooting occurred.

    “Well at about 8:47 last night, officers were called to a residence on Woody Way Loop for a report that a 16-year-old boy had been accidentally shot by another boy," Kamai said. "When police arrived, they found a 16-year-old male victim who sustained the gunshot wound. He was transported to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center in critical condition.”

    This (Monday) morning Kamai said it’s his understanding the injured boy had been transported to Anchorage for additional care.

    The chief said department detectives are now on the case.

     “Detectives were called in and they began their investigation," he said. "We’ve recovered the firearm that was involved in the shooting.”

    Chief Kamai said there may be additional charges brought against the 15-year-old later. He was taken into custody without incident and is lodged at Kodiak Jail. Because he is a juvenile, the Kamai would not release his identity

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Ohio 16 year old shot in a fight

An Ohio 16 year old has been killed during a fight:

A 16-year-old boy was killed after being shot on the far east side of Columbus Monday evening.

According to Columbus police, officers were called to the 3300 block of Suffield Drive on a report of a large fight at about 7:23 p.m. Monday.

Arriving officers and medic personnel located the victim, identified as Isaiah A. Giles, in front of a home in the area with at least one gunshot wound.

Giles transported to Grant Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 8 p.m.

According to detectives, the shooting occurred after a fight escalated and the participants pulled out weapons.

A police dispatcher said that Columbus police received a large number of calls regarding the shooting. A pizza delivery driver, who also called police, told dispatchers he began following a possible suspect.

This was the second time officers had been called to the area regarding a fight on Monday. Officers were dispatched to the same location at about 11:15 a.m. Detectives said that there was no indication of weapons at that time.

We don't know yet who the shooter was but it could have been another teen. Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

5 year old Oklahoma boy shot while sitting in car with his mother

An apparent drive-by shot and injured a 5 year old Oklahoma boy while he was sitting in his mother's car. From an article:

A 5-year-old Muskogee boy is in the hospital after he was shot in the back on Saturday night.

MPD Lt. Bryan Stark confirmed the boy is stable and no arrests have been made.

The shooting occurred about 11:30 p.m. at the Whispering Pines Apartments on Fairmont Street in Muskogee. The child was in a car with his mother when someone started shooting at the vehicle, police said.

The woman took her son to a hospital in Muskogee, and Muskogee EMS took the boy to Tulsa.

"A few inches in either direction [and] we may have had a dead child on our hands," MPD Cpl. Michael Mahan said.

Police said there was an argument that happened before the shooting.

News On 6 spoke to one witness who called 911 after he said he looked out his window and saw a man unload a handgun into a silver car.

"They got in the car and were pulling out and another guy walked out and started shooting a revolver at them," witness Jerry Johnson said. "I knew there was kids in the car. I feel sorry for the kids really, because you know they were the innocent victims in the whole deal."

Neighbors who live in the complex were shocked there was a shooting in their parking lot.

"I pretty much saw some muzzle flashes come out of a car that was about it," witness Michael Boggs said. "I've been here three years... never seen any of it."

Police are asking for any help trying to find the shooter, who fled after firing the gun. Investigators also are looking at surveillance video.

3 year old shot at an Arizona army post

There is not a lot of information about this shooting. A three year old was shot in a home on an Arizona army base:

A 3-year-old boy is hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in the stomach in a housing area at Fort Huachuca (wah-CHOO'-kuh).

A spokeswoman for the southern Arizona Army post says the child was shot Saturday night, but details aren't being released and the child's name hasn't been disclosed.

Tanja Linton says the incident is being investigated by Fort Huachuca law enforcement agencies.

10 year old child shot in Detroit home

A 10 year old Michigan boy was shot in his home:

A 10-year-old and 24-year-old are recovering tonight after being shot on Detroit's east side.

Police say around 4 p.m., someone opened fire on a house on Somerset, striking the victims who were on the porch. 

The 10-year-old was shot in the arm and the adult was shot in the back--both  are expected to be OK, according to police. 

We're told the alleged shooter is in custody. Police say they don't think the victims were the intended target, but they reportedly knew the shooter. 

2 year old Michigan boy shot and killed

Another toddler has been shot- this time in Michigan. From an article:

A boy and two men have been killed in a shooting a Flint apartment complex.

Flint police Capt. T.P. Johnson told The Flint Journal that the two men were found dead just before 8 a.m. Monday at Park West apartments on the 3900-block of Hammerberg Road near Atherton.

Johnson said the third victim, a young boy, died on the way to a hospital.

5 year old shot by gun owner using gun as a "crutch"

Thanks to the Ohh Shoot blog for providing us with this tragic story. A five year old Oregon girl was

Alysa Bobbitt

senselessly shot by a man in the apartment above when he used his AK-47 as a crutch to get up from his couch. From the blog post:

30-year-old Jon Andrew Meyer, Jr. was visiting friends in Grants Pass, Oregon. He told police that he was using his assault rifle as a crutch to help him get up from a couch when he unintentionally discharged the gun.

The gun burst went through the ceiling and hit 5-year-old Alysa Bobbitt and another woman who were in a room upstairs. They were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Alysa, who was shot in the head, died of her injuries. The woman, who was shot in the torso, is expected to recover.

Meyer was arrested and charged with manslaughter, assault and illegal possession of a machine gun. Police did not say if the assault rifle had been manufactured as fully automatic or if it had been modified later. However, Meyer's lawyer said Meyer had been assured the gun was not fully automatic when he bought it. 

Reports indicate that at the time of the shooting Meyer was the subject of a restraining order that was taken out by his fiancee. In the petition she described him as an unpredictable drug addict who had threatened her with a gun. Reports do no indicate if the judge had barred Meyer from possessing guns as a result of the restraining order.

We don't usually comment on our stories but it is hard not to say that this case was a totally senseless and avoidable shooting. Little girls should not get shot while sitting in their apartments by a careless person with a gun.

4 year old Alabama girl shot in home by bullet intended for someone else

A 4 year old Tuscaloosa, Alabama girl was shot and injured inside of her home. The bullet was intended to be shot into the home but the little girl was an innocent victim. From an article:

At least one shooter fired several times into a home in the area of 7th Street at 31st Avenue in west Tuscaloosa and instead of shooting their intended victim, hit a sleeping 4-year-old with two bullets Friday night, according to the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit. 

Sgt. Dale Phillips, the unit's commander, said Tamerra Harper was found alive but badly injured and was taken to Children's Hospital in Birmingham for treatment. Phillips said she remains there in critical but stable condition.

The investigation is still in progress, but Phillips said the unit is under the impression that shooting into the home was intentional, but the little girl was not the target Friday night. No arrests have been made at this time.

The Tuscaloosa News is reporting that Harper suffered a head wound and a broken arm as a result of the shooting and is breathing on a ventilator at Children's, where she will undergo surgery to remove the bullet from her arm.

“Who would do something like this and hurt an innocent baby, a four-year-old baby?” Harper's grandmother, La Shonda Harper-Gibson asked the Tuscaloosa News. “I hope that they find whoever did this and make them suffer. I hope that God touches their hearts and changes them, is what I really hope.”

Children should be able to sleep in their homes without getting shot.

9-year old St. Louis boy shot and killed in father's car by shooters in another car

Tyrese Short, age 9

9-year old Tyrese Short was asleep in the back of his father's car as his father and friends drove

home after a get-together, St. Louis, Missouri.

Suddenly another car drove up and fired at the vehicle.  One of the shots hit Tyrese in the head.

His father drove the boy to the hospital, but Tyrese eventually died from his wound.

The father had a prior criminal history, and may have been the intended target.

The shooter has not been identified or captured.

From an article and news video:

A young child shot while riding in a sport utility vehicle with his father and two other people early Wednesday has died of his injuries. 

Police idientified the youngster as Tyrese Short, 9 of the 1800 block of Switzer. 

St. Louis Police say around 3:30 a.m. yesterday a vehicle arrived to the departments north patrol headquarters on North Union Boulevard.  The child was unconsicous and suffering from a gun shot wound to the head. 

Police later determined the child was shot from bullets fired from another vehicle, into the SUV on Goodfellow Boulevard near Laura in north St. Louis. 

The child was taken to St. Louis Childrens Hospital from the police facility, and died Wednesday evening.

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14-year old Buffalo boy shoots and kills 16-year old boy during fight over sneakers

Shooting victim Kelmyne Jones, Jr., age 16

A fight between two groups of around 11 teens broke out in Buffalo, New York.  That's when a Myles D. Taylor III, picked up a gun and fired it, hitting and killing 16-year old Kelmyne Jones Jr.
14-year old involved in the fight,

From an article:

The neighbor said that Kelmyne, who lived five blocks south of Northland on Goulding Avenue, had marched onto Northland with some friends to confront a group of youths who had earlier threatened to steal his sneakers. That’s when the fight began. 

Earlier this week, Northland residents said that there were about 11 boys involved. They added that the boy who shot Kelmyne had retrieved the gun from underneath a bush as Kelmyne had another boy in a headlock. The two groups had been in a territorial rivalry that had escalated previously, residents had said. 

Lake Kearney, a retired Erie County sheriff’s deputy, has lived in Buffalo since 1952 and on Northland since 1981. He said he’d heard the teens fighting Saturday – “cussin’, fussin’, swearin’ ” – while he was in his house. When he later heard sirens, he said Thursday, “That’s when I knew something was going on.” 

Kearney said the street used to be peaceful and quiet, mostly retirees, but that has changed. 

When asked how a 14-year-old would get a gun, Kearney said it’s a simple task.
“Getting a hold of a gun in Buffalo is almost as easy as going to the corner store and buying a Popsicle,” Kearney said. 

Derenda appeared on the steps of City Hall to announce the arrest with Mayor Byron W. Brown, who said his thoughts were with Kelmyne’s family. 

“This is a tragedy that not only destroys and hurts a family, but it is a tragedy that hurts the entire community,” Brown said.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

4-year old South Carolina girl shot by stray bullet from outside her home

Zahara Walker, age 5

4-year old Zahara Walker was innocently watching TV in her Columbia, South Carolina, when a bullet entered her home and hit her.

The bullet was likely fired by Marcus Gantt, who is caught on video firing multiple shots at a passing vehicle.

Luckily, Zahara survived her wound and is now out of intensive care.

From an article and news video, including video of Gantt firing the shots:

[Zahara's father] says even though he knows the history of violence at the Colony Apartments, he never expected his daughter to be impacted by it.

"She had tubes in her mouth.  Tubes in her nose," Walker said.  "I didn't think it would happen to my daughter. But it's always violent out there."

Walker says he doesn't recognize or know Marcus Gantt, the suspect charged in connection with the case. Police say Gantt fired shots at people inside a silver Dodge Charger. During the exchange of gunfire, a stray bullet hit Zahara inside her home.

"It shouldn't be happening in no neighborhood," Walker said.  "You're guiding the kids the wrong way.  You're teaching them to be thugs.  Teach them to play basketball.  Tell them to pick up a book.  Influence them to do good and not bad."

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6-year old California boy shot by 5-year old pal while playing with grandparents' unsecured gun

From a crime log, for Lake Arrowhead, California:

A 6-year-old Lake Arrowhead boy was shot by his 5-year-old playmate on Independence Day after the boys found an unsecured, loaded pistol in an unlocked closet and used it to play cops and robbers, a sheriff's report says. 

Sheriff's Capt. Rick Ells said the accidental shooting occurred at the home of the older boy's grandparents, in the 300 block of Oak Drive.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

5-year old New Orleans girl finds mother's gun under pillow and shoots herself to death

A 5-year old girl, Brandajah Smith, was left alone in her home as her mother left to talk to neighbors.  Thats when the little girl found a loaded, unsecured handgun that her mother left under a pillow, which belonged to the mother's felon boyfriend.

Brandajah Smith, age 5

Brandajah discharged the weapon, hitting herself and dying a few hours later.

From an article:

Laderika Smith, 28, faces a charge of second-degree murder, while Leon Warren, 54, was indicted on one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. 

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/12qst4k ) Smith's daughter, Brandajah Smith, shot herself with a .38-caliber handgun on June 23. The little girl found the revolver, which Smith told police was often stashed under a pillow in the bedroom. Smith had locked the child in the house and walked down the street to speak with neighbors. When she returned, she found her daughter who lived for a few hours on life support before succumbing to the injury. 

Police later tested the little girls' hands for gunpowder residue and determined she had pulled the trigger. They said Smith knew the gun was there when she left her in the house alone. 

Hours after the shooting, Warren — who was described as a cousin — admitted keeping the gun, saying he was holding it for a friend, police said.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

More kids shot over the past 5 days

It's been hard to keep up with all the shootings of and by kids in the last week or so. We refer you again to Joe Nocera's Gun Report in the New York Times. In the July 10th report, Nocera reports on 2 children injured in Washington state and 2 in Virginia. In the July 11th report, more child shootings occurred. From his article:

A 1-year-old boy and a 7-month-old boy were shot on the front porch of a home in Hampton, Va., late Wednesday. The boys were with a caregiver when they were both struck in the torso. A nearby house and car were pockmarked with bullets after the shooting. Anyone with information is urged to call police.

—Wavy.com

A 4-year-old girl is in critical condition after being shot by a stray bullet while watching television in Columbia, S.C., Monday night. According to preliminary reports, shots may have been fired between a group of people on foot and a silver Dodge charger near the Colony Apartments. Police have released surveillance video of the suspects.

—Columbia Patch

Tyrese Short, 9, was killed in a drive-by shooting in St. Louis, Mo., early Wednesday. The boy was a passenger in a car with his father and two others when he was shot in the head. Officials have not released details on possible suspects.

—KSDK.com

Logan Allen, 15, died Wednesday morning after being accidentally shot Tuesday at a home in Edina, Mo. Officials say Allen and a couple of other boys were hanging out when Allen was accidentally shot in the back of the head with a .22-caliber firearm.

—HeartlandConnection.com

That's 3 injured and 2 dead in one day. States where these occurred- Missouri, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Two Oregon teen boys shoot and kill one man and injure another

Two teen boys, 17-year-old Brian Hernandez Cardon and 15-year-old Reynaldo Antonio Ceja, are accused of the shooting death of a 33-year old man and the shooting injury of a 22-year old man in Gresham, Oregon.  The shooting may be gang-related.

From an article:

Lt. Claudio Grandjean said detectives arrested 15-year-old Reynaldo Antonio Ceja at his girlfriend’s house in Estacada on Saturday at 3 p.m. 

The other suspect, 17-year-old Brian Hernandez Cardon, was arrested by Beaverton police on Friday night in Beaverton. 

Both boys face one count each of murder and assault. Police took them to the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center. 

KATU normally does not name minors who are accused of crimes, but we named the boys in this case because of the severity of the crimes. 

Police said Paulino "Paul" Venancio-Lopez, 33, of Gresham was shot and killed at Red Sunset Park. He was found dead near the basketball courts just before 10 p.m. Friday. 

Neighbors said they heard two "pops" around 9 p.m. and then two more several minutes later. They thought they were fireworks. 

Police said 22-year-old Omar Merino-Lopez, who had been shot in the leg, walked to Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center about six blocks away. 

Grandjean said the shooting was "possibly gang-related." Police haven't confirmed if the victims know each other.

The article didn't say how the boys got their guns and ammo.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

120 kids shot since Sandy Hook

Others are noticing what the contributors to this blog have been writing about. There seems to be an awful lot of kids shooting kids or themselves in mostly accidental shootings. An article we found in the New York Daily News documents the number of shootings since Sandy Hook last December. There is a lot here to digest. Here is just one section of the article:

In the almost seven months since Adam Lanza’s demented slaughter of 20 Sandy Hook Elementary first-graders and six adults, at least 40 more children age 12 and under have died from accidental shootings across the United States, according to data compiled by the Daily News.

Those numbers do not include children killed by adults. Add those tragedies in, and about 120 innocents ages 12 and under have been killed by guns since Newtown.

These shootings took place in 17 states from Alaska to Florida, in rural counties and big cities alike. Six accidental shootings killed kids in Ohio and another five in Texas, where about 36% of residents have a gun in the home. Nationally, about 35% of homes contain at least one gun.

“First and foremost, appreciate the fact that bringing a firearm into the home has the potential to kill somebody,” says Daniel Gross, the president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

“Be aware of the true nature of youth, which includes the curiosity to play with something they find and also consider the impulsivity of suicide. Marry the risks of the behavior of kids and the danger of firearms and it should lead you to prevent kids from having access to guns.” (...) 

Gun locks could help prevent these tragedies, says one such advocate, Bill Brassard, a spokesman from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Since 1999, more than 36 million gun locks have been given away free through the NSSF’s Project Childsafe, Brassard said.

But a long-term solution for a long-term problem hasn’t surfaced. Gun locks are only “the first line of defense,” said Brassard, who also urges gun owners to invest in other gun storage options such as keypad or biometric lockboxes.

“The gun owner needs to know who in their household should have access to firearms and to take steps to prevent those who shouldn’t from being able to acquire that access,” Brassard said. “It’s about keeping guns out of the wrong hands.”

As we always say, every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Two 16-year old Louisiana boys shot over drugs

A drug deal between on 16-year old boy in Metairie, Louisiana, and two other 16-year old boys, went bad.  The first boy shot one of the others, injuring him, then the third boy shot him back with the same gun, killing the first.

From an article:

Dondrell Cage Jr., 16, of New Orleans, died Wednesday evening at the hospital. He had been shot Tuesday afternoon in a gun battle in the 2200 block of Giuffrias street, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. 

Cage shot a 16-year-old Bobby Bruer in a dispute over drugs, and then a third 16-year-old shot Cage with the same gun. 

Deputies said the teens had argued over drugs Monday night, and the feud continued into Tuesday morning, one of the two boys shot the other teen, then a cousin of the boy who was wounded, grabbed the gun and fired at the teen who shot his cousin. 

Dondrell Cage had faced numerous charges, the sheriff's office said, including for attempted second degree murder, resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and illegal possession of a stolen firearm.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

17-year old boy shot and killed by Chicago police

A 17-year old boy in Chicago, named Christian Green, was approached by police.  When he pulled out a gun, he was shot and killed.

From an article:

Shortly after 1 p.m.Thursday afternoon near 57th and State, Chicago police shot and killed 17-year-old Christian Green after police say Green ran from officers who tried to question him. 

Pat Camden is a spokesperson for the police union and says Green was armed.
"Individual at that point gun in hand pointing it at the officer,' Camden said. "The officers fire in defense of their life." 

But Thursday night, Green's brother is disputing the police account. 

"I know for a fact he didn't point no gun at no police," said Travail Fowler. "I know for a fact that's not my brother." 

And neighborhood residents say they believe Green was merely lighting off fireworks. 

"I heard he, they thought it was a gun, but it was a firecracker, like a Roman candle or something. He pulled it out, and police just started shooting," said Keaara Payton. 

"It's got nothing to do with fireworks," said Camden. "It's got to do with an illegal weapon being carried illegally by an individual who points it at the police putting them in danger of their life. 

Camden said a semi-automatic weapon was recovered at the scene. The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the shooting.

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7-year old Chicago boy killed while picnicking in a park

A 7-year old boy was having a July 4th picnic with his family in a park (Cole Park) in Chicago, Illinois, when someone drove up and opened fire, hitting the boy twice in the neck, killing him.

The shooters got away.  Motive is unknown.

From an article:

Community activist Andrew Holmes says he spoke with the child's grandmother, who said the family was having a July Fourth picnic in the park when someone drove up and fired shots from a vehicle. 

"Get the perpetrator off the streets," Holmes said. "Identify him. We need the gun that was used in shooting, and they definitely need to find the car so they don't hit another child. If they get away with this one, you know it's going to happen again." 

Holmes says this shooting was at least the fourth he'd responded to on this violent July 4.   ...

Chicago police say the 7-year-old boy in the Chatham neighborhood was shot twice in the neck area. Police continue to search for two unknown suspects who fired the shots and drove away. There is no description of the suspects or vehicle. 

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7-year old Virginia boy killed by July 4 celebratory gunfire

A 7-year old boy, Brendon Mackey, was walking with his father in a parking lot, getting ready to

Brendon Mackey, age 7.

watch fireworks, in Midlothian, Virginia, when he fell to the ground.  

Upon investigation at the hospital, it was found that he had been struck in the top of his head by a bullet, likely fired by someone as a means of celebrating.

Brendon died from his wound.

From an article and news video:

“A large crowd had been gathering over by the reservoir to watch fireworks and a young boy, seven years old, was walking through the parking lot with his dad. He was a few step behind his dad and he [the boy] fell to the ground,” Chesterfield Police Capt. Brad Badgerow said. “Initially they thought he was just passed out. They saw some blood. They thought he may have hit his head.”

But when the child was taken to the hospital, doctors made a startling discovery.
“When medical personnel were treating him, they found what they believe to be a bullet wound in the top of his head,” Badgerow said. 

Police said it is unlikely that the shot was intentionally fired at the boy, and that the bullet likely came from a gun fired off the premises. 

“We don’t think this was an intentional shooting. We think that somebody in or around the Brandermill area was celebrating the Fourth of July. Unfortunately we think they were shooting a gun in a reckless manner and this young boy is a victim,” Badgerow said.

What goes up must come down.  Celebratory gunfire kills.

Indiana teen shot while standing outside of home

A 15 year old girl and another young man were shot and injured while standing outside of a home on Tuesday:

A 15-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man who were shot while standing outside a home on Smith St. Tuesday afternoon remain hospitalized and police cannot provide condition updates.  However the victims have been identified as Lashire M. Collins and James E. Starts III of Fort Wayne.

The shooting took place in the 4400 block of Smith Street just before 5:00 p.m. When officers arrived they found two people suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

Both victims were taken to the hospital where Collins was last listed in stable condition, while Starts was last listed in critical condition..

According to investigators, Collins and Starts were standing in the front yard of a home at the intersection of Smith Street and Senate Avenue. Witnesses reported seeing the suspect fire several shots while standing west of that intersection and then run southbound in an alley west of Smith St.

Oklahoma 15 year old shoots self thinking gun was unloaded

How often do we write about kids and teens playing with guns, thinking they are unloaded? This 15 year old Oklahoma teen put a gun in his mouth and shot it off, thinking it was unloaded. From an article:

A teenager remains in the hospital after investigators said he stuck a gun in his mouth and it accidentally went off.

The incident happened over the weekend in Logan County near Waterloo and Post Rd.

The Sheriff’s Office is not releasing the same of the 15-year-old victim.

The teen didn’t think the gun was loaded at the time of the shooting.

Officials responded to the call from a mobile home park on the 9600 block of E. Waterloo where a person was suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

When officers arrived, they found a 15-year-old boy who was seriously injured.

The boy was able to speak to officers and let them know he was not trying to kill himself.

At this point, officials are claiming this shooting an accident with potential of having suspicious circumstances.

However, after speaking with the teen and a friend who were together at the home when the gun went off, the sheriff’s office has no reason to believe this wasn’t an accident.

Logan County Sheriff’s Capt. Richard Stephens  said, “The other young man at the scene told him to make sure the gun was unloaded, the young man was so certain that it was already unloaded that he put it in his mouth and pulled the trigger.”

The teen’s condition is still critical Tuesday.

The investigation is still ongoing.

Sheriff’s office officials said it is against the law for an unsupervised juvenile to have a firearm.

Officials said there were two kids unattended at this trailer at the time of the shooting and investigators are trying to track down both sets of parents.

Authorities said supervision of children with guns is critical and they should be stored appropriately.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

11-year old West Virginia boy shot and killed by grandmother shooting at perceived intruders

An 11-year old boy, William Owens, was sleeping in his bed at home in Jarvisville, West Virginia, when his father and grandmother thought they heard noises outside.

That's when his grandmother went outside with her .40-caliber pistol and shot into the dark and the perceived intruders.

One of the bullets entered the boy's home through the wall and struck him in the chest, killing him.

Police found no signs of any intruders.

From an article:

Sheriff Albert Marano said Tina Owens, 57, had gone outside her house at around 11:30 Sunday night after hearing some noises. The sheriff said Owens and her son, who lives next door about 200 yards away, thought there were intruders around their homes tampering with property. 

“Tina went outside to investigate, in doing so she brought a 40-caliber pistol with her,” the sheriff said. “Upon hearing what she thought were intruders she fired her 40-caliber several times in an attempt to scare the intruders away. One of the shots went through her son’s residence and struck the victim, William Owens, in the chest while he lay in bed.” 

Owens, 11, was sleeping.

Harrison County Prosecutor said he will seek criminal indictment of Owens in the death of her grandson, William. He said it was a difficult but necessary decision because the case could have resulted in injuries to even more people. 

"It's an important public issues," he said, "particularly concerning the responsibility that comes along with exercising your Second Amendment rights." 

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15-year old Washington girl shot and killed by man on random shooting spree

Molly Conley, age 15

15-year old Molly Conley was celebrating her 15th birthday with friends, and was walking on a sidewalk, when a man drove by and opened fire, hitting her in the head and killing her.

The man went on to fire randomly at other people and homes.

Police were eventually able to track down the suspect, Erick N. Walker, 26, of Marysville.

Molly was apparently chosen at random.

From an article and news video:

Police said Walker acted alone and did not know Conley, or any of the other homes or targets he allegedly shot at. ... 

Police interviewed five of Conley’s friends who were with her on June 1 when she was shot at 11:15 p.m. Two of Conley’s friends described a vehicle that had passed them when Conley was shot. They each also said they heard a “pop” as the car passed them.
A few hours after Conley was shot, police responded to calls of additional shootings in the area. 

“There were several reports of shots fired that same night,” Speyer said. 

When police responded to various locations within Marysville, they found a bullet embedded in a wall in one location and property damage from gun fire in another location. Police also investigated a witness report that they had seen a man in the area running with a rifle, but they were unable to locate a suspect. No one was injured in those incidents. 

According to Speyer, police began to piece together information with bullet casings collected from the various scenes. Experts matched the bullets with 30-caliber carbine weapons recently purchased around the area and were also able to scrape paint off the side of a car damaged on June 1 in a hit-and-run incident near where Conley was shot, with police believing the perpetrating car to be the suspect. 

Investigators at the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab determined a variety of models of car the paint from the hit-and-run car could have come from, and police were able to pair that information with the 30-caliber carbine owners in the area. Detectives matched Walker with owning both a 30-caliber carbine gun and a car with a consistent paint type from the hit-and-run.

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Three New Hampshire teen boys discover a loaded gun tossed into weeds

Three teen boys, ages 13, 14, and 15, were playing ball when they discovered a loaded gun in weeds, in Lawrence, New Hampshire.  All three handled the gun before a parent was alerted.  Luckily no one was injured.

The gun had apparently been tossed there by suspects being chased in a vehicle by police a couple nights earlier.

From an article:

The Walther P22 handgun with a loaded magazine was found at 9 p.m. Sunday by the three boys, ages 13, 14 and 15. The gun’s safety was in the off position, meaning it was ready to fire, according to a police report. 

Police believe the gun may have been tossed in an overgrowth of brush and weeds in front of 4 Conduit St. after shots were fired at police officers on Sunday, June 16.  .... 

Sunday night, the boys playing on Conduit Street told officers the ball ended up in the overgrown grass and weeds. One boy went to fetch the ball and found the loaded gun in the overgrowth. He, his friends and two adults all touched the handgun. “All parties at that time were somewhat unsure if this firearm was real,” Quaglietta wrote. One boy’s parents took the gun up to their apartment and contacted police. 

The gun was slightly rusty in some spots and had a white discoloration in another spot.
“It should be noted that some of the rust spots on the gun could be from the fact that it had rained for the past several days while the gun was laying outside exposed to the elements,” Quaglietta wrote.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

17-year old boy killed and 2-year old girl injured during apparent home invasion in North Carolina

19-year old Kashif Antoine Lang was at his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when a group of young men attempted to get into the home through windows.  One of those young men was 17-year old Jashun Ladonte Ingram.

Lang opened fire, hitting and killing Ingram.

He also fired on a car in his driveway.  In the car was a 2-year old girl, who was wounded in the leg.

Lang was arrested.  The girl is expected to survive.

From an article and news video:

Kashif Antoine Lang, 19, is accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Jashun Ladonte Ingram at Lang’s home at 4144 Macarthur Street around 2:15 p.m. Monday. 

Police said Ingram and several others were involved in a disturbance with Lang and others in the home. 

Police said Ingram and his group were breaking home’s windows and trying to get inside at the time of the shooting. 

Winston-Salem police said Ingram was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency workers and firefighters responded. Police said he suffered multiple gunshot wounds. 

Police said a 2-year-old girl was shot in the leg while inside a Chrysler Pacifica in the driveway. Investigators removed the vehicle, full of bullet holes, from the scene. 

Police said the young female victim is expected to recover after being taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. 

Officers said they detained and identified several people inside and outside the residence until the scene was secured. 

Detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division have assumed the ongoing investigation. Ingram’s autopsy is pending. 

Lang was charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.

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Two Oklahoma boys get hold of loaded revolver in home; one injured

Two boys, ages 10 or 11, were in a home in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, when they entered a closet where a .22-caliber revolver was kept by the father of one of the boys.  The gun was otherwise unsecured.  A bullet was still in the chamber, and the boys discharged it, injuring one boy in the hand and hip.  He is expected to survive.

From an article and news video:

Muskogee County Sheriff Charles Pearson said the parents thought the gun was empty. It was up in a closet when a 10 or 11-year-old got a hold of it and started pulling the trigger, not knowing there was a bullet inside the chamber. 

FOX23 reached out to the families of both kids. They declined to comment, only saying the boys are close friends and this was an accident. 

Pearson says it's an accident they see a lot of with families that have guns in the home. He said the boy was playing with a .22-caliber revolver. Pearson said the father told him he thought he dumped the bullets out of the gun. However, one bullet remained. The bullet went through the victim's hand and lodged in his hip. Deputies are ruling this as an accident. 

Pearson is advising people to double check their weapons to make sure they're unloaded but also says they should put a lock on the weapon.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

13-year old boy and 9-year old girl injured in California shooting

A 13-year old boy was wounded in the hand and back, and a 9-year old girl was wounded by flying glass, when someone opened fire on them in Fresno, California.  Four suspects were seen firing from a car.

From an article:

A 13 year-old boy and a nine year old girl were wounded in the shooting.  

It happened at the Whispering Woods Apartments on Fresno near Shaw avenue.  

When officers arrived on-scene they found a 13 year-old boy shot in the hand and the back.  

A nine year old girl was wounded when a bullet went through a sliding glass door, she was cut by glass. 
Both are expected to recover. 

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6-year old Kentucky boy threatened with gun for cutting through man's yard

Craig Lofton, age 6

6-year old Craig Lofton and his family were held at gunpoint by a man, James Hamm, in Fleming
County, Kentucky, because the boy cut through his yard.  It turns out the yard wasn't even owned by the man.  Hamm was arrested.  Luckily no one was hurt.

From an article:

Craig Lofton, 6, said he had just finished playing basketball in Fleming County Park, "We were just walking through his yard and he just came out and said stop walking in my yard and he said I got something for you all and he pulled out his gun." 

Lofton said James Hamm cursed at them as he held the family at gunpoint until police arrived and took him away in handcuffs. 

Police said Hamm lives in government housing, so the yard is not his. Hamm was charged with two felonies.

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16 year old Louisiana boy shot by friend with assault rifle

A 16 year old Louisiana boy was shot and killed when a "friend" was showing him his new semi-automatic rifle that he thought was unloaded  From an article:

A 16-year-old was shot and killed when a friend was showing a group of people a semi-automatic rifle he believed to be unloaded, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said.

The incident occurred around 1 a.m. in the 2000 block of James Drive in Marrero and left the mother of the shooting victim seeking answers to several questions.

According to the sheriff's office, 23-year-old Chris Cardon of Gretna told investigators that he and 16-year-old Trey Stahl were inside the home along with four other people and that he was showing the group a recently-purchased AR-15.

A sheriff's office spokesman said Cardon told them that he didn't know there was a round in the chamber and that he pulled the trigger to clear the weapon and it went off, striking the Stahl in the neck.

Emergency responders found Stahl lying on the kitchen floor. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Cardon was booked on one count of negligent homicide.

"I don't think it's really hit me yet," said Shannon Guidry, Stahl's mother. "That was my baby."

Guidry said she received the call that no mother wants to get, but what upsets her even more were the circumstances surrounding the shooting - at least what she knows of them.

Guidry said she found a picture of Stahl holding a semi-automatic weapon posted on his Facebook page last night. She thinks it may be the gun that ended up producing the fatal shot.

"I want to know what adult in his right mind gives a child a gun to hold?" she asked.

Guidry is concerned because she says someone is deleting photos from her son's Facebook page. She says she wants to know why someone handled a loaded gun around her young son.

"It could have been avoided totally," she said. "You don't have to go over there with no gun. You didn't have to let my child put his hand on no gun."

17 year old Chicago boy shot while standing on sidewalk

A 17 year old boy was shot on Sunday while standing on the sidewalk. From an article:

A teen was wounded in a West Garfield Park shooting early Sunday on the city’s West Side.

A 17-year-old boy was standing on the sidewalk near East Congress Parkway and South Kostner Avenue about 3:50 a.m. when he “heard shots and felt pain,” according to police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro.

A family member drove the boy to Loretto Hospital, where he was in “stable” condition with a gunshot wound to his right calf, Alfaro said.

Nobody was in custody Sunday morning as Area Central detectives investigated.

15 year old Virginia teen shot on Sunday

A 15 year old was shot and wounded on Sunday in Virginia. From an article:

Henrico police are investigating a shooting that sent two people to the hospital.

It happened around 9 p.m. Sunday in the 1400 block of Almond Tree Drive in Eastern Henrico.

Police sources told CBS 6 News that a 15-year-old and 21-year-old were wounded in the shooting. Both suffered non-life threatening injuries according to those sources.

Detectives said they are in the preliminary stages of the investigation.

17 year old boy shot at Florida party

A party on Saturday in Florida resulted in the shooting of a 17 year old boy. From an article:

A party in Winter Haven turned violent Friday night when a 17-year-old boy was shot.

Police said it started out as a party at the Winter Haven Garden center and ended with 17-year-old Terrance Morton in the hospital with a gunshot wound.

The shooting happened in the parking lot of the Senior Center, right across the street from Lisa Ibarra’s apartment.

“About 1:30 last night I heard shots and we was out here and then I looked over there and the guy that got shot, he was laying on the ground,” Ibarra said.

Police said they were responding to the area because of a large crowd that had just left a party at the Garden center. But when they showed up, all they heard was gunfire. It was the same shots Ibarra said she heard.

“It sounded like a gun that a police carries. It was like boom! Boom! Boom!” she said.

But police say those shots didn’t come from their guns. Several large orange circles on the ground show just how many spots bullet shell casings were found. One of them hit the victim. He had to be airlifted to the hospital.

Police said there were so many people around at the time of the shooting they could barely get through to the victim. Which leads detectives to believe that someone may have seen what happened. 

Police don’t know if the 17-year-old was targeted. He’s still in the hospital listed in critical but stable condition. Anyone with any information is urged to contact Heartland crime stoppers at, 1800-266-TIPS (8477).