Every year, nearly 3000 children and teens die from gunfire, and nearly 14,000 are injured.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

11 year old Rochester, NY boy shot by stray bullet

A street gunfight resulted in the injury of an 11 year old boy on a Sunday morning in New York.  From an article:
Two people were charged Monday in connection with a Sunday morning shooting that wounded a child near Chili Avenue and Thurston Road. According to police, the 11-year-old boy is recovering at Strong Hospital, surrounded by family. The second victim has been arrested. 29-year-old Quentin Singletary, of Rochester, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Police said Singletary took part in the gun exchange that got him and the boy shot. Singletary got hit in the upper body and is expected to survive. Dominique Williams, 27, was also arrested, charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third. Williams was not at the shooting scene but police said officers later recovered the gun inside the home she shares with Singletary. (...) 
Police believe the third suspect knows Singletary and an argument escalated to the shooting. “The fact that this occurred on a Sunday at 10:30 in the morning, personally, I think it’s atrocious,” Sheppard said. “I think this neighborhood has to feel the same way and we’re hoping that once we push this information and push this photo someone will come forward." The 11-year-old is not connected to any of the suspects, police said he was in the wrong place and the wrong time and got caught in the crossfire.
Bullets don't know where to stop.

1 year old Georgia toddler dead of wounds from BB gun

Even BB guns can be fatal. An Atlanta area father was "scaring" his one year child with a BB gun when it went off and shot the little boy in the chest. From an article:
Dickerson said Jesse Sellers, 23, was playing with a BB rifle, trying to scare his son, when he pulled the trigger.
Dickerson told CBS Atlanta News Jesse Sellers didn't realize the gun was loaded and that he said it was an accident. He said the child's grandmother performed CPR on the toddler.
Renee Holmes is the child's mother's cousin. She said Jesstin was the youngest of four children, and his mother was not doing well coping with his death. Holmes had this to say about Jesse Sellers, "They were deeply in love. He's torn. He's broken by this. Jesse is really a good father."

3 year old Colorado child died of gunshot wound to the head

A 3 year old child in Colorado died of gunshot injuries to his head. There seems to be some confusion as to who fired the legally owned gun. From an article:
When police and paramedics arrived they found a semiautomatic handgun lying near his head. Police say the gun appeared to have been fired. The boy was rushed to the hospital with severe skull trauma. He was pronounced dead at 11:15 a.m.
Investigators are still trying to sort out exactly what happened. They say it's unclear who fired the gun.
The boy and his mother were the only ones in the house at the time of the incident.
Though it is not known yet whether the child shot himself, more information will come for this incident.  We will publish further information as it is available. But we will say anyway:

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

Monday, October 28, 2013

Two year old Pennsylvania child shot in murder/suicide

A domestic dispute over a marriage break-up has resulted in the murder/suicide of a Pennsylvania man and his two year old daughter. From an article:
Grandfather Tom Hess said shortly before the killings, Nick called Camryn’s mother Jessee with a chilling message.
“Told her to say good-bye to her daughter, she said ‘What do you mean?’ he said, ‘I’ve got one bullet for her and one for me,’” said Hess.
Family members said the parents split up about a week and a half ago.
“We thought he was just trying to scare us, we called 911 and said to get the police over here,” said Hess.
Just one day before, the family celebrated the little girl’s second birthday, which would have been on Tuesday.
“She loved Minnie Mouse, that was the big theme of the party, Minnie Mouse, she loved it, first thing in the door in the morning she would say that I want to see Minnie.”

12 year old Virginia boy dies in accidental shooting

Another child has found a gun and was unintentionally shot to death. From an article:
A 12-year-old boy was killed Saturday afternoon in the woods near his house in Madison County in what authorities, and the boy’s father, are calling an accidental shooting.
Dax Dixon of Pratts, a small community in Madison, died Saturday afternoon while playing with a neighbor friend, the boy’s father, Dan Dixon, said Sunday.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office responded to what it described as an accidental shooting involving two juveniles shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, a news release said. Deputies found Dax Dixon dead at the scene, the release said.
The investigation is ongoing. The Sheriff’s Office would not comment further on Sunday.
Dan Dixon said he was at work at the time and did not know his son was at the neighbor’s house. He said his son had been staying with a relative over the weekend, and was unaware that the boy had been brought back to the neighborhood.
Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

5 year old Texas boy shoots and kills himself

A 5 year old Texas boy has died of gunshot injuries after finding a gun in his home and shooting himself. From an article:
A 5-year-old boy was found killed by a single-shot wound to the head in Vidor at approximately 2:45 p.m. Monday.
According to Chief Deputy Clint Hodgkinson with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, they received a call to the at approximately 2:45 p.m. on a call of an unresponsive child on Scott Drive in North Vidor.
Investigators say the shooting happened in the 1200 block of Roberts Road. The child was being watched by a babysitter at his parent's home when the shooting occurred.
Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

7th grade Nevada student shoots teacher and himself

A 7th grade Nevada boy walked into his middle school and shot his teacher, himself and wounded two other students. From an article:
When a disgruntled seventh-grader with a gun entered his classroom at Sparks Middle School on Monday, Landsberry rushed toward the student, attempting to shield his class and talk the gunman into dropping his weapon. Instead, the youth shot and killed Landsberry before wounding two more students and taking his own life. The news of Landsberry’s death has rocked the community of Sparks and neighboring Reno.
“In my estimation, he is a hero,” Tim Robinson, deputy chief of the Sparks police, said at an afternoon press conference. “We do know he was trying to intervene.”
CNN reports that both wounded students are in stable condition at a nearby hospital. Neither they nor the killer have been identified publicly due to their age. Authorities have, however, revealed that the 13-year-old killer used a handgun stolen from his parents' house in the shooting.
Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Monday, October 21, 2013

2 year old North Carolina toddler shoots herself with gun found in home

A 2 year old North Carolina girl found a gun in her home and shot herself. She died from the injuries. From an article:
A 2-year-old girl is dead after accidentally shooting herself with a handgun inside a North Carolina home, according to multiple reports.
Police said the girl, who was nicknamed "Coco," found a loaded handgun and that it discharged, local NBC affiliate WNCN-TV reported. She was at the home with her aunt and grandmother at the time.
Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Bail reduced for man who shot 3 year old Texas boy in the face

Back in September we wrote about a man who shot a 3 year old Texas boy in the face for no reason at all. ( September 3, 2013). Now a judge is reducing the bail for this heinous crime. From an article:
A judge reduced the bail Friday for a Dallas man accused of shooting an 8-year-old boy in the face last month.
Brian Cloninger, 46, has remained in the Dallas County jail since he was arrested Sept. 3 after police say he shot Donald Maiden Jr. in the face. District Judge Larry Mitchell lowered the bail from $2.2 million to $1 million after Cloninger’s attorney asked that the amount be reduced to $25,000.
Investigators believe Cloninger had been drinking before he shot Maiden at the boy’s Lake Highlands apartment complex, Prosecutor Tammy Kemp said at the hearing Friday.
At the time of the shooting, Cloninger was still serving a 15-month probationary sentence for a 2012 DWI in Travis County. He was charged in 2002 with driving under the influence in Palm Beach.
Cloninger was not allowed to consume alcohol while on probation, prosecutors said. Police found a beer can in his truck after the shooting.
Police said Maiden was outside his Lake Highlands apartment complex looking for his bike when Cloninger shot him. Maiden recently returned home after a month-long hospital stay.
Every day since returning home, Maiden asks his mother, Monique Locklin, to call to make sure Cloninger is still behind bars, Locklin said.
“He’s afraid,” she said. “And he doesn’t do well around people he’s not familiar with.”
Police said no witnesses saw the shooting, but several apartment residents told police they heard the shot. One witness approached Cloninger after the shooting to ask if he had shot the boy, Det. Paolo Sparacino said at the hearing.
Little boys should be able to play outside without being shot in the face for no reason.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

3-year-old finds gun on bed, unintentionally shoots himself

A 3-year-old boy from Kansas City, Missouri found a loaded, unlocked handgun on his father's bed. According to reports:
Police say the 3-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the stomach, after the boy's father left a loaded handgun lying on his bed. Just before 7 p.m. Monday night, the boy's father, Nate Steward, 34, said he returned home from the store with his 3-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter.

As Steward walked into his home with his children, he told police the handgun he was carrying inside his pants started to fall down his leg. Steward says he got into his house quickly so the gun would not fall out of his pants. Once inside, he says he placed the loaded handgun on his bed in the bedroom while his kids were in the living room and kitchen. The father then went to the back door to let one of his dogs out. While outside with the dog, Steward told police he heard a gunshot inside the home. He went back in to find his 3-year-old son bleeding and holding his stomach. The boy fell to the floor and Steward picked him up and rushed him to Children's Mercy Hospital in his own car.

The boy had surgery and should recover.

Police said when they arrived at the hospital they saw Steward's gun in plain view on the passenger seat of his car. The doors were unlocked and the windows rolled down. Anyone could have grabbed the gun.

Police did not indicate if Steward had a concealed weapons permit or if any charges will be filed.

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

Monday, October 7, 2013

4-year-old finds handgun in family car, shoots himself

A 4-year-old boy from La Plata, Maryland was playing outside his home. His grandmother was watching him. According to the police report:

The grandmother reported that the boy 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.

The child was flown to a hospital where it was learned he had a graze wound.

A computer check revealed the gun - a 9mm semi-automatic handgun - is registered to a member of the child's family. At this point, it is not clear why the gun was in the car and the investigation is continuing.

It should be noted that Maryland is one of the few states that requires registration of handguns. In the majority of states the police would not have been able to run a computer check on the gun to determine ownership.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

8 year old Kansas boy injured by bullet

An 8 year old Kansas boy was injured in his home when bullets were fired from a car. From an article:
Bullet holes are still visible on the front of an Overland Park home where an 8-year-old boy was shot Monday night in the 10000 block of Kessler.
Overland Park Police said the boy did not have life-threatening injuries. A neighbor told 41 Action News the boy was shot in his shoulder.
Two other children and an adult woman were at home Monday night at 11:30 p.m. when the shooting occured.
According to police, the shooter fired between five and 10 shots into the home. Neighbors reported hearing the shots and at least one neighbor saw a dark colored sedan speed away from the house after the shooting.
Kids should be safe in their homes from bullets.