13-year old Washington boy unintentionally shot and killed with unsecured shotgun

Eddie Zee, age 13 (source)

Four teen boys were playing unsupervised in a home in Puyallup, Washington, when one of them
brought out a loaded, unsecured shotgun.  When one of the boys grabbed the gun, he discharged it, hitting 13-year old Eddie Zee.  Eddie soon died from his wound.

From an article:

Police say the shooting happened when four young boys were playing in a residence after school without adult supervision. The boy who lived there pulled out a shotgun and displayed it to the others. A second grabbed the gun and it discharged, hitting the victim. 

Captain Scott Engle says the juveniles immediately called for help and medics and police were called to the scene. They found the teen suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound to the chest. One of the other young men was performing CPR when they arrived. 

The victim died at Tacoma General Hospital. 

"Everybody all the way around is extremely upset. It's a very traumatic incident for everyone involved. Just an extreme tragedy for essentially four boys that were hanging out together," Engle says. 

The shooting in the 500 block of 11th Street Southeast is being treated as accidental and the investigation continues. Any potential charges will be determined by the Pierce County Prosecutor.

The article also had a statement from the family.

The article didn't indicate who the gun belonged to or if they would be charged.

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

12 year old Washington boy accidentally shot by grandfather on Christmas Day

A Washington grandfather was wrestling with his grandson on Christmas day while wearing a holstered gun. The gun went off and shot his grandson in the leg. From an article:

The boy and his grandfather were roughhousing together in the living room of a home on the 14000 block of East Jacobs Road when a handgun in a concealed holster on the grandfather’s belt went off, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The bullet went through the boy’s right calf. 

14 year old boy accidentally shot by hunting gun

A 14 year old Washington boy was accidentally shot in the arm when a hunting gun bumped around in a car and discharged:

 A 14-year old boy was accidentally shot on Monday while on a hunting trip with his father, according to Lewis & Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton.(...) 

According to Sheriff Dutton, the teen had not been hunting before. He used a magazine drop to unload the weapon. It became apparent later, however, there was still one shell in the chamber.

On the drive back to camp, the son had placed the butt of the gun on the vehicle floor and the muzzle toward the roof. They hit a bump causing the rifle to discharge.

The bullet struck the son in the right bicep, exiting the right shoulder. The bullet exited the roof of the pickup truck.

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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4 year old Washington boy shot in head by drive-by shooter

A four year old Washington state boy was injured when a bullet from a drive-by shooting hit him in the head as he was sitting in his car. From an article:

Authorities say a bullet fragment got lodged in a 4-year-old child's head after a drive-by shooting in Othello.

The Tri-City Herald reports (http://bit.ly/10mp4SH) the bullet did not penetrate the child's skull after Friday's shooting. The fragment was removed at Othello Community Hospital and the child was released from the hospital.

Adams County Sheriff Doug Barger says the child and four family members were in a Cadillac around 7:00 p.m. when a brown car pulled up and fired multiple shots using a 9mm pistol. The family then drove about five blocks to their house while the suspects chased them.

Barger says no one in the Cadillac has gang affiliations, though the suspects may. He says police are searching for two males and a third suspect.

14-year old girl shot and wounded while walking home from school

A 14-year old girl was walking home from school with two friends, in Burien, Washington, just south of Seattle.  That's when a shot was fired, hitting and wounding her.

No motive or suspect has been determined.

From an article and news video:

A 14-year-old girl is recovering after she was shot while walking home from school in Burien on Monday.  

The girl was walking with two boys when the shooting, which appeared to be random, happened along 21st Avenue Southwest in Burien Near Saint Francis of Assisi school.
The girl was calm and able to talk about what happened. 

The kids remember seeing a red car nearby, but police say there is no confirmation that the shot came from that car. 

The school sent parents a message informing them that the girl was shot with a bullet or a pellet that entered the side of her torso. 

The school is cautioning parents to make sure their kids are driven to and from school until they have more information.

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14-year old Washington boy shoots his parents

A 14-year old boy in Moses Lake, Washington, is accused of shooting and injuring his parents.

From an article:

Moses Lake police say a 14-year-old boy has been arrested for allegedly shooting his parents. 

Police said officers responded to a call at a home where they found two adults with wounds. 

The Columbian Basin Herald identified  the two adults as the boy's parents. Both victims were transported to an out of area hospital for treatment. 

Police didn't provide further details on the incident.

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

Washington fifth grade boys plot to kill classmate and teachers

Two fifth grade boys from Colville, Washington were caught in a plot to kill classmates:  From an article:

Two fifth-grade boys armed with a stolen semi-automatic gun, ammunition clip and knife plotted to kill a classmate in Washington state but were thwarted when another student informed a school employee, authorities said Thursday.

The two boys, who told police they considered the girl rude and annoying, won't be tried as adults and will be in court next Wednesday for a capacity hearing, said Tim Rasmussen, the Stevens County prosecuting attorney.

The two boys, ages 10 and 11, told authorities that they were also going to kill, or "get," six more students at Fort Colville Elementary School in Colville, Washington, and even identified them from a class list provided by school employees, according to court documents.

The boys' plan called for the older to stab the girl off-campus with a 3.25-inch knife last week, and the younger boy would scare off any responders with a .45-caliber Remington 1911 semi-automatic handgun, court documents said.

The younger boy had been in "a short dating relationship" with the girl, but he told authorities that "she's rude and always made fun of me and my friends," court papers said.

"Yes, I just want her dead," the younger boy told authorities. He brought the gun and knife to school, documents said.

The older boy had been friends with the girl for several months, but he wanted to kill her because she picked on and annoyed him, court papers said.

"Yes, and I wanted to kill her alone at first," the older boy told a police officer.

The officer noticed in his interview with the older boy that he "did not display any emotion or remorse during the interview," court papers said.

The younger boy took the gun from his older brother by finding a hidden key to the gun case kept in the brother's bedroom, and the older brother told authorities that he stole the firearm from their dead grandfather's home, court papers said. The older brother is also a juvenile, Rasmussen said.

The two boys told another student two weeks earlier about the plot to kill the girl and were going to pay him $80 to keep it secret, the court filings said.

The two boys were going to kill the other six students by luring them away from school one at a time, court papers said.

When authorities were transporting the arrested boys to the Stevens County Courthouse, the juvenile probation department staff told a detective that they overheard the older boy telling the younger: "If I find out who told them about our weapons, I'm going to kill them. I don't care; when I get out of jail I'm going to come back and kill them," according to court papers.

Under Washington state law, children between the ages of 8 and 12 are presumed to not have a capacity to commit a crime, prosecutor Rasmussen told CNN.

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

Two 5th-grade Washington boys brought gun and knife to school in murder plot

Two fifth-grade boys, ages 10 and 11, brought a loaded gun and a knife to their Colville, Washington elementary school, intending to kill an "ex-girlfriend" and others in their class.  Luckily, a fourth-grader saw one of them with the knife and reported it.  A third boy was also charged with hiding the plot.

From an article:

The 5th graders at Fort Colville Elementary School were taken into custody Thursday morning after a search revealed one of the boys had a knife and a handgun in his backpack. Interviews by police revealed that the boys intended to use the weapons sometime Thursday, Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen said. 

“These young men conspired to kill,” Rasmussen said. “It was interrupted by the bravery of a 4th grader who saw something and said something … and interrupted a murder.” 

Both boys have been expelled in addition to a third, unidentified boy who knew about the two weeks of planning and intended targets but agreed not to say anything after he was promised $80 for his silence. 

The plot was discovered prior to the start of school Thursday, Colville School District Superintendent Michael Cashion said. 

“We’ve been told that the boys had a plan to kill an ex-girlfriend – I don’t know what a girlfriend means in 5th grade – and harm other students,” Cashion said. “There was no list, but names were given to the police. I can’t get my mind around it.” 

Deputy Stevens County Prosecutor Lech Radzimski asked the judge to order that the boys have no contact with eight other children identified only by their initials. Fort Colville Elementary Principal Clayton Allen said all of the alleged victims were part of the same 5th grade class.

One of the boys said the gun was stolen, but it doesn't say from whom.

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

15-year old Washington boy unintentionally shot by 14-year old brother

A 14-year old boy in Mesa, Washington, got hold of his family's unsecured, loaded .22-caliber rifle and unintentionally shot his 15-year old brother in the abdomen.  Luckily, the boy will survive.

From an article:

A 15-year-old Mesa boy was accidentally shot Sunday by his brother, authorities said. 

Franklin County sheriff’s deputies were called to a home in the 300 block of May Avenue around 1:30 p.m. after getting a report of an accidental shooting. 

A 14-year-old boy messing around with a .22-caliber rifle ended up shooting his brother in the abdomen, said sheriff’s Cpl. Gordon Thomasson. 

The older teen was taken to a local hospital and was in stable condition Sunday evening, Thomasson said.

Read more here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/01/06/2227444/mesa-boy-15-unintentionally-shot.html#storylink=cpy

There been no mention of pressing charges against the shooter or his parents.

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

Washington man threatens to "shoot up every school in a 100 mile radius"

Following the tragedy of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, a man in Washington state, Korry Martinson, 19, posted on a Facebook that he thanked the shooter and then threatened to "shoot up every school in a 100 mile radius" if any gun control measures came about due to the tragedy.

After a search for Martinson, he turned himself in to police.

From an article and screenshot of his Facebook message:

Authorities had been looking for the man, identified as Korry Martinson, 19, since Friday at about 7:20 p.m., after he allegedly posted the threat on his Facebook page, police said. 

The threat was seen by several people, who reported it to the Sedro-Woolley police and the Skagit County Sheriff's Office. 

Martinson's mother also was contacted by several callers. When she confronted her son about the posting, he got into an argument with her and took off before police arrived at his home.  

Authorities had been looking for him ever since, and the FBI was monitoring the case, said Lt. Lin Tucker of the Sedro-Woolley Police Department.  

Martinson finally turned himself in on Sunday afternoon, when a friend brought him to the Sedro-Woolley police station. He was placed under arrest and booked into the Skagit County Jail for investigation felony harassment. 

A screenshot of the Facebook threat allegedly posted by Martinson said: 
"Okay, so about that shooting of the little kids. 

"I would personally like to thank the man who did this. You will (be) looked u pon as a hero in my eyes. You have rid the world of 20 future s------- and w-----. 

"I say good riddance, and that we need more people like you. It's the government's fault as to why these things happen. 

"If this causes our gun laws to be taken away, to the point as to where I cannot own a gun, I will personally get my sawed off double barreled shotgun and my AK-47 and go shoot up every school within a 100-mile radius of my current location."

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Washington state considers adding a child access protection law

The Washington State Legislature is considering the addition of a child access protection law, mandating safe storage of guns in homes with children, to reduce the number of shootings involving children getting their hands on unsecured firearms.

From an article:

Susie Tracy of the Washington State Medical Association said, “I think there is a lot of interest in the public in safeguarding our children, and we certainly encourage you to move forward in some manner to do that.” 

Some are pushing to require gun owners to use firearm locks and safe storage, an idea some lawmakers are already considering. 

“I’m all for using safety devices on firearms, that really ought to be much more strict,” Goodman said. 

But Brian Judy of the National Rifle Association said, “I have to ask again, why are we doing this for firearms? What’s the point?”

Obviously, the point is that, in many homes, guns are not secured away from children, and tragedies result.  But this doesn't sit well with the philosophy of the NRA that there should be no reasonable restraints of any kind with guns.

Here at the Kid Shootings blog, we have so far chronicled at least 278 unintentional shootings so far this year across the nation, most of which are due to children accessing guns.  We have also chronicled at least 131 cases where guns were taken by kids onto school property, 35 of which resulted in shootings.

As we detail on another page, Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws are common-sense legislation that require gun owners to store their weapons in such a way as to prevent access by minors without appropriate supervision.  As of 2008, 27 states and the District of Columbia had CAP laws, according to a Legal Community Against Violence February 2008 report.  At least three large cities also have CAP laws (Chicago, Cleveland, and Portland).  

• In 12 states where CAP laws had been in effect for at least one year, unintentional firearm deaths fell by 23% from 1990-94 among children under 15 years old (Cummings, 1997).
• CAP laws are correlated with reducing gun suicides among those aged 14 through 17 by 10.8%, and a reduction of 8.3% by anymethod (Webster, 2004).
• CAP laws are correlated with a reduction of non-fatal gun injuries among both children and adults by 30-40% (DeSimone, 2005).

See our CAP Law page for more relevant statistics.

Washington woman pulls gun on flasher, in front of her 6-year old son

A woman was walking her dog and pushing a stroller with her 6-year old son in it in Longview, Washington, around Lake Sacajawea.  Suddenly a man approached her, flashing her and masturbating, saying, "You need to watch this."

That's when she pulled out a loaded .38-caliber Ruger handgun out of her coat pocket and threatened to shoot him to death, giving him to the count of five before she would shoot.  The man then fled.  She then sent her dog after him.

It was the first day she had carried a gun concealed, outside the home.

From an article and news video:

Around 8 p.m. on Wednesday the woman was at Lake Sacajawea with her 6-year-old son and a dog when a man approached her aggressively while masturbating and suggested she should watch him. 

Instead the woman grabbed her gun, a Ruger .380. She's never carried it to the park, she told the paper, but fog and darkness prompted her to bring it. 

"My son was facing me in my stroller and I had the magazine in my gun, but it wasn't locked in place," she said. "So I locked it in place and cocked it and pointed it at him and told him he had five seconds and I was going to shoot him." 

Longview police detective Kyle Sahim said officers had not found the man Thursday evening but were investigating several suspects.

(a related article and news video)

While the man's actions are a serious offense, were they worthy of a potential death sentence?

Man tried to "demystify" guns for children, but 3-year old son killed 6-year old daughter

Back in March, we reported on a shooting in Marysville, Washington, where a 3-year old boy was able to get out of his car seat, climb into the front seat, and access his father's loaded .38-caliber revolver while his parents were out of the family van.  The boy then shot his 7-year old sister, Jenna Carlile, in the abdomen, killing her.

The father and gun owner, Derek Carlile, is now on trial.  

A police officer, Derek had thought himself "a stickler for safety" by locking his guns in a safe and "demystifying" guns to his kids by buying them toy guns, shooting BB guns with them, and teaching them how guns work.

Though locking guns is important, it is better not to have guns around children at all.  Even the best-behaved children, including his son, are naturally curious and impetuous, with fatal consequences.

From an article:

The shooting of 7-year-old Jenna Carlile was a tragedy, but also a foreseeable consequence of the Camano Island man leaving his loaded .38-caliber revolver in the van's cup holder, deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul said. 

Evidence will show the off-duty officer made a series of unsafe choices March 10 in handling the weapon and as a result placed his children at risk, Paul told jurors.

Carlile accepts fault for his role in the shooting and "it's something he wishes he could change, but he can't," Seattle defense attorney David Allen said. 

Still, he urged jurors to keep an open mind and let the evidence guide their decision.
"This was a terrible, tragic accident but it wasn't a crime," Allen said. 

Carlile has worked as a patrol officer in Marysville for about three years. Allen described him as a stickler for gun safety, and somebody who has made a habit of locking up his firearms in a 600-pound safe at his home when he isn't carrying them for his job.

In keeping with his training, the officer had taken steps to "demystify" firearms for his children, teaching them how they work as part of a strategy aimed at encouraging safety, Allen said.

Testimony will show that Carlile provided his son with toy guns and on at least one occasion helped his 3-year-old shoot a BB gun, Paul said.

The boy was fascinated with his father's firearms, and at times would try to get into the safe in an attempt to play with them, she said.

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

16-year old Washington boy injured by shooter while playing flashlight tag

A 16-year old boy was playing "flashlight tag" at night at an apartment complex in Kennewick, Washington.  For some reason, a 22-year old man pulled out a semi-auto handgun and fired at the boy, apparently unintentionally, hitting the boy in the arm.

From an article and news video:

What seems like an innocent game, flashlight tag, turned horribly wrong when a 16-year-old boy got shot. Officers were called to an accidental shooting at 10:30pm last night at the On the Boulevard apartments on West Gage Boulevard. 

Kennewick Police say that a 22-year-old man pulled out a gun during the game and accidentally shot the 16-year-old in the arm. The wound was not life threatening. 

However, in light of this incident, Kennewick Police are reminding everyone of the importance of gun safety. 

"A 16 year old was fortunate last night that that bullet didn't go a feet or a couple inches in another direction where it could've been fatal. By all means just threat all firearms as if there loaded. They're not for play," said Officer Craig Hanson, Kennewick Police Department. 

Officers recovered a semi-automatic handgun from the scene. This case has been passed on to the Benton County Prosecutor's Office to determine if any charges will be filed.

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3-year old Washington boy unintentionally injured with gun in car

A 3-year old boy was riding in a car in Sunnyside, Washington, when he was unintentionally injured by a gun.

From an article:

A 3-year-old boy was critically injured when a firearm discharged in the vehicle he was riding in Monday night, Sunnyside police say. 

He’s being treated at Harborview Medical Center for a gunshot to the head. 

The boy, who was not identified, arrived at Sunnyside Community Hospital about 9:30 p.m. Monday, according to a news release from the Sunnyside Police Department. 

Officers say they believe the gun accidently discharged when the vehicle was in the area of Yakima Valley Highway and East Edison Avenue. 

The vehicle and the gun were seized, but police did not immediately release more information about the circumstances. They said they are continuing to investigate. 

Specifics on who fired the gun were not given in the article.

17-year old Washington girl steals 21 guns from father and trades for truck

A 17-year old girl in Medical Lake, Washington, stole 21 guns, including at least one assault rifle, from her father's home and swapped it with two young men for a truck.

From an article:

"She brings an adult male, obviously somebody she knows, into her residence and takes her father's weapons. Multiple weapons from the residence," Chamberlin said. 

Detectives developed information that the guns had been delivered to 21-year-old Bradley Kelly and that the teen daughter of the victim had been promised a vehicle if she gave Kelly guns. 

They pulled over Kelly Wednesday afternoon and found a Keltec pistol in a tool box and a loaded AK-47 stashed in a sling underneath the bed of the truck. Both weapons had been stolen from the Medical Lake home on Sept. 29. 

"It's a start; we have recovered some of the weapons but like I said we still have several more we need to account for and we need to find," Chamberlin said. 

In a search for the stolen guns the Spokane County SWAT Team served search warrants at homes near the 1000 block of East Ladd Road, 300 block of East Fellows Road and the 1000 block of North Dover Road. 

The owner of the guns said he'd gladly part with all of them as long as the weapons don't end up being used against innocent people. His daughter has not been charged in the case.

According to a related article, she may have also been trying to sell some of the stolen guns to other kids.

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

Gun threat closes school for a day in Sammamish, Washington

A gun threat closed Skyline High School for a day, in Sammamish, Washington.

From an article:

Threats of violence against students prompted Skyline High School officials to cancel school on Thursday. 

In a notification released late Wednesday night, school officials said they were dealing with an "emergency situation" and asked students, staff and community members to stay away from the school on Thursday. 

The King County sheriff's office is investigating an online post claiming to be from a Skyline student. In the post, which included a photo of a gun, the student says he's going to take his father's gun to school and "open fire on the people in the commons in the morning until I am either taken down by our school's police officer, or until I run out of mags." 

The post was circulated around social media sites on Wednesday and was reported to police.
Deputies so far don't know who wrote the post or if it's a legitimate threat, according to King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West. 

In Wednesday's email to parents, the school district apologized for the late notification, but said "student and staff safety is our top concern."

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

Kids witness murder/suicide by father in Yakima, Washington

Several children were at their father's residence in Yakima, Washington, when their mother, who is divorced, arrived to pick them up.  Their parents got into an argument, then the father shot the mother.  After someone was called and came to pick up the kids, the father then fatally shot himself.  The has mother survived so far.

From an article:

The Yakima Sheriff's office says a child called authorities to report his father shooting her mother then taking his own life. 

Sgt. Mike Russell says that on Sunday evening authorities were notified of the shooting by a young girl, who said her father had shot her mother. 

Russell says that the 32-year-old father and the 36-year-old woman had been estranged. He says that when the woman arrived at the man's residence in Yakima County to pick up the children, the couple got into a fight. He says the man then shot his wife. 

The father called a relative to take the children and shot himself after they were out of the house. 

Russell says the woman survived and was taken to the hospital. Her condition was not immediately available.

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17-year old Washington girl shot and killed in home by intruder

Amber Deanna Stanley, age 17

A 17-year old girl, Amber Deanna Stanley, was asleep in her Kettering, Washington when an intruder entered the home and shot her several times, killing her, then escaped.  No suspect has been found.  No known motive has been released.

From an article:

A 17-year-old Prince George’s County honor student who aspired to attend Harvard University was killed in her bedroom after a gunman burst into her house, police said Thursday — a crime considered unthinkable to residents who remembered the girl for her ambition and intellect. 

The shooting occurred at about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday inside a split-level home on a quiet street of single-family houses in the Kettering neighborhood. Detectives are investigating a report that the gunman came through the front door, made his way into the house in the 100 block of Chartsey Street and shot Amber Deanna Stanley. 

Other family members were inside during the ordeal, but police said they fled at some point. Officials on Thursday had no suspect description and did not speculate about a motive.
Amber was a senior at Charles H. Flowers High School, where officials described her as well-liked and scholarly and said she planned to become a doctor. 

“She had the grades, SAT scores and the attitude to attend any college in this country and succeed,” Flowers High School Principal Gorman Brown said. 

Amber was among 500 students enrolled in an advanced science and technology magnet program. Her death took an especially hard toll on the 100 or so seniors in the program with whom she attended classes for the past three years, Mr. Brown said. Grief counselors were on hand Thursday, just the fourth day of the school year, to talk with students and staff.

....
Police spokesman Cpl. Larry Johnson confirmed that officers responded to Amber’s home Aug. 17 for a report of an assault. No arrests were made in that case, and no further details about the incident were immediately available. 

Police officials could not say Thursday whether the reported assault and Amber’s death might be connected. 

Residents who live on Chartsey Street were shocked at both the violence and the victim, who many said was reserved and never appeared to be involved in any trouble in the neighborhood. 

“She was a real quiet girl,” neighbor Earnestine Bates said. 

Several residents said Amber kept to herself. 

Online, Amber appeared outgoing, making daily posts to a Twitter account that broadcast snippets of her life to more than 2,000 followers. Among her recent posts were musings about boys, pictures of cupcakes she baked for the first day of school and accounts of a recent fight with her foster sibling.

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