12 Year old Chicago girl shot in series of shootings over the week-end

Chicago had a bad week-end for shootings. There were 10 in all. A 12 year old girl was injured in one of the incidents.

Ten people were shot between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning on the city's South and West Sides, including a man who died this morning after being shot on the Lower West Side and a 12-year-old girl who survived a gunshot wound on the West Side Saturday night.

The girl was standing on a sidewalk in the 500 block of North Springfield Avenue in East Garfield Park about 10:30 p.m. Saturday when she was shot in the left foot, police said. It's not clear exactly what the circumstances were that led up to the shooting, police said. She's in good condition at Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.

The girl's family didn't cooperate with the investigation, according to police.

The rest of the article goes on to explain more about the rest of the shootings. Children should be able to stand on a city street without being shot in the foot.

17-year old Tennessee boy unintentionally shoots sister while "joking" with it

A 17-year old boy in Collierville, Tennessee had been given a 9mm Luger handgun by his mother to "mess with", according to the boy.  He apparently was joking around with the gun, thinking it was unloaded because the clip had been removed, not realizing there was still a round in the chamber, when he discharged it, sending a bullet into his 15-year old sister's back, striking a lung and a rib, while she was on the couch with her boyfriend.

The mother had purchased the gun for self-defense after a break-in.

From the article:

The incident occurred Saturday on Fabert Cove in Halle Plantation in Collierville. Police said the teenager was holding Ward's 9 mm Luger when the gun discharged. His sister, who was lying on the couch near her boyfriend, was shot in the back. The bullet struck her lung and a rib. She was airlifted to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis.

She was listed in satisfactory condition and moved to a room Wednesday, according to Leslie Ballin, who is representing Ward.
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Ward recently bought the gun after an attempted break-in at their home. She didn't think the police department responded fast enough, Ballin said. Police records don't show a report filed for that incident.

Ballin disputes the police report that said Ward told them she gave her pistol to her son "to play with" and to make sure the magazine was fully loaded.

The son told officers his mother gave him the gun to "mess with." He removed the magazine and believed the gun was cleared before it discharged, police records show.

The girl's boyfriend told officers that her brother was playing with the gun and "jokingly pointed the gun in their direction" when it discharged.

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

17-year old Alabama boy and two teens 18 and 19 rob club with AK-47 and handguns

17-year old robber Marquis Baker

It was a typical night at the Galaxy Social Club in Prichard, Alabama, when three young men, armed with an AK-47 and two 9mm handguns, stormed the club.  One was a 17-year old boy, Marquis Baker.  The other two young men were age 18, Maurice Baker, and 19, Demarcus Campbell.  They got everyone in the club down on the ground and robbed them of their possessions, and were about to get into the club office, when police arrived.  Luckily, the store owner was watching surveillance video from home and saw the young men suiting up and entering the club, so he called 911.  The two older guys were caught in the club.  Maurice was captured after a foot chase.

From an article:

A woman who didn't want to be identified recalled what happened when the teens stormed in.

"He told me to get down. And I got down, and he said, if you move, I'm going to blow your brains out."

The robbers were wearing masks, and were armed with pistols and an AK47.

"You think about the AK, and then it had a 30 round clip in it and the damage or deaths that could have resulted in that weapon alone," said Prichard Police Chief Jimmie Gardner. "It looks to be a well planned situation to a degree, and I think much of this is from watching TV. Note that each individual wore masks. They were heavily armed. They went in with a plan to put everyone down, every individual who was in the club was actually put on the floor. They went through their pockets, took their cell phone, any money or any other thing of value that they had on them."

Before all of that, the owner, Bill Goodwin, said he was watching the surveillance cameras from his home when he spotted the teens suiting up.

"I just happened to be watching the monitor and saw three individuals and they were putting masks on as they were entering the door, and I saw one of them had a pistol, seemed like a 9MM," said Goodwin.

Luckily, no one was injured.

A related article.

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

16-year old Philly boy shot and killed in drive-by

A 16-year old boy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was with a couple other boys standing outside a store when a car pulled up and an occupant opened fire on the boys.  The 16-year old was shot four times, including twice in the head, and died from the wounds.  Police think it may have been a case of mistaken identity.

From the article:

Events began, police say, when a group of four teens, including the victim, were in the neighborhood visiting one of their aunts. They were asked to go to Koury’s for some food. The victim went inside while three others waited outside on the corner, police said.

When the victim walked out of the store, a Pontiac — which police said may have been black or green — pulled up to the corner. The passenger rolled his window down and fired two shots at the teens, hitting a wall. The shooter paused and then fired three more shots at the group, said Lt. John Walker of the Southwest Detective Division.

Bystanders rushed inside seeking refuge while neighbors called police.

The boy was shot twice in the head, once in the left side of his chest and once in his left arm, police said. A neighbor said she called the police and heard someone outside screaming, “Please save my brother!”

Police said the shooting may have been a case of a mistaken identity, and that the teens involved were not from the neighborhood and were not known to police.

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Nebraska man shot during confrontation with teens in Omaha

Dallas Waters, age 30, was driving through Omaha, Nebraska, when he witnessed two teen boys pushing a girl.  He intervened to stop it, when one of the boys pulled out a gun and shot him, injuring him.  A second bullet hit a neighboring middle school. 

The boys escaped.  The school, and two others in the area, were on lockdown temporarily while the search proceeded.

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

14-year old California boy shoots and kills father, an Immigrations Officer

Myron W. Chisem, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, was in his Los Angeles home at night when a bullet came through the window from outside, striking and killing him.  It was shot by his 14-year old son using the officer's service handgun.  By all accounts, there hadn't been any problems between the two prior to that point.

From the article:

 The 14-year-old was doing well in school, loved playing video games, and even visited the library with Chisem every so often, said Shawn Butler, Chisem's friend.

"In his eyes, everything was peachy, lovely," Butler said.

But late Wednesday, authorities said, the 14-year-old fatally shot his 42-year-old father, striking him once in the head from their Carson backyard as Chisem sat in the family room. The son called 911, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials said, and deputies found Chisem's ICE-issued handgun in the frontyard. About eight hours later, the teen was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder.

"This was a domestic violence incident," Lt. Holly Francisco said. Authorities did not identify Chisem's son and said the motive was unclear.

Butler, 41, met Chisem in naval training in 1991 and served with him as a member of ICE. He said there "was never any indication" of trouble between Chisem and his son. He said the boy had moved in with his father less than a year ago after a family agreement.

"They had a great relationship," Butler said. "He was very proud of his son. He loved him very much.... All the time I had been around them I had never seen any kind of issues of tension between them."

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

16-year old Idaho boy shoots self in neck with friend's gun

A 16-year old boy, Andy Stroebel, had gone shooting with an adult friend in Fruitland, Idaho.  They went back to the friend's place to clean the guns, then the friend left to get a movie, leaving the boy with the guns, though the boy's mother was in the home at the time as well.  The boy then wound up shooting himself in the neck with one of the guns.  He is now in surgery in Portland, Oregon.


From the article:

Huff said Stroebel and an adult friend went shooting earlier in the day and were back at Stroebel’s house looking at his friends handgun. Huff said there were several unloaded guns in the house at the time, and the two had been cleaning them.

Huff said Stroebel’s friend left the area to get a movie, and the friend had taken the ammunition out of the gun, but at some point Stroebel put the ammunition back in.

“For some reason, he (Stroebel) put it up against his neck area and pulled the trigger,” Huff said. “The gun discharged and a round went through his neck.”

Stroebel’s mother was in the other room at the time the shot was fired. Stroebel was taken via Air Ambulance to a Boise-area hospital and then was flown to a Portland-area hospital.

Huff said the evidence indicates this was an accidental shooting.

Stroebel is a student at Fruitland High School.

Huff also wants to remind people with handguns or who may be around firearms that everybody needs to be trained and familiar with those guns.

“Treat them as if they are loaded,” Huff said.

Training is good, but keeping guns out of the hands of children is better.

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