2-year old Colorado Springs boy shoots himself with unsecured gun

A 2-year old boy in Colorado Springs, Colorado got hold of an unsecured, loaded handgun in his apartment and shot himself.  The bullet hit his arm and grazed his chest.  He is in the hospital but expected to recover and be released soon.

Three adults were in the apartment at the time, including the parents.  No charges.

From the article:

While it appears the child is okay, officers said this is another example of the importance of gun safety.

"If you do have a weapon, make sure it's unloaded, and always treat it as if it is loaded. And if they need a gun lock or a trigger, those can be easily obtained, and that's always good to have, especially if there are children in the home," Barbara Miller, spokeswoman for the Colorado Springs Police Department, said.

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

9-year old boy shot and killed by stray bullet in North Carolina

Leon Alde Halley III, age 9

9-year old Leon Alde Halley III was visiting Wallace, North Carolina with his mother when he was caught up in a drive-by shooting.  Though he was an unintended target, he was shot and killed.

A felon was arrested for the shooting.

From an article:

Nine-year-old Leon Alde Halley III and his mother, Latanya Turner Halley,  were in Wallace N.C.visiting friends for Memorial Day weekend when  the child was hit by a bullet and died. Nine on Your Side reports that Wallace police have 24-year-old Meshan Kentay MacMillian in custody. They are charging him with first degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling in a moving vehicle. Police believe that more arrests will soon be made as they believe MacMillian was not acting alone.

Wallace Police Chief Bobby Maready said, “It involves a long-running kind of feud amongst different factions, but the victim was not the intended target. We do know that. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

According to a related news video, Leon's family had just driven down from Yonkers, New York, and had only been in the home for a few hours.  Leon was shot while his mother was nearby, making cupcakes.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

16-year old Ohio boy shoots mother and flees

Shooter Michael Mason, age 16

16-year old Michael Mason somehow acquired a .22-caliber pistol and shot his mother once in the back, then fled his Willard, Ohio, home.  Police eventually caught up to him and arrested him after a manhunt and a lockdown of area schools.  The mother was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition.

The boy was being homeschooled after having been kicked out of school for threatening students, and had recently tried to steal his mother's car.

From the article with 911 call and police interview video:

Last year, Michael was kicked out of school for threatening other students, Danhoff said. 

He didn’t return to school, opting instead for homeschooling.

Danhoff remembered the teen as “quiet” and “laid back.” During the expulsion hearings, Michael showed remorse for his actions and tried to explain why he did what he did, Danhoff said. 

“He said he was frustrated with his friends,” Danhoff said. “He said when he got frustrated he got angry, and said some things he really didn’t really mean.”

“Actually, he handled himself pretty well,” Danhoff said. 

Wednesday afternoon, students in the Willlard High School parking lot said much of the same. 

“He was always kind of quiet,” student Moses Lopez said. “He wrote poems to girls. I didn’t see the violence in him.”

The article says the gun was stolen, but does not indicate where it was stolen from.

Related article and video of the boy being escorted by law enforcement, and about him possibly being tried as an adult.

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

5-year old girl killed, 10-year old boy injured, and three others shot, one fatally, in New Orleans mass shooting

Briana Allen, age 5

A 10-year old boy was having a birthday party in New Orleans.  That's when three gunmen opened fire on the partiers.  A 5-year old girl, Briana Allen, was killed.  A 10-year old boy was shot in the face and leg, but survived.  A mother of three young children was shot and killed.  And two adult men were wounded.

One of the gunmen, 18-year old Leo Riles, turned himself in.

From the article:

Riles is accused of opening fire along with two other gunmen on a small crowd that had gathered for a 10-year-old boy’s birthday party just before 6pm last night in the 1200-block of Simon Bolivar Avenue. A 5-year-old girl was killed, as well as 33-year-old Shawanda Pierce, who was in her car about a block away from the party. A stray bullet went through Pierce’s windshield, and struck her in the face. She died a short time later at a nearby hospital.

The 10-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet on his face, and was also shot in the leg. He was treated and released from a hospital earlier today. 2 men, who were also wounded in the incident, were released from the hospital last night.

Two men, who were at the party but were not injured, appear to have been the intended target.  They are apparently uncooperative with police.

UPDATE (6/7/12):  A follow-up article and video regarding the funeral for the 5-year old victim, Briana Allen.

13-year old Baton Rouge boy shoots 9-year old sister in face

A 13-year old boy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, stole an unsecured gun from his mother's home and took it to his father's home.  At 3:30 AM, he was playing with the gun when it discharged, shooting his 9-year old sister in the face.  The girl was rushed to the hospital and is in critical condition.  The father had been gone at work while the children's stepmother watched over them.

The boy's mother didn't know her gun was missing.

The boy is being charged with two felony counts.

From an article and news video:

Police say the boy took a gun from his mother's home without her knowledge and brought it to his father's house in the 4700 block of Bank Street in the Brookstown area.  An area known for crime, where seeing police tape is not new for people who live there.  However, this shooting has several neighbors talking.

The father left for work and left the children in the care of their step-mother.

According to police, around 3:30 a.m. the step-mother was sleeping when the boy started playing with the gun. The gun fired and the bullet struck his step-sister in the head.

"Feel bad for the mama cause that's her baby.  And then got hurt by another baby," said the woman who spoke with us.  "I just get full thinking about it.  A lot of sleepless nights she have to deal with."

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

13-year old boy shot and killed by Chicago gang member at Pizzeria

Ivan Alanis, age 13

A 13-year old boy, Ivan Alanis, was entering a Chicago pizzeria with with his older sister and one of her friends when they encountered 22-year old gang member, Andre Alejandro, who "shouted gang slogans" and argued with them.  He then pulled a gun and shot Ivan in the mouth.  Ivan later died from his wound.

From an article:

Ivan, his older sister and her friend walked into the pizzeria about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, as Alejandro and his friend were leaving, authorities said. Alejandro, of the 1400 block of West Chase Avenue, is an admitted member of the Gangster Disciples street gang and believed Alanis’ group to be members of a rival gang.

After Alejandro “exchanged words” with someone in the boy’s group, he pulled out a handgun and fired three times, striking Ivan in the mouth, Assistant State’s Attorney Angela Carlisle said. Ivan, of the 7400 block of North Western Avenue, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

No one in Ivan’s group was armed, Carlisle said.

Alejandro, of the 1400 block of West Chase Avenue, fled after the shooting but was arrested about four hours later, Carlisle said. Surveillance footage captured him firing the shots, and numerous eyewitnesses identified him as the gunman. He also admitted to police he’d fired at least twice, then stashed the gun in a gangway, according to the prosecutor.

In addition to the 2008 conviction for the gang-related attack, Alejandro has a 2007 felony conviction for narcotics possession and numerous misdemeanor convictions on his record, Carlisle said.

Prosecutors did not say whether anyone in Ivan’s group was a gang member.

From a related article:

Ivan’s family was not in court but the boy’s sister-in-law told the Sun-Times Tuesday that he was an 8th grader at Armstrong Elementary School and had eight siblings.

“He was a nice boy, he was just a really nice boy,” Jennifer Montes said. “He was into soccer. He was so young to die. He was the baby” of the family.

.

4-year old boy finds gun in Georgia home and shoots himself in the head, survives

A 4-year old boy found an unsecured, loaded gun in his Ellenwood, Georgia home.  He then unintentionally shot himself in the head.  He was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive.

From the article:

“Detectives believe the child gained access to a bedroom and located a gun in a box,” police spokeswoman Ms. Mekka Parish said. “While the child was handling the gun it discharged.”
The child suffered a grazed wound to the head, she said.

“At this point in the investigation, no charges are pending,” Ms. Parish said. 

Investigators did not provide any details on who owned the gun and where in the room it was stored. It was also unclear who else was at the home at the time of the shooting.

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