Pre-school aged child finds bodies of mom and a man in home

A very young Minnesota child found the bodies of his mother and a man shot dead in his house. From the article:

The child of preschool age went to a neighbor and said his mother was not moving, said Police Chief Steve Smith.

Officers arrived at the home about 9:25 a.m. and discovered the bodies "in close proximity to each other," Smith said. A gun was recovered at the scene, the chief added.

Smith said that "at this time there is no one specifically that we're looking at" as a suspect.

"We're not quite sure what we have," he added, when asked whether this could be a case of murder-suicide. "We're hoping to know more later."

Little children shouldn't have to discover the dead bodies of their mothers in their houses.

16-year old Philly boy shot and killed in city park/playground

16-year old Darius Person was sitting on a park bench when one or two people came up and shot him point-blank in the chest with a .22 caliber handgun.  Darius died from his wound.

Around the bench was a park and playground crowded with people, including children at play.  One witness may even have been on the bench with him.

Witnesses have been interviewed.  Suspects have not yet been caught.  The motive is currently not known.

From an article:

Cops said about six people were at the park when the shots rang out. Two witnesses were taken to speak with officials in the Homicide Unit. 

"This was an active playground" said Chief Inspector Scott Small. "There were kids here playing on the playground when the shooting occured." 

One of the witnesses may have been sitting with the victim on the bench at the time of the shooting, police said, adding that a private surveillance camera at a nearby business may have recorded the incident. 

The shooter's motive was unclear Thursday night, and two suspects were seen running east through the playground toward St. Luke Street immediately after the shooting, police said. 

Officials were working to form a detailed description of the shooters Thursday night. 

The victim's relatives sat on park benches while police combed the scene for evidence around 11:30 p.m. Their moans were nearly drowned out by the sound of traffic rumbling along the nearby Roosevelt Expressway overpass.

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17-year old Kentucky boy shot and killed on city bus

Rico Robinson, Jr. age 17

In July, 17-year old Rico Robinson, Jr., was riding on the TARC city bus in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 23 when two young men boarded and shot him dead.  

A motive has not been released.  The suspects are in custody: Martin Keehn, 21, and Jeffrey Kingdon, 22.

A video of the shooting has just been released.

From an article:

Rico Robinson was just 17-years-old when he was shot in the head on a TARC bus last month. Instead of being angry, one of his closest friends has decided to try to do something small in hopes of making a big difference. 

It was on Facebook where Lynn Gullion learned of Robinson's death. "I just couldn't believe, it was just really hard for me to take, to understand," said Gullion. 

The two knew each other for nearly ten years, growing up in the Newburg Boys and Girls club. On July 23, Robinson's life was cut short after police said Martin Keehn, 21, and Jeffrey Kingdon, 22, got on the TARC bus at the intersection of Goldsmith Lane and Bardstown Road. Robinson was shot and the two suspects took off.  

"I wish things like this wouldn't happen," said Gullion. "I wish that we could just talk it out or find other ways to solve our problems instead of killing one another." 

It wasn't until two weeks later, Keehn and Kingdon were taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Indianapolis. 

"I was really excited, I was glad that they got caught, but at the same time, that's not going to bring Rico back," said Gullion.  

So instead, the Northern Kentucky University student has decided to launch "Team Rico", a new initiative she hopes will raise awareness among her peers. 

"We're going to do different activities to redirect the violence," said Gullion.

Now on the same social network that brought her the devastating news, she plans to bring a message of hope, knowing that one person can make a difference. 

"I feel like if we don't get it together now than my generation is going to be gone," said Gullion. 

Gullion hopes to kick off "Team Rico" on his birthday in December. 

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2-year old Utah boy gets Police father's gun and shoots self to death

A 2-year old boy in Springville, Utah, got hold of his father's gun in the home and shot himself to death.

The father is an active police officer.

From an article and news video:

"I'm not quite sure whether it was the service weapon or not, but the child got a hold of the handgun and shot himself with it," said Tim Taylor, chief deputy with the Utah County Attorney's Office.

Paramedics were called to the home, but it was too late to help the boy, whose name investigators declined to release. Taylor says investigators will look for any negligence involved, but at this point are calling the shooting an accident.

From what I have looked at right now, we're not looking at any charges.

–Tim Taylor

"From what I have looked at right now, we're not looking at any charges," Taylor said. "It's more of investigating a tragic accident."

The tragedy is impacting those who know the officer and his family.

"Our hearts and our prayers go out to this family," Taylor said. "Tough, tough situation and we are so sorry for them, but I think there is a lot of people rallying to support them."

No charges will be filed, according to the report.

Don't you think a police officer, of all people, should be held to a higher standard regarding gun safety?  Having an unsecured, loaded gun in the home isn't a "tragic accident," it's gross negligence and a deadly risk.

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

8th-grade Baltimore boy brought grandfather's gun to school

An 8th-grade boy found his grandfather's unsecured handgun and brought it to school with him.  School officials were able to get the gun away from him.

The grandfather is being charged for violating Maryland's child access protection law, which requires safe storage of firearms around children.

From an article:

In an article posted August 31 on Baltimore County NOW at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/news , Johnson wrote, “Regardless of our opinions about guns and gun control, we ought to be able to agree on this: The consequences of not securing firearms in the home can be disastrous.”

At the press briefing today, Johnson displayed several guns of the type that the Stemmers Run student took to class – all smaller than a cell phone. He also displayed the simple, inexpensive locking mechanisms that gun owners can use to prevent guns from being used improperly.

“The teachable moment here is, ‘Lock your weapons up,’” Johnson said.

Students and teachers say the incident happened during class change and was a result of a fight between a few students that happened on Monday. Students at the school say there was a fight Tuesday morning in a hallway that may have been related to that previous incident, and word was that someone had a gun.

As a result, Stemmers Run Middle School was placed on lockdown and the Baltimore County Police Department was called to the scene. Officials say no one was injured.

A female teacher reportedly saw the eighth-grade student with the gun and wrestled it out of the student's hands.

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

San Pedro high school student injured on campus by stray bullet

A female high school student was injured last May when a stray bullet hit her while on the campus of her school, in San Pedro, California, when two people were in a shootout across the street.

From an article:

Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Monica Carazo says two people exchanged gunfire Wednesday afternoon across the street from San Pedro High School. 

A stray bullet struck a wall on campus and grazed the leg of a female student. Carazo says the student was treated at a hospital for a minor injury. 

Carazo says police have detained a person of interest and are interviewing witnesses. 

Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Richard French says officers are searching for at least one suspect who fled the area. 

The school was briefly locked down and students were later dismissed on a staggered schedule.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

3-year old Tennessee boy gets mother's gun and shoots self

A mother in Clarksville, Tennessee, put her loaded, unsecured gun down on her couch and turned her back, working on a computer.  She thought her 3-year old was in another room.  She was wrong.  The boy found the gun and shot himself in the abdomen.  He is now in critical condition.

The woman has a current conceal carry permit.

From an article:

When officers arrived, they found a 22-year-old woman outside holding her child and administering first aid.

The child had sustained a gunshot wound to his lower abdomen area. EMS arrived, and the child was taken by Lifeflight helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville in critical but stable condition.

Detective Ronald Parrish investigated, and, based on preliminary information, determined that the 22-year-old woman, who has a handgun carry permit, took off her Kel Tec .380 handgun and left it unattended on a couch, Knoll said.

Her son was eating at a table in a different area of the apartment. The woman sat down with her back to the couch and was working on the computer when she heard the gunshot.

She looked to see if there was a hole in the ceiling and then saw her son crying and holding his abdomen, Knoll said.

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