11-year old Florida boy unintentionally shot by 4 year old boy

A number of children were in a Lake City, Florida home when a 2-year old and a 4-year old got hold of a loaded, unsecured gun.  An 11-year old boy, Jarvan Jackson, tried to get the gun away from them, but the 4-year old discharged the gun, hitting Jarvan in the neck and killing him.

A man, unrelated to the victim and shooter, but related to some of the other kids in the home, was present at the time.

From an article and news video:

According to neighbors interviewed by Action News, there were six children and at least one adult in the apartment at the time of the shooting on Sunday. 

The victim's grandmother told First Coast News that the four-year-old and a two-year-old were playing with the gun and Jackson was trying to get it away from them when he was accidentally shot in the neck. 

"The children were covered in blood," the 911 caller told Action News. "I went inside the house because I heard all the kids screaming and the little boy was laying on his back, covered up." 

DCF's John Harrell told HuffPost Miami that the four-year-old sustained an injury during the shooting but it was not life threatening. 

Lake City Police have ruled the shooting an accident and are investigating how the four-year-old got access to gun, reports the Gainesville Sun.

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

Colorado high schooler shot in leg by school staffer with gun, on school grounds

A boy was getting a ride from a school staffer, at Rangeview High School in Aurora, Colorado, in the school parking lot.  The staffer, who could legally bring the gun onto school grounds, since he has a side job as a security guard elsewhere, had a gun with him and was trying to put it into his glove box when he unintentionally fired it, hitting the student in the leg.

No charges will be filed.

From an article:

Police spokesman Ofc. Frank Fania says a staff worker at the school accidentally shot the student in the leg in the staff worker’s car. The student was getting a ride home. 

The gun accidentally fired while the shooter was putting it away in the glove box of his vehicle.
Fania says the staff worker has a second job as an armed security officer, so it’s legal for him to have the gun. He is not a teacher at the school and his job as a security guard is not associated with Aurora Public Schools. 

The worker drove the victim to Aurora Medical Center South for treatment. The victim is expected to recover. 

Police do not plan to file any charges against the shooter, since it was legal for him to have the gun. 

Fania says it will be up to the school district to decide whether he violated any school rules.

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13 month old Tennessee baby shot when father's gun discharged accidentally

There seem to be a lot of these sorts of incidents of late. A 13 month old was shot and injured when her father was taking his gun apart and it discharged:

A 13-month-old child remains hospitalized, and her father is behind bars after police said the girl was shot in the chest.

The incident happened Sunday shortly after 11 p.m. at the East Gate Apartment Complex.  Tullahoma police responded to unit H8 to find the baby shot in the chest.

Police reported the child's father, 26-year-old Kevin Sayre, was taking apart a handgun inside the apartment, when a 9mm round was discharged, striking the victim in the chest.

The child was initially transported to Harton Regional Medical Center ER, but was later flown to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. 

The child remains in stable, but critical condition. Family members said they believe she will make a full recovery.

Tullahoma Police Chief Paul Blackwell said police see this type of incident far too often.  He said owners need to be very careful when cleaning or handling their guns.

Some good advice was delivered by the Police Chief.

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.

6-year old Texas boy gets loaded gun and shoots himself

A 6-year old boy was visiting the home of a relative in Amarillo, Texas, when he found a loaded, unlocked gun that had been hidden and shot himself in the stomach.  The boy was in critical condition, but now is stable, and luckily will live.

From an article:

As of right now, his condition is stable. The homeowner told police the gun had been hidden. And family members who were present say they did not see the shooting take place. 

Mark Carty lives in the same block where this incident happened. He says, "I'm a bit surprised we don't normally have anything unusual happen in this neighborhood. It's normally quiet. Parents seem to watch their children pretty closely in the neighborhood. We see them out in the yards and riding their bicycles." 

Police say incidents like this occur every two to three years in Amarillo, and sometimes are fatal. Corporal Jerry Neufeld says, "This is a chance for the public to take this as a lesson learned. And think okay, 'Where are my firearms in the house? How are they secured? Do I have gun locks on them? Do I have them in a safe? Are they loaded?' 

Things like that. Things that they need to look at. And even a weapon not being loaded isn't always a guarantee that a child can't slide a magazine." 

Officers say the homeowner could face a possible charge of Making a Firearm Accessible to a Child. They'll present the case to the Randall County District Attorney in about two weeks.

Always ASK about guns where you children visit.

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

13 year old New Jersey boy killed, and family held hostage by deranged man in New Jersey

38-year old Gerald "Skip" Murphy went nuts, shot a 13-year old boy to death, and then held his family hostage in his Trenton, New Jersey home, threatening to shoot them to death and saying he had explosives.  

He had also killed a woman in the house, Murphy's girlfriend, 44-year-old Carmelita Stevens.

Held hostage in the home were Stevens' three children, an 18-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, as well as a man who was locked in the basement.

A SWAT Team raided the home after a 37-hour long standoff and shot Murphy, who later died.

From an article:

Police officers went to the South Trenton home Friday afternoon after reports that some of the children hadn't been to school in 12 days, authorities said Sunday at a news conference. Officers entered the home through a rear door and smelled an odor consistent with that of a decomposing body, Trenton Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr. said. 

They found 38-year-old Gerald "Skip" Murphy in an upstairs bedroom, and he told them he was armed with a gun and explosives and had three children with him, Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. said. Officers retreated from the second floor and rescued a 19-year-old man from the basement, who said he hadn't seen his mother or siblings since about April 24. 

A SWAT team was called in, and an arson bomb unit also appeared on the scene. Police said Murphy could be seen from a window holding a black handgun. 

Police remained in contact with Murphy throughout the 37-hour-long standoff and passed food into the home through an upstairs window, state police Col. Rick Fuentes said. Murphy kept the captives with him inside the roughly 10-foot-by-11-foot bedroom throughout the standoff, authorities said. 

Officers stormed the home at around 3:45 a.m. Sunday after noting Murphy's "deteriorating state of mind" and deciding it was necessary to enter to help ensure the captives survived, Fuentes said. An officer shot Murphy because he was threatening one of the children, he said. 

Murphy was taken to a hospital and later died of his injuries. No law enforcement personnel were injured during the standoff or the confrontation with Murphy. 

"This was a very complex matter, considering the space (where the hostages were) and that three children were involved," Fuentes said when asked about the standoff and its resolution. "Our mission over those 37 hours was to save innocent lives." 

Authorities found the bodies of 44-year-old Carmelita Stevens and her teenage son in separate bedrooms. The woman's body was in an advanced state of decomposition, and police said she appeared to have died two weeks ago. 

Three of her children — an 18-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy — were rescued and taken to a medical center for evaluation and treatment. Murphy had abused and assaulted the captives, Bocchini said.   .... 

Murphy had a long criminal history including convictions for aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy, Bocchini said. He had previously been arrested for robbery and weapons offenses and child endangerment. He also had an arrest warrant in Pennsylvania for failing to register as a sex offender.

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5 year old Texas boy shot in head by 8 year old

And yet another child with access to a gun shot himself today in Texas. From an article:

A five-year-old boy in Denton, Texas was left in critical condition after he was shot in the head by his eight-year-old friend Saturday morning. According to the Denton Record-Chronicle, the police said the two boys were alone in the bedroom when the older child found a .22 caliber rifle, pointed it at the other boy, and shot him.

Police said they are investigating the incident as an accident. The family of the victim said two adults, one teenager, and two other children were in the home with the two boys when the incident occurred at about 11:30 AM. 

After he was shot, the five-year-old boy was taken to a local medical facility. He was then flown to a hospital in Dallas where, as of Saturday evening, he remained in critical condition.

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