Ohio toddler injured in shooting

An Ohio toddler has been injured in a shooting that took the life of her mother.

Photo from http://www.newsnet5.com/

From the article:

"A toddler injured in a shooting that left her 22-year-old pregnant mother dead in Brown County is "improving," the child's father said Friday.

Brittany Stykes, of Ripley, was found shot to death Wednesday evening inside a car that crashed along a stretch of U.S. Route 68.

Stykes was found inside her Jeep about a half-mile from the intersection of U.S. Route 68 and Gooselick Road before 8 p.m. She was with her 14-month-old daughter, Aubree, who received a head wound.

Shane Stykes, Aubree's father, was laying in bed with his daughter inside Cincinnati Children's Hospital Friday and told NewsChannel5’s sister station WCPO that the toddler is breathing on her own.

"I'd say she's going to be here for a while," Shane Stykes said.

Stykes and Aubree were found by Craig Labell, who pulled over and called 911 when he saw their vehicle. He initially thought Stykes had simply driven her SUV off the road and into a wooded area between Georgetown and Ripley.

"There's a Jeep off the road in the woods. Looks like somebody drove off the road into the woods and they're passed out at the wheel. Looks a like a girl, female in her 20s or 30s," he told a Brown County dispatcher.

Law enforcement officials responded to the call expecting to investigate a single-vehicle accident. But once at the scene they found Stykes slouched over the steering wheel with multiple gunshot wounds.

She had been shot at least once in the head, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Stykes was four months pregnant.

Brown County authorities said multiple bullets had been fired through the driver's side of the vehicle and passed through the passenger side.

Labell also found Aubree inside the vehicle. She was covered in blood and crying, he told the 911 operator.

"There's a baby in the car seat…The baby is bloody, but conscious,” he told the dispatcher before turning his attention back to Stykes. “I'm trying to see if the mother's breathing."

Investigators said Aubree was at least grazed by one of the bullets that contributed to the death of her mother. They said the bullet passed through Stykes, hit the driver's headrest and struck the infant in the head.

The child, who was conscious and crying at the scene, was initially transported to Southwest Regional Medical Center in Georgetown, Ohio to be treated."

8 year old Louisiana boy kills 90 year old caregiver

This case is almost too tragic. An 8 year old boy apparently intentionally shot his 90 year old caregiver:

Louisiana law enforcement officials say an 8-year-old boy intentionally shot and killed his elderly caregiver Thursday evening after playing the video game "Grand Theft Auto."

According to WAFB-TV, the shooting, which the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office has called a homicide, took place in a mobile home park near Slaughter, La. The woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was reportedly found with a gunshot wound to the head. It is believed that the 8-year-old shot her while she was in the living room watching television.

"Although a motive for the shooting is unknown at this time, investigators have learned that the juvenile suspect was playing a video game on the Play Station III "Grand Theft Auto IV", a realistic game that has been associated with encouraging violence and awards points to players for killing people, just minutes before the homicide occurred," a statement issued by the Sheriff's Office said.

As Fox News notes, "Grand Theft Auto" is rated "M" for mature audiences and recommended for teens and adults aged 17 and older.

The woman, who has been identified as Marie Smothers, has been described as the "current caregiver" of the boy. It is, however, still unclear what her relationship was with the child. There is also conflicting information as to Smothers' age, with some news outlets identifying her as an 87-year-old woman and others indicating that she was 90.

The boy, whose identity has not been made known, has reportedly been released into the custody of his parents. According to the Advocate, the boy will likely not be charged with the crime because of his age, as dictated by Louisiana law.

Though the 8-year-old initially told investigators that the shooting was an accident, police say they believe the boy intentionally shot Smothers. But Law enforcement officials also said the child is believed to have had a "normal, loving, relationship" with the victim.

The gun used in the shooting is thought to have belonged to Smothers, according to the Advocate.

Experts have long debated -- and are still divided on -- the matter of whether or not violent video games, TV shows and movies trigger aggressive behavior in young people.

In April, a study published in the journal Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice claimed to show a link between violent video games and youth violence. That same month, however, an associate professor at Villanova University wrote that research had not found a "clear link between playing violent video games and real world violence."

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

3 year old New York City child injured by bullet in his apartment

A 3 year old was shot in a New York City apartment building:

A 3-year-old boy was shot in the head in his Brooklyn apartment early Saturday, the police said. A man, 22, who was in the apartment at the time was being questioned by detectives on Saturday evening, the police said.

A police officer stood outside an apartment where a 3-year-old boy was shot in Brooklyn.

The boy, whose name was not released, was in critical but stable condition at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital. His mother was not home at the time, and he had been under the care of a female baby sitter, according to the police.

The shooting occurred around 3:30 a.m. at 520 East 21st Street in Ditmas Park. The bullet entered the left side of the boy’s head and exited through the back.

Investigators were still trying to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting, and no arrests had been made by Saturday afternoon.

“It must have been an accident,” said Devon Reyes, 35, a friend of the man in the apartment.

Residents of the building identified the mother as Nichelle Edwards. Sean Gomez, 50, a neighbor and friend of the family, said the boy had been mauled by a pit bull this summer; family friends said he was still recovering from his injuries when he was shot.

“That 3-year-old suffered more than any adult suffers in his whole life,” a family friend who declined to give his name said.

In 2006, Ms. Edwards was herself wounded in the hand and briefly hospitalized in a shooting at the building that killed a 34-year-old man.

Neighbors said the boy was playful and energetic. He was often seen in front of the building, yelling and running around with other children from the block.

“He talks to everybody,” said Shenice Toussaint, 22, a building resident. “It’s sad. I pray for the mother. It’s mind-boggling.”

Family friends described a small boy who had lived a difficult life.

“He was mauled by a dog, born premature and then shot in the head,” Mr. Gomez said.

Mr. Reyes said the boy “doesn’t deserve all that’s come to him.”

Indiana man and baby shot at in their car by another motorist

A man was driving in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with his baby in the back seat when another car pulled alongside, with three men in it.  The men opened fire on the man's car, hitting it just a foot away from the baby.  

Luckily, no one was injured.  The shooters were eventually captured.

From an article:

The driver told a NewsChannel 15 photographer that he was sitting in his car with his baby when another car pulled up and someone inside opened fire. The man and his child did not appear to be injured. According to NewsChannel 15 crew on the scene, the baby appeared to be three to six months old. 

"They hit the side that my son was on and the bullet was like about a foot from hitting his door," the driver said. 

It is not completely clear where the actual shooting took place, but the man who said he was shot at as he was turning onto Colonial Avenue off of Anthony Blvd.  

"After the shots were fires, I tried to ram their car and tried to get away from the scene," the driver said. 

Police told WANE they saw the suspects' car in the area shortly after they responded to the shooting. A short pursuit ensued and police chased the suspects to the Twin Oaks apartment complex where the suspects' car crashed into a carport. 

Police said three people ran out of the car. All of them have been arrested.

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5-year old student brings loaded gun to Tennessee school and unintentionally fires it

A 5-year old child brought a loaded handgun to school in their backpack, in Memphis, Tennessee, taken from home, when the gun discharged.

Luckily, no one was injured.  The gun was secured by school staff.

From an article:

Memphis, Tennessee Police have confirmed that a 5-year old fired a gun in the school cafeteria just after 8:00 a.m. on Thursday morning and is in police custody. The gun, according to officials, was in the child’s backpack and discharged. 

No injuries were reported. But the police have the little kid in custody, so Memphis is safe from another gun happy thug. Why the parents aren’t in custody is yet to be determined.

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

Georgia grandfather shoots his own 2 year old grandson

There has been a tragic situation in Georgia where a grandfather shot his own young grandson in an argument with the man's son:

A 2-year-old boy was shot and killed Tuesday night, allegedly by his grandfather during an argument, Gwinnett County police said.

Deandre Vega, who would have turned 3 in a few weeks, was on the driveway of his Lilburn-area home when he was shot shortly before 10 p.m., Cpl. Jake Smith said. The alleged shooter, Luis Efrain Torres, remained at the scene and was taken into custody when officers arrived, Smith said. Officers located the gun allegedly used in the shooting.

Just after 2 a.m. Wednesday, Torres was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail, charged with murder and aggravated assault. Torres was being held without bond early Wednesday.

Investigators believe a dispute between Torres and the boy’s father, Rochell McCoy, escalated to gunfire outside a home in the 5200 block of Stafford Drive, near Indian Trail Road.

“At this time, we don’t think he intended to actually shoot that child,” Smith said. “But we do believe he was trying to shoot someone else that was here.”

Neighbors called 911 after hearing gunshots, and officers arrived to find the injured child on the driveway of the home. The boy was transported by ambulance to the hospital, but did not survive, Smith said. No other injuries were reported.

3 1/2 year old Michigan boy shoots himself with gun found in home

Another 3 year old toddler is dead in Michigan because of a gun found laying around in the home:

Police in southeastern Michigan say a 3½-year-old boy picked up a gun that a man left on a closet floor and fatally shot himself.

Dundee police Sgt. Tom Redmond says gun belonged to a man who was staying with Damon Holbrook's family.

Thirty-year-old Joshua M. Greenhill was arraigned Monday in Monroe County District Court on a charge of careless discharge of a firearm.

The shooting happened Sunday at the home, which is in Monroe County about 50 miles southwest of Detroit. Damon's father and others were home at the time.

Redmond says Greenhill was negligent by leaving the loaded gun where a child could find it.

The sergeant says Greenhill had a concealed weapon license.

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