Alabama man accidentally shoots 6 year old son

A 6 year old Alabama boy was injured when his father accidentally shot him in the face:

According to Huntsville Police Department, the victim's father accidentally shot the child while he was trying to unload his pistol.

The child was hit above his left collarbone.

Medical personnel attended to the child's injuries and determined they were not life-threatening.

10-year old Alabama boy unintentionally shot in the head and killed by another boy

Three boys, ages 10, 12, and 14, were in a home in Beaureguard, Alabama, having just returned from a hunting trip. The boys were unsupervised and were putting away a hunting rifle when one of them discharged the gun, striking the 10-year old in the head, killing him.

From an article and video:

[Sheriff] Jones says deputies were called to the home in the 13000 block of Highway 51 in the Beaureguard community for reports of a shooting. The young victim, his 12-year-old brother, and their 14-year-old friend had returned from a hunting trip, and were in a bedroom.

One of the boys was reportedly putting his rifle away when it accidentally discharged and struck the 10-year-old in the head, killing him instantly.

Jones says gun was being handled by another boy, who was not the victim. The boys were not playing with the gun, and he believes all of the boys were familiar with weapons and gun safety.

"It was not a circumstance to where the individuals, I guess a good way to put this is 'horse played' or anything like that," says Jones. "That does not appear to be the circumstances whatsoever. It simply appears, at this point in the investigation, to be an accident. Accidents happen from time to time, and very unfortunately, the consequences, on occasion can extreme."

The mother of the victim and another boy were in the kitchen of the home at the time of the shooting.

Jones says it does not appear anyone will face any charges in the tragic shooting. He says this type of accidental discharge can happen to anyone at anytime.

No, it doesn't "happen to anyone at anytime."  It only happens when loaded guns are handled inappropriately, and all too often by unsupervised children.

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

10-year old Alabama boy shot and killed while playing with gun with two other boys

A 10-year old boy was in a bedroom of a home in Beauregard, Alabama, with his 12-year old brother and a 14-year old friend when the boys found a loaded, unsecured handgun.  The gun was unintentionally discharged by one of the boys, hitting the 10-year old in the head and killing.
From an article:

“The death is being treated as an accident at this time and there is no indication that it is anything other than a tragic accident,” Harris stated in a release sent Tuesday afternoon. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported that the boy sustained a gunshot wound to the head and died instantly. Reports indicate the victim was in a bedroom with his 12-year-old brother and 14-year-old male friend and that while they were handling a gun, it accidentally discharged.  

The victim’s mother and another boy were reportedly in the kitchen at the time of the shooting.

It isn't a "tragic accident."  It's negligence.
The article does not mention if the gun owner will be held accountable for allowing the gun in the boys' hands.

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

2 year old Alabama boy shot in fight between two women

A 2 year old was shot in a squabble between 2 women. From an article:

A child was shot and a woman stabbed in Tuscaloosa during what started as a fight between two women, Tuscaloosa police confirm.

The two women got into a fight around 1 p.m. Thursday at the Forrester Gardens Apartments off of James Harrison Parkway on Thursday afternoon, according to Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steve Anderson.

A press release issued by Tuscaloosa PD on Friday states one 33-year-old woman was stabbed once in the upper arm. Another altercation followed the first and a different female made an attempt to stab the 33-year-old female. The two suspects then left the area.

Afterward, a 33-year-old male fired two shots into an apartment he thought contained one of the suspects. One shot hit a 2-year-old boy in the lower body area. The child was taken to Children's of Alabama Hospital. His condition is unknown, but his injuries do not appear to be life threatening.

Javorris Connor, 33, is facing a first degree assault charge and a charge of discharging a firearm into an occupied building.

Shakiki Hill, 27, has been charged with attempted murder.

Charda Brown, 25, has been charged with second degree assault.

4 year old Alabama girl shot in home by bullet intended for someone else

A 4 year old Tuscaloosa, Alabama girl was shot and injured inside of her home. The bullet was intended to be shot into the home but the little girl was an innocent victim. From an article:

At least one shooter fired several times into a home in the area of 7th Street at 31st Avenue in west Tuscaloosa and instead of shooting their intended victim, hit a sleeping 4-year-old with two bullets Friday night, according to the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit. 

Sgt. Dale Phillips, the unit's commander, said Tamerra Harper was found alive but badly injured and was taken to Children's Hospital in Birmingham for treatment. Phillips said she remains there in critical but stable condition.

The investigation is still in progress, but Phillips said the unit is under the impression that shooting into the home was intentional, but the little girl was not the target Friday night. No arrests have been made at this time.

The Tuscaloosa News is reporting that Harper suffered a head wound and a broken arm as a result of the shooting and is breathing on a ventilator at Children's, where she will undergo surgery to remove the bullet from her arm.

“Who would do something like this and hurt an innocent baby, a four-year-old baby?” Harper's grandmother, La Shonda Harper-Gibson asked the Tuscaloosa News. “I hope that they find whoever did this and make them suffer. I hope that God touches their hearts and changes them, is what I really hope.”

Children should be able to sleep in their homes without getting shot.

Former Alabama middle school student and employee holds several students at gunpoint

Back in February, a former student and summer employee entered the Chelsea Middle School, in Chelsea, Alabama, and held a number of students at gunpoint.

Luckily, a heroic PE teacher prevented a shooting and, with the help of a school resource officer, apprehended the would-be shooter, and no shots were fired.

From an article:

Shelby County schools Superintendent Randy Fuller said the man entered the school about 3:10 p.m. and held several students at gunpoint. 

He was apprehended at about 3:30 p.m. by a school resource officer and other Shelby County deputies. 

The suspect's name was not released, but officials said he's in his early 20s. 

Tracy Dale Greene, father of a student there, said a physical education teacher at the school is a hero. 

"(My daughter) told me that the PE teacher was a hero," Greene said. "She jumped in between the gunman and students and said '911 locker room' on the radio," to alert school officials of the intruder.

The school will have classes Wednesday, said Cindy Warner, spokeswoman for Shelby County Schools. 

Several law enforcement and school system officials were on the scene shortly before 5 p.m. The entrance to the building is taped off. In addition to the sheriff's office, the FBI, ATF, and Alabama State Troopers were also on the scene.

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4-year old Alabama boy gets loaded, unsecured gun and shoots himself to death

A 4-year old boy was visiting relatives in Prichard, Alabama, when he found a loaded, unsecured gun and shot himself in the chest.  He died from his wound.

From an article and news video:

Authorities say the child was visiting relatives, and was shot inside a home. 
According to a Prichard spokesperson, the child accidentally shot himself in the chest.
The child was taken to USA Children's & Women's Hospital.

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

2-year old Alabama boy shot and killed, mother wounded

A 2-year old boy, Nazario Boykins, and his mother were shot by a suspect in Birmingham, Alabama.  The boy later died at the hospital.

The shooter was the boy's uncle, and the woman's brother, Andre Boykins Jr., 24.

From an article:

A 2-year-old child has died following a midnight shooting in Birmingham, according to the Birmingham Police Department. 

A woman and her son, Nazario Boykins, were found shot at 913 8^th Avenue West just after midnight Saturday, and both were transported to UAB Hospital with serious injuries. 

Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams Jr. said the 2-year-old child was transferred to Children's of Alabama. The child died at 2:56 p.m., and police are launching a homicide investigation. 

The suspect, Andre Boykins Jr., 24, of Birmingham, is the brother of the woman who was shot. Prattville police officers arrested Boykins on attempted murder charges. Investigators anticipate obtaining a murder warrant for the death of the child. 

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5-year old Alabama boy survives bus shooting and kidnapping

"Ethan", age 5

A 5-year old boy with Asperger's Syndrome, named Ethan, was riding the bus home in Midland City, Alabama, when the driver stopped the bus at the end of a road to turn around.  That's when a mentally-unstable loner with a history of making violent threats, Jimmy Lee Dykes, age 65, boarded the bus with a gun, demanding to take two boys hostage.

The bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., heroically blocked the way, despite threats of being killed, allowing time for many of the kids on the bus to exit the rear door.  Dykes then shot Poland to death and kidnapped young Ethan.  Poland was one of Dykes' few friends.

Dykes then took Ethan to an underground shelter that was booby-trapped with bombs.  What followed was a 6-day standoff with law enforcement, during which Dykes became increasingly unstable.

On the sixth day, when Dykes opened the trap door to get some requested items, a team moved in and a firefight took place.  Dykes was killed.

Ethan was physically unharmed.  He turned six years old only a couple days later.

From an article:

The subject was 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, who boarded a school bus last Tuesday afternoon, killed the driver and took the boy into a bunker he had installed in his backyard. 

Neighbors speculated that Mr. Dykes had kidnapped the boy as part of a scheme to air his thoughts and grievances on a larger platform, and at a news conference earlier Tuesday, Sheriff Wally Olson of Dale County acknowledged that to be a major motive. ... 

For some time, officials had been able to monitor movements within the bunker using high-tech surveillance equipment, said two people who had been briefed on the operation. They had also built a mock-up of the bunker nearby, where the authorities could test various options while devising a rescue plan. 

On Monday afternoon, sensing that Mr. Dykes was becoming rattled and that the threat to the boy was growing, the authorities dropped two devices into the bunker that created loud explosions, heard by people across a highway. The explosions disoriented Mr. Dykes, and immediately afterward two or three members of the F.B.I. Hostage Rescue Team went into the bunker and retrieved the child. Mr. Dykes was killed. 

Ethan and his mother were relieved to be reunited, Mr. Richardson said. “He’s laughing, joking, playing, eating — the things that you would expect a normal 5- to 6-year-old young man to do. He’s very brave. He’s very lucky.”

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16-year-old shot by random gunfire

A 16-year-old Mobile, Alabama girl was shot while sitting in the passenger seat of a car. According to Sherri Lockette, the girl's mother:

"While they were in traffic, they heard gun shots and my daughter heard the shot come through the car and she got hit in her right hip."
Lockette said doctors did not remove the bullet, and it's for her daughter's own good.
"They said either two inches to the right or left it could have hit her intestines."
The Mobile Police Department is investigating the incident.

12-year old Alabama boy gets shotgun for Christmas and unintentionally shoots and kills 12-year old cousin

A 12-year old boy in Pleasant Valley, Alabama, received a 20-gauge shotgun for Christmas.

He was showing off his weapon to his 12-year old male cousin, while on a trampoline, when he unintentionally discharged it, killing his cousin.

No charges will apparently be charged.

From an article and video:

A 12-year-old Pleasant Valley, Alabama boy was with his 12-year-old cousin when he went inside to get the 20-gauge shotgun he had received as a Christmas present. He wanted to show his cousin his new gun. 

He brought the gun outside and was showing it to his cousin, who was on a trampoline, when he unintentionally discharged the gun and shot his cousin in the chest. 

"The injuries were too severe and the young man was pronounced dead at the Jacksonville hospital," said the local sheriff. 

The sheriff doesn't expect any charges to be filed. Alabama does not have any law that prohibits allowing a child access to firearms. 

"If an adult buys a gun and gives it to a child that's not a crime in Alabama," said the sheriff. "There's no restriction whatsoever in that so the responsibility comes back to us as an adult. If I put a child in the front seat of a car with me and I don't put on a seat belt and something bad happens I'm responsible....So the lesson is for people to take these things very seriously, to make sure we're doing everything we can to ensure that safe practices are followed whatever the device is."

Who purposely gives a lethal weapons to a child?

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

15-year old Alabama boy shot in head during prank

Jesse Rainey, age 15

A 15-year old boy, Jesse Rainey, was with a group of six other male teen friends at an empty home in Tuscumbia, Alabama, after a football game.  Some of the boys cut the lights and went back inside, pretending to be intruders.  The 15-year old boy jumped out of a closet, but the other boy shot him in the head with a .38-caliber handgun.  The boy is now fighting for his life in the hospital.

No charges will be filed.

From an article:

Jesse Rainey, 15, went with seven male friends early Saturday to an unoccupied Tuscumbia home belonging to the grandmother of one of the boys, according to ABCNews.com. They decided to spend the night there after a football game. 

“One of the young men cut the lights to the house, then a few of the other guys snuck back inside, wanting their friends to believe there was an intruder,” Colbert County Sheriff Ronnie May told ABC News. 

Rainey reportedly hid in one of the closets, and decided to jump out and scare one of his friends. Authorities say the other boy, who was carrying a .38 caliber handgun, was spooked and fired at Rainey. 

The incident happened around 3:30 a.m., and the friends drove Rainey to a store parking lot 10 minutes away to meet an ambulance, according to Fox 40 in Jackson, Miss.

(a related article)

The article did not say where the boy got the loaded gun.

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

17-year old Alabama girl shot to death by boyfriend in murder/attempted suicide

Tessa Faye Groves, age 17

A girl in Scottsboro, Alabama, 17-year old Tessa Faye Groves, was shot to death by her 19-year old boyfriend, Jonathan Maurice Nicholson, when he found out that she had contacted an ex-boyfriend.  He then tried to shoot himself to death, but lived.

From an article:

This isn't the first major violence at this home. Some neighbors on Quincy Street call it a house of trouble.

It was five years ago when Nicholson's father was stabbed by his live-in girlfriend. An artery was severed and he lost a lot of blood.

19-year-old Jonathan Maurice Nicholson, who lives at the home, is now identified as the person who was shot.

17-year-old Tessa Faye Groves has been identified as the person who is deceased.

Chief Ralph Dawes said they responded to a 911 call shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday night where they found Nicholson just outside of the home holding his face where he had been shot.

The chief said Groves was found deceased inside the home from a gunshot wound.

Nicholson's was taken to Huntsville Hospital. Dawes said Nicholson is currently in stable condition in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Neighbors said the home belonged to the boy's aunt.

Family members said Groves and Nicholson were in a relationship. A friend of Nicholson's' said the pair had recently broken up. He said Nicholson was distraught and found out that Groves had been in contact with an ex-boyfriend who recently got out of prison.

Dawes said the case appears to be a murder-attempted suicide.

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6-year old girl killed in Alabama drive-by shooting

A 6-year old girl was shot dead, inside her Evergreen, Alabama house, when her home was shot at in a drive-by shooting.

From an article:

The girl's name was not immediately released. The TV report said that the incident took place as the girl slept inside a home on U.S. 31 North in rural Conecuh County near Evergreen.

The Conecuh County Sheriff's Office and the Conecuh County District Attorney's Office were investigating. No arrests had been announced as of Monday afternoon, but authorities had identified suspects and were in the process of finding them.

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Teen with gun threatens man after confrontation about a dog

Four teens in Mobile, Alabama, were badgering a dog in a man's yard.  The man confronted them, and one of the teens pulled out a gun with a laser site and pointed it at the man's chest.  The entire confrontation was caught on surveillance video.

From an article, with new footage and the video:

Joel Edwards is still shaken after his confrontation with a group of teenagers.

"We were inside watching TV and I hear my dog barking and I look out the window and there's these four teenagers. They were kicking at my fence and badgering my dog," said Edwards.

So he walked outside and told the boys to leave his dog alone.

"As they walked off they said 'Who are you talking to?' I said 'I'm talking to you' and at that point he pulls a gun out of his waistband," said Edwards.

Edwards' neighbor has a home security system.

You can see the four teens walk away from Edward's home. Then the teen in the black shirt turns around and pulls a gun.

"It had a laser on it that was pointed directly at my chest. I was scared. If he had pulled the trigger I would have been done for," said Edwards.

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

12-year old boy shot in neck by 16-year old brother playing with gun

12-year old boy shot from the shooting

Two brothers, ages 12 and 16, were playing with a loaded, unsecured gun in their Birmingham, Alabama home.  The 16-year old unintentionally discharged the gun, hitting the 12-year old in the neck.

From an article:

Sergeant Johnny Williams says the 12-year-old boy and his 16-year-old brother were playing with the gun when the 16-year-old tried to uncock the gun and accidentally fired it. The 12-year-old was struck in the neck. 

Firefighters and rescue crews tell us that the child's parents attempted to drive the boy to the hospital, but suffered a flat tire during the drive. They stopped near a fire station, so they ran down the street and alerted rescue crews. Birmingham Fire and Rescue picked up the 12-year-old on Oporto Madrid Boulevard near Division Avenue around 3:00 AM. 

The child was taken to Children's Hospital but Fox6 and he is listed in stable condition. The family says the child was rushed into surgery upon his arrival. 

No charges are being filed against the boy or, apparently, his parents.

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

4 teens shot in Alabama

This is a disturbing story. A man shot 4 teens with an assault rifle all because he decided they didn't belong in his neighborhood. From the story:

Police say four teenage boys were visiting friends at the Sadie Lee Homes Housing Authority early Thursday morning when a man approached them and told them they didn't belong in the neighborhood. Police say things escalated and shots were fired.

Police found 10 shell casings from an assault rifle at the scene. One bullet entered a window inches above an elderly woman's head. She was unharmed.

Shootings like this are senseless and avoidable. Guns are no way to solve arguments.

Twin 9-year olds, boy and girl, and babysitter shot to death in Alabama

Jordan & Taylor Dejerinett, both age 10

9-year old twins, Jordan and Taylor Dejerinett, had been dropped off at their caregiver's place, 73-year old Jack  Mac Girdner, in the morning by their mother.  When she went back that night, all three were missing.  Both kids and Girdner were found shot to death on a dirt road.


The shooter was quickly tracked down and arrested, 22-year old Deandre Lee, after someone called a tip line.


A motive has not yet been released.


From an initial article:

When the twins' mother returned later that night to pick them up from the suburban Montgomery home of the babysitter, the children and Girdner were missing, investigators said, along with Girdner's car, a 1988 Mercedes-Benz.

Authorities did not release a possible motive in the killings, though they confirmed the three victims were shot. State investigators also did not say what evidence connected Lee to the case.

Girdner's car was found -- with its doors removed -- Thursday in Minter, they said.

Lee, according to state investigators, has a history of trouble with the law. In 2011, he was acquitted of murder in a 2008 shooting that prosecutors say was gang related.

Before Sunday, Lee was out on bond following January 2012 charges in Dallas County that he assaulted a police officer and was in possession of gun with an altered ID number, state investigators said.

According to court records, Lee was also arrested on a third-degree robbery charge and released on $10,000 bond in Lowndes County in February 2012 for allegedly stealing a Honda Accord in 2011.

From another article:

Prosecutor Michael Jackson says 22-year-old Deandra (dee-AHN'-dray) Marquis Lee was arrested Saturday morning in Selma. Authorities found him at an apartment complex after someone called in a tip to a hotline set up by state officials. 

Jackson says Lee didn't resist when authorities arrived to arrest him. 

Lee is wanted in the slayings of Jordan Dejerinett and his sister Taylor, plus 73-year-old Jack Mac Girdner. Authorities say Girdner was a retired anesthesiologist who sometimes cared for the children. The bodies of all three were found Tuesday in rural Lowndes County. Police say they were shot. 

The search for Lee was concentrated in Dallas County, where he was acquitted in a double murder last year.

(a related article).

14-year old boy shot unintentionally by 13-year old boy in Alabama home

Two boys were in a home in Colbert County, Alabama, handling an unsecured, loaded .22 rifle.  The 13-year old boy unintentionally shot the 14-year old boy in the neck.   The older boy is currently in the hospital.

From an article:

Sheriff Ronnie May says the teen was shot by a 13 year old boy.

It happened at a home on Hatton School Road just after 9 o'clock Sunday night.

We're told the victim was hit in the neck with a bullet from a .22 caliber rifle.

He's being treated at Helen Keller Hospital.

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

11-year old Alabama boy unintentionally shot in face with shotgun

Devin Grady, age 11

Two 11-year old boys were "hunting snakes" in the woods after school, near Huntsville, Alabama.  They had a loaded .410 gauge shotgun with them.  That's when one boy accidentally shot the other in the face with the gun.  (updated) The victim, Devin Grady, has since died from his injury.

From the article and news video:

The boys were reportedly hunting snakes with a shotgun when one of them shot the other in the face.


Morgan County Sheriff Ana Franklin said this is a terrible tragedy and prayers go out to both families.

“One boy is fighting for his life in the hospital and the other is left to deal with the reality that he shot his best friend,” Franklin told WHNT News 19 from the scene. The investigation continues. The names of the boys have not been released.

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

UPDATE (6/11/12):  Devin has now died from his injury.