6 year old Florida boy shoots grandfather with assault rifle

A 6 year old Florida boy got his hands on an AK-47 assault type rifle that was left on a table and accidentally shot and killed his grandfather with the gun. From an article:

A man is dead after his 6-year-old grandson accidentally pulled the trigger of his uncle’s unattended rifle during a barbecue at the family’s home.

Juan Manuel Martinez Jr., the 6-year-old’s uncle, was having a barbecue with his father Juan Martinez Sr. on Sunday May 25th.

The two, along with a friend who was visiting, were drinking beer and snorting cocaine while socializing, according to the arrest affidavit.

While hanging out, Martinez Jr., 28, went to his room and retrieved an assault rifle to show to his friend.

While outside, Martinez Jr. removed the magazine, looked inside, and reinserted it into the magazine well. The family friend didn’t wish to touch the rifle, according to the affidavit, but it was then handed to his father, Martinez Sr., who then placed it on a table near the barbecue.

Martinez Sr.’s grandson then grabbed the rifle and pulled the trigger which struck the grandfather in the right side of the chest.

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

6 year old Florida girl injured in attempt to shoot her mother

A Florida girl with spina bifada was injured in an attempt to shoot her mother. From an article:

A felon with a gun shot into a car with children early Monday, police say.

James Brookins' bullet pierced his 23-year-old target, according to Tampa police. Then it grazed the arm of Zakayla Newsome, a 6-year-old with spina bifida.

Brookins' 5-month-old son was nearby, in the back seat.

"You don't have any respect for the law. You don't have any respect for life," Zakayla's grandmother, Zhelma Washington, 45, said later. "Your son could have been killed."

Zakayla, who has undergone about two dozen surgeries in her young life, was back in the hospital Monday.

A 2 year old Florida boy injured by stray bullet

Another toddler has been injured by gun fire. This Florida 2 year old was being held by his grandpa outside of his home when a stray bullet hit him. From an article:

On Sunday at about 4:30 a.m. the grandfather of the boy, Dreden Davis – who family members identified by his nickname, Shabba – was carrying the toddler outside his house on 75th Street, trying to get Shabba to go back to sleep.

Somebody pulled up and opened fire. Shabba was hit on the top of his head. His father Andre Davis, who was sitting inside his vehicle, was grazed, police said.

“Anybody that can open fire when there’s a baby around, they don't have no remorse, they don't have a heart at all, and I just want him brought to justice, that's all,” said his grandmother, Truda Hanna.

Florida Middle school boy shoots himself accidentally

A middle school child in Florida accidentally shot himself and then said someone else had shot him. From the article:

Deputies trying to find the person who shot a 15-year-old boy Tuesday in Pine Hills didn't have to go far: He shot himself by accident, then lied about it, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

Calls reporting the shooting gave different addresses on Silver Star Road, so it took deputies about 15 minutes to find the boy, sheriff's spokeswoman Jane Watrel said.

Then they searched for a shooter until the truth came out.

The shooting happened in the J-Mart parking lot at the corner of Hiawassee and Silver Star roads. It was reported about 3:20 p.m.

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

3 year old shot in Florida

Another small child has been shot in what seems to be an accidental shooting. From an article:

Authorities said a 3-year-old Lake Worth girl died Thursday after what appears to be an accidental shooting.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's officials said Zuri Chambers was shot with an unsecured weapon. She and her father were the only two people in the house. Zuri was flown to Delray Medical Center, where she died Thursday night.

This case is under investigation.

17-year old Florida girl shot and killed by mother in murder/suicide

Chetana Guduru, age 17 (source)

A 17-year old girl, Chetana Guduru, was shot twice and killed by her mother, Sujatha Guduru, in their Oviedo, Florida home.  The mother then turned the gun on herself, hitting herself in the chest.  She later recovered, however, and was charged for the murder.

From an article:

Guduru told authorities she shot her daughter, Chetana Guduru, a Seminole High School senior, at least twice in a botched murder-suicide at their Oviedo home on Jan. 27. 

Guduru said she feared that no one would care for her daughter after she committed suicide, police told the Orlando Sentinel. 

Guduru’s attorney, Brian Bieber of Miami, said Jan. 31 that Guduru has been mentally ill for most of the last 20 years and may plead insanity. ... 

Alarmed by [an] e-mail, her brother got to the house about 7:20 a.m. and found them both still alive, according to police. 

Guduru's daughter died a short time later at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Her mother told police she had shot her daughter twice, reported the newspaper. .... 

 Bieber hinted that because of her mental health history, Guduru should not have been able to purchase the .38-caliber revolver, the gun she used, at a local gun shop six days before the shooting. 

But gun restrictions only prohibit ownership of two very narrow groups of mental health sufferers: those who have been committed to a mental institution and those found by a judge or government agency to be a danger to themselves or others. 

Guduru was a single mother who lived in her home with her daughter and mother — Chetana's grandmother — who was at home when the shootings took place but was asleep, police reported.

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16-year old Florida boy shot in a park

A 16-year old boy was shot in the foot at a St. Petersberg, Florida, park.

From an article:

St. Petersburg Police are responding to a report of a person shot at Lake Vista Park, which is located at 62nd Avenue South and 16th Street. 

A 16-year-old male was shot in the foot while in the park. He has been transported to the hospital for treatment, according to police. 

The teen told detectives that he was shot by a juvenile wearing a denim jacket, jeans and brown boots. 

Lakewood High School, which is nearby, was put on lockdown for a short time. The lockdown has been lifted.

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Two Florida teens killed by mother in murder/suicide

Victims Alexander Berman, 16, and Jacqueline Berman, 15,
with the shooter and mother, Jennifer Berman

Jennifer Berman was facing financial problems, in West Palm Beach, Florida.  So she decided to arm herself and shot her two children before killing herself in her home.

16-year-old Alexander Berman and 15-year-old Jacqueline Berman both died from their wounds.

From an article:

The victims were identified as Jennifer Berman, who owned the home, and her children, 16-year-old Alexander Berman and 15-year-old Jacqueline Berman. Police went to the residence after being called by Jennifer Berman’s ex-husband, Richard Berman, just after 8 a.m. local time Monday morning. Richard Berman told authorities Jennifer Berman had sent him an email threatening to “do harm” to herself or the children. Jennifer Berman and the two children were found dead inside with gunshot wounds.

No motive has been confirmed for the shootings, but neighbors told WFOR-TV that Jennifer Bowman had been experiencing financial difficulties, and was in danger of losing the home, which originally owned by her mother. The Post reported that the residence has been in foreclosure since June 2010. Richard Berman is also listed as an owner.

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15-year old Florida boy shot while riding his bike

15-year old Onardo Bent (source)

15-year old Onardo Bent was riding his bike to his home when he was shot in the side, in west Orlando,
Florida, in what may have been a stray bullet incident.  He is now in critical condition.

From an article:

Onardo Bent, 15, was struck in the torso just before 9:30 a.m., while riding a short distance to his uncle’s home in the 4800 block of Leprechaun Way, in the Pine Hills area.

The teen, who remains in critical condition, fell unconscious in the home and was unable to provide information regarding the shooting.

Yesterday, at a news conference, his sister, Odeika Bent appealed to the public for information regarding the circumstances surrounding her brother’s shooting.

Onardo could have been hit by a stray bullet, but to date, no one has come forward.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings also joined the family in appealing to the public for help and called for “justice for the person responsible for shooting this young man.”

Onardo was an honor student at Oak Ridge High School and a good athlete, his family said.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

15-year old Florida boy shoots father to death during fight between parents

Christopher Albano came home intoxicated, then started arguing and beating his wife, Jinette Albano.  During the fight, their 15-year old son, Johnny, got the loaded family shotgun and shot his father to death.

This apparently wasn't the first time young Johnny had threatened his father with the family gun.

The couple had financial problems and were facing foreclosure.

From an article:

Orange County deputies said 15-year-old Johnny Albano shot his father, Christopher Albano, just after 2 a.m. at a home on Sun Dew Road because the man was allegedly beating his wife. 

Jinette Albano called 911 and said her husband came home intoxicated and began hitting her, so her son, Johnny, grabbed a gun and shot him. 

Channel 9 has learned it wasn't the first time the boy got in the middle of a fight between his parents. 

Reporter Jeff Deal got a report from the sheriff's office showing that in 2012, the parents were having a dispute over financial issues and the boy felt the dad was going to hurt his mom, so he picked up a shotgun and pointed it at his father but never fired. 

"My grandson had pulled a gun on him a prior time for that, yes," said the victim's mother, Phyllis Nason. .... 

Deal learned Thursday that the Albanos were having financial difficulty, and their home was in foreclosure. 

Bank of America was trying to foreclose on the home they bought in 2008, claiming the couple stopped making payments in 2011 and still owed around $224,000 on the principal. 

Channel 9 also learned Jinette Albano is being sued by Ally Bank over a claim of $13,000 owed on a luxury SUV that she no longer owns.

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

9 year old Florida boy brings loaded gun on school bus

A 9 year old boy was found with a loaded gun on a school bus. From an article:

A nine-year-old boy was arrested after bringing a loaded gun on a school bus headed toward Ippolito Elementary School in Riverview.

According to investigators, around 8:15 Wednesday morning, the bus driver overheard two students talking on the bus, then witnessed one of them putting a gun into the front pocket of his pants.

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

Florida mother shoots 17 month old child and then herself

Another toddler has been shot- this time in Florida where a mother shot her 17 month old child before turning the gun on herself. From an article:

Police in coastal Florida are investigating after they say a mother shot her 17-month-old daughter and then turned the gun on herself.

A Sarasota police officer reported going to the family's home Sunday morning and hearing the father repeat, "She shot our baby."

A police report released Tuesday says authorities found 35-year-old Sarah Harnish lying face down in the doorway in a pool of blood, still holding a gun.

The 17-month-old baby, Josephine Boice, was lying in bed shot in the temple, but was still breathing. She later died at the hospital.

A police statement says the child's father returned home from a scooter ride before 10 a.m. and heard shots fired and called 911.

No one else was inside the home when it happened. No other details were released and it's unclear what prompted the shooting.

4 year old Florida child injured in drive-by shooting

A 4 year old Florida boy is injured because of a drive-by shooting. From an article:

A person of interest has been named in the investigation into a drive-by shooting that left a 4-year-old boy injured.

Investigators want to speak with 20-year-old Horatio Papillion. They say he may have been in the vehicle that drove by the home and opened fire.

It's a house that sits on a busy Bradenton street and shares property with a church.

It's quite possibly the last place you'd expect to be targeted by drive-by shooters in broad daylight.

But that's exactly what happened just after 11 a.m. Saturday to a house at the intersection of 26th Street and 36th Avenue West, leaving behind bullet holes and a very young victim.

"One of the rounds hit entered through a window and struck a 4-year-old boy," said Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube.

That unidentified boy was flown to All-Children's Hospital where he was listed in stable condition.

He's expected to survive.

"It's a 4 door orange either Dodge Charger or Challenger with spinning wheels," said Steube.

Damon Walpole lives on 36th Avenue not too far from where the shooting took place.

"Right there, I mean that's right on 26th street, that's really right out in the open that's pretty brazen," said Walpole.

So close that his wife heard the shots and thought it was something far different.

"I was brushing my teeth and my wife came in and asked if I threw some firecrackers at her," said Walpole.

Walpole has been living on his street for 10 years and describes his neighborhood as an average, quiet community.

He says the fact that his son Jeremiah is the same age as the victim in this case makes it that much harder for him.

"It's scary, it could have been my little guy had he been in the front yard or something, it's pretty unnerving," said Walpole.

Investigators say they believe the house was targeted.

Random or not, Walpole says violence like this needs to stop.

"It seems like the pressure of the world is getting to a lot of people," said Walpole.

The boy's mother was home at the time of the shooting but was not injured.

Four year olds should be safe from bullets on the streets and in their homes.

17 year old boy shot at Florida party

A party on Saturday in Florida resulted in the shooting of a 17 year old boy. From an article:

A party in Winter Haven turned violent Friday night when a 17-year-old boy was shot.

Police said it started out as a party at the Winter Haven Garden center and ended with 17-year-old Terrance Morton in the hospital with a gunshot wound.

The shooting happened in the parking lot of the Senior Center, right across the street from Lisa Ibarra’s apartment.

“About 1:30 last night I heard shots and we was out here and then I looked over there and the guy that got shot, he was laying on the ground,” Ibarra said.

Police said they were responding to the area because of a large crowd that had just left a party at the Garden center. But when they showed up, all they heard was gunfire. It was the same shots Ibarra said she heard.

“It sounded like a gun that a police carries. It was like boom! Boom! Boom!” she said.

But police say those shots didn’t come from their guns. Several large orange circles on the ground show just how many spots bullet shell casings were found. One of them hit the victim. He had to be airlifted to the hospital.

Police said there were so many people around at the time of the shooting they could barely get through to the victim. Which leads detectives to believe that someone may have seen what happened. 

Police don’t know if the 17-year-old was targeted. He’s still in the hospital listed in critical but stable condition. Anyone with any information is urged to contact Heartland crime stoppers at, 1800-266-TIPS (8477).

15 year old Florida girl shot and injured on Memorial Day

This last Memorial Day, a 15 year old Florida girl was shot and injured by 2 teen-aged boys:

A 15-year-old girl was expected to survive after being shot in the chest in Pompano Beach and Broward Sheriff's detectives were talking to two teenage boys about the shooting, late Monday.

The victim was identified as Jalisica Williams by cousin Tessia Johnson, 18, also of Pompano Beach.

"I heard that she got shot by some boy and she ran all the way down to my auntie's house," Johnson said.

According to sheriff's spokeswoman Dani Moschella: The victim was walking near 1600 NW 11th Circle with relative Shantoria Williams, 14, and two 15-year-old boys they knew. At 5:49 p.m., one of the boys pulled out a gun and shot Jalisica Williams. The two girls then walked west along Northwest 12th Drive to a relative's home about two blocks away.

"She's very, very lucky at this point," Moschella said. "She was shot and it appears that she is going to be OK."

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

11 year old Florida boy injured with gun brought to school

An 11 year old brought a gun to school last week and it fired, leaving him injured. From an article:

A boy was shot in the leg at a South Florida middle school. 

A Miami-Dade Schools Police Department spokesman says the shooting occurred Friday afternoon at Redland Middle School in Homestead. Initial reports indicate that an 11-year-old boy brought a gun to school in his backpack, and the gun accidentally discharged inside the bag. 

The wounded boy was airlifted to Miami Children's Hospital in stable condition. 

Police were questioning the boy accused of bringing the gun to school, but no charges were immediately filed. Neither boy was named by police.

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

15 year old Florida girl shot in the chest while walking with friends

A Florida teen-ager survived after being shot in the chest while walking with friends. From an article:

 A 15-year-old girl was expected to survive after being shot in the chest in Pompano Beach and Broward Sheriff's detectives were talking to two teenage boys about the shooting, late Monday.

The victim was identified as Jalisica Williams by cousin Tessia Johnson, 18, also of Pompano Beach.

"I heard that she got shot by some boy and she ran all the way down to my auntie's house," Johnson said.

According to sheriff's spokeswoman Dani Moschella: The victim was walking near 1600 NW 11th Circle with relative Shantoria Williams, 14, and two 15-year-old boys they knew. At 5:49 p.m., one of the boys pulled out a gun and shot Jalisica Williams. The two girls then walked west along Northwest 12th Drive to a relative's home about two blocks away.

"She's very, very lucky at this point," Moschella said. "She was shot and it appears that she is going to be OK."

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue treated the girl at the scene and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue took her to Broward Health Medical Center by helicopter. Her injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, officials said.

Johnson said this is not the first time she's heard of shootings in the neighborhood.

"A bullet has nobody's name on it, so it scares me to walk around," Johnson said. "That's why I don't go nowhere, I'm scared this is going to happen to me one day."

Charges are pending, Moschella said. ___

At this point, the age of the shooter has not been released. But as always, we end by saying a gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

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.

13 year old Florida boy shoots 6 year old sister

In the Miami area, there have been 3 recent accidental shootings of a child. In this case, a 13 year old boy shot his sister in the chest. From an article:

The pictures told a story about how a 13-year-old boy accidentally shot his 6-year-old sister while they were left alone in their Oakland Park home Saturday night.

The teen, whose small frame belies his actual age, drew sketches for investigators to help him explain how the gun he found discharged, sending a bullet into his sister’s chest.

The girl, whose name has not been released, was fighting for her life Sunday as Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies and family members tried to piece together what happened.

It is the third accidental shooting of a child by another since November.

“The little boy just sat there rocking back and forth,” said a neighbor. “It’s just so devastating. They had just moved in two weeks ago.”

The shooting happened around 7 p.m. in the 5900 block of Northeast Second Terrace in Oakland Park.

The boy, whose name is being withheld by police, had been home alone with his sibling when neighbors heard the gun blast.

The girl was alert when police and paramedics arrived, said BSO spokeswoman Dani Moschella. She was listed in critical but stable condition Sunday at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.

“She seems like a fighter,” Moschella said. Details were sketchy Sunday afternoon because homicide detectives also were working a fatal shooting on Interstate 95 Sunday morning in Oakland Park.

Investigators continued to work the shooting scene Sunday. It was not known whether the teen was placed under arrest.

By law, the gun should have been locked in a safe place. Under Florida law, leaving a loaded firearm “within the reach or easy access of a minor” who uses it to inflict injury or death is considered a third-degree felony.

“The problem is children have a fascination with firearms...when they see a firearm they see it on TV and in movies and a lot of times they have toy guns, so when they find a gun they want to see what happens. People tend not to be as cautious as they should be and tragedies happen,” Jon Gutmacher, a gun-law expert, NRA-certified firearms instructor and attorney said following the March 30 shooting of a 4-year-old girl last month.

That incident happened when a 6-year-old boy shot a 4-year-old girl with a gun he had found in a car parked outside his grandparents’ home in Northwest Miami-Dade.

The girl, Rahquel Carr, died a short time later. Police said that the girl’s mother, Turquisha Peacock, 26, was about to drive the children home, and had briefly left them in the vehicle unattended. She was steps from the car when she heard the gunshot.

The case remains under investigation.

In November, 13-year-old Lourdes Guzman-DeJesus was killed by a teenager who had been playing with a gun on a school bus in South Miami-Dade. Suspect Jordyn Howe, 15, of Homestead, pulled the .40-caliber pistol from his backpack to show it to another student when the weapon went off. The gun belonged to his father. His parents told investigators the gun was kept in a closet.

Howe will be tried as an adult on felony charges of manslaughter and carrying a concealed firearm.

Lourdes’ father, Armando “Alex” Guzman-Cirino, 34, committed suicide a few days after his daughter’s death.

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

(a related report on this shooting)

Car with child in it was shot at in Florida

A man was driving with his child when someone shot out his window, in Jacksonville, Florida.  Luckily, neither was injured.

From an article:

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office aggravated battery unit responded to the Pelican Pointe Apartments at 1333 Dunn Avenue to reports of a shooting, according to Lt. Jeff White. 

The victim was driving into the complex with his daughter when he rounded a turn and shots were fired. 

The back passenger's side window of the man's white Mercury was shot out. No one was injured in the shooting, White said. 

The man then drove to the Zone 6 JSO substation, which is nearby, to call police.

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