4 year old Indiana boy shot with gun found at home

In yet another "accidental" shooting by a toddler, this 4 year old Indiana boy managed to find a gun in his parents' bedroom and shot and killed himself with it. From an article:

A 4-year-old boy was fatally shot while holding his parents' gun at his home in Merrillville, Indiana, police said.

Police said the boy found the gun in his parents' bedroom Saturday morning in the 6400 block of Cleveland Street and brought the gun back to his room.

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The gun then went off, striking the boy in the head, Merrillville police said.

The boy, identified as Cash Irby Jr., was taken to Broadway Methodist Hospital South where he was pronounced dead, according to the Lake County Coroner's office.

"[The parents] are devastated, as can be expected," said family member Kelly White-Gibson. "The mother is really distraught."

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

7-year-old unintentionally killed by brother

7-year-old Jaylin Miller, of Ligonier, Indiana was unintentionally shot and killed by his brother on Saturday.  According to reports:

Jaylin and his brother were out in the yard with a firearm, attempting to kill ground moles when the firearm was unintentionally discharged by his brother. Jaylin was struck by a single gun shot and died at the scene.

Police are investigating the incident and have not released any more details at this time.

16 year old Indiana girl shot by young man showing guns to friends

A 16 year old Indiana girl is dead after a friend thought he had unloaded the gun he was showing to friends:

According to the affidavit, McDaniel was showing Peters and the two other men a shotgun and a handgun. Dajuan Williams, one of the men, told police that "McDaniel tried to get Aubrey to hold the gun, but she didn't want to."

At that point, Williams told police, McDaniel ejected the magazine from the gun, pointed the weapon at Peters, took the safety off and pulled the trigger.

McDaniel apparently thought the gun was empty, the affidavit said, but when he pulled the trigger, a round fired.

"Aubrey clutched her chest and said, 'What just happened?' " the affidavit said. Williams told police that while he attempted to help Peters, McDaniel gave the men a story to tell police.

"McDaniel then stated, 'The story is the gun fell off the table and went off,' " the affidavit said.

There are really no "accidental" shootings.

Indiana 3 year old finds parents gun and shoots and kills himself

Another toddler is dead from a gunshot injury that occurred when he found his parents' gun on a counter and shot and killed himself. From an article:

Police responded to the scene after 6 p.m. where they found the boy inside the home suffering from a gun shot wound to the head. The child was then rushed to Riley Hospital for Children in critical condition and later died of his injuries.

Investigators have indicated that they believe the child accidentally shot himself in the head after he pulled the gun off a kitchen counter.

A neighbor to the family said "I've known they had guns; they've carried them in public on their side, they've got permits for them and I just thought they always were a little bit more responsible than that,"

The child lived in Indiana.

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

3-Year Old Indiana Boy Shot to Death by Mother's Boyfriend

Lance Wilson 3, from Michigan City, Indiana was playing a game with his mother’s boyfriend on Sunday around 3:30pm. Lance pointed his finger at Zachariah Grisham 24, as if he was shooting him with a gun. Zachariah pointed a real gun at Lance and shot him. Lance was pronounced dead at the scene.

From an article:

Monday, Zachariah Grisham, 24, was held on a $100,000 bond and charged with neglect and reckless homicide in the shooting death of 3-year-old Lance Wilson, ABC Chicago reports.

“A child and the defendant were playing a game. A child pointed his finger at the defendant like he was shooting gun playing a game and he pointed a gun out and shot the boy,” LaPorte County Prosecutor Bob Szilagyi told CBS Chicago.

The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. Sunday in the mobile home park in Michigan City, Ind., roughly 60 miles east of Chicago along the lakeshore.

Neighbors said Lance was sitting on Grisham’s lap when the gun went off and the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police tell the Post-Tribune Grisham was living in trailer with the boy’s mother. It was unclear if the mother was present at the time of the shooting.

Michigan City police are investigating.

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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13 year old Indiana boy dies after being accidentally shot in chest

An Indiana 13 year old boy was shot and died from an accidental bullet to his chest.

Logan Armendariz ( photo
from linked article)

From the article:

Logan Anthony Armendariz, 13, was pronounced dead at St. Vincent Anderson Regional Hospital after suffering a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Anderson Herald Bulletin.

Armendariz, police say, was shot Monday in the 5700 block of Park Road in Anderson. Officers preliminarily believe the shooting was an accident, although it remains under investigation. Further details — such as who shot the boy — were not immediately available.

Armendariz was an incoming seventh grader at Daleville Junior-Senior High School, where he was an honor-roll student and played basketball, according to his obituary from the Robert D. Loose Funeral Home in Anderson. He also played youth baseball.

Daleville Community Schools Supt. Paul Garrison told The Herald Bulletin he expected grief counselors would be made available for students this week.

Armendariz is the second East Central Indiana child to be shot within an eight-day period. On July 28, 4-year-old Madison Dyer was airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital after police say she was accidentally shot in in the head by her brother, who was reportedly aiming at a target in their yard in the 5600 block of South Jay County Road 300-E.

Capt. Patrick Wells with the Jay County Sheriff's Department told The Star Press Dyer accidentally ran through the line of fire of the .22-caliber rifle. Wells on Thursday said Dyer remained in critical condition.

Note that this was the 2nd accidental shooting of a child in 8 days in Indiana. The second one involved the shooting of a 4 year old who was shot by her brother aiming at a target.

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

4-year-old shot in head by 8-year-old brother

4-year-old Madison Dyer, of Portland, Indiana, was unintentionally shot in the head Sunday night.  According to a news article:

Madison was shot in the head when she dashed in front of her 8-year-old brother while he was target shooting.
Police say several adults and children were around a campfire while the boy was shooting a .22-caliber rifle and Madison ran into the line of fire.

Madison is in the hospital in Fort Wayne in critical condition.

Indiana teen shot while standing outside of home

A 15 year old girl and another young man were shot and injured while standing outside of a home on Tuesday:

A 15-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man who were shot while standing outside a home on Smith St. Tuesday afternoon remain hospitalized and police cannot provide condition updates.  However the victims have been identified as Lashire M. Collins and James E. Starts III of Fort Wayne.

The shooting took place in the 4400 block of Smith Street just before 5:00 p.m. When officers arrived they found two people suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

Both victims were taken to the hospital where Collins was last listed in stable condition, while Starts was last listed in critical condition..

According to investigators, Collins and Starts were standing in the front yard of a home at the intersection of Smith Street and Senate Avenue. Witnesses reported seeing the suspect fire several shots while standing west of that intersection and then run southbound in an alley west of Smith St.

12-year-old dies in unintentional shooting

12-year-old Kyle Fisher, of Modoc, Indiana, was shot and killed late Saturday when a rifle was unintentionally discharged in his home.

From an article:

According to the report, Mitchell Gililand, 36, told officers he "was placing a rifle in a gun cabinet when it discharged, striking the victim in the chest." 

Efforts were made to resuscitate the victim at the scene. He was pronounced dead at St. Vincent Randolph Hospital in Winchester. 

Kyle would have been a seventh-grade at Modoc Union-Senior High School this fall. His survivors include his father and seven siblings.

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

12 year old Indiana boy shot by his 16 year old brother

An Indiana teen shot his 12 year old brother accidentally. From an article:

A 12-year-old Jennings County boy accidentally shot by his 16-year-old brother remained in an Indianapolis hospital Tuesday.

The child was shot while his brother was handling a rifle in their home late Monday, Maj. Jerry L. Shepherd of the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department said.

“He’s not doing very well,” Shepherd said Tuesday afternoon. “His condition is not stable.”

Deputies were called to a home in Sand Creek Township near county roads 1000N and 275W at 11:37 p.m. Monday.

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

Two small children and mother narrowly missed when target shooters hit their home in Indiana

A woman and her two small children were at home in Porter County, Indiana, when a bullet entered their home, narrowly missing them.  It was shot by neighbors who were target-shooting without a backstop.

No charges.

From an article:

A woman and two small children reportedly narrowly missed being struck by a stray bullet Thursday evening in the 300 block of Pepper Creek Drive in Porter County's Union Township. According to an article in the Times, authorities believe the bullet came from a couple who were target shooting at watermelon without a backstop 18-hundred feet away. No arrests were made, but police did confiscate the handguns used in the incident, and forwarded charges of criminal recklessness against the couple to prosecutors for consideration.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

13-year old Indiana girl threatened with gun to do sex acts

A 13-year old girl was in her home in Valparaiso, Indiana, when a man who was staying in the home, Wayne Han II, came into her room and threatened her with a gun, wanting her to do sex acts.  Luckily he backed down without forcing her to do so.  She then reported the incident and he was arrested.

From an article:

Police were notified about the allegations after the purported victim, who is 13, shared the story with two friends. They then went to a middle school counselor, according to authorities. 

The girl told her friends Han came into her bedroom during the early morning hours, climbed on top of her, placed a hand over her mouth and stuck the gun to her head, according to charging information. Han reportedly told the girl he wanted to touch her sexually. 

The girl said she was allowed to go to the bathroom and then reported the incident to her mother. Han told the girl's mother he went to the bedroom because he thought the girl was having a nightmare, police said. 

The girl said when she returned home from school, Han's mother and sister were at the house and had taken Han's guns away. 

Police said they interviewed Han on Friday and he said he woke Thursday morning with suicidal thoughts. While contemplating whether to kill himself, he reportedly heard a thud in the girl's room and decided he wanted to be with her more than he wanted to die. 

He admitted to the accusations and said he decided not to molest the girl because she asked not to be touched, police said. Han reportedly told police he had propositioned the girl two months earlier.

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14-year old Indiana boy brought stolen gun onto school bus

A 14-year old boy with gangster ties, in Portage, Indiana, was witnessed with a handgun on a school bus. The gun had been stolen from an 18-year old boy.

Another boy, age 12, had also been witnessed on the bus with a BB gun.

From an article:

The boy, who earlier in the week had been suspended from school and arrested on a possession of marijuana charge, is facing charges of dangerous possession of a firearm, a misdemeanor, and criminal gang activity, a felony.

According to police, School Resource Officer Greg Coleman received information Monday from a student that the student saw two other students on the school bus the previous week with handguns. During his investigation, Coleman contacted one of the students, a 12-year-old, who admitted possessing a BB gun last week at school. The student led Coleman to the BB gun, which he had hidden outside of his home. He was expelled from school.

The student then told Coleman that a second student had a real handgun.

On Wednesday that student was identified and Coleman made contact with the 14-year-old boy's mother, who gave Coleman and fellow School Resource Officer Mike Candiano permission to search her home. Officers located a handgun between the mattresses of the boy's bed.

The boy was brought by his mother to police for questioning and allegedly told police he had stolen the handgun two weeks ago from an 18-year-old friend in Gary. The boy also allegedly told police he was actively involved with the Gangster Disciples and their gang activity. He was arrested and transported to the juvenile detention center.

Note that the boy who brought the real gun onto school property is charged only with a misdemeanor for that offense, but a felony for having gang association.

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

Indianapolis girl shot by boy

A shooting at a residence in Indianapolis, Indiana led to a SWAT team called out and the lockdown of three area schools.

It turns out that it was an unintentional shooting of a girl by a boy, who had gotten hold of a loaded, unsecured gun.  The girl was taken to the hospital in critical condition.  The boy fled.

From an article:

Initially, police believed a gunman was barricaded inside the home. SWAT was called to the scene, but police later found he had fled the home before they arrived.

Three schools – Forest Glen Elementary, Sunnyside Elementary and Fall Creek Valley Middle School – were placed under a temporary lockdown. Lawrence Township Schools spokeswoman Mary Louise Bewley said students were allowed to move around the school, but guests were not permitted to enter during the lockdown.

Lawrence police Sgt. Matt Miller said the shooting appeared to be an accident involving two juveniles playing with a gun.

A girl who has not been identified was shot and taken to Methodist Hospital. She was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.

Police believe the boy fled the house after the incident, but was not a threat to the community.

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

7-year old Indiana girl shot and killed in home invasion

Kristyana Jackson, age 7

7-year old Kristyana Jackson had just returned home from a football game with her mother when three men invaded their home, in Elkhart, Indiana.  Her father opened the door and was shot and injured, then the men shot Kristyana in the head.  She later was declared braindead.

From an article and video:

So far police have released little information on this home invasion turned murder. In fact, Elkhart Police Department has released no information on the suspects.

But, neighbors and friends chose not to reflect on the suspects but rather remember the little girl who lost her life.

“She was my bestest friend,” wept Rachell Clifford, Kristyana’s second grade classmate and friend.  

“She’s just a really nice girl, like, she’s young, she’s happy,” said Shaneka Ballard of her younger cousin.

On Sunday, family and friends gathered to remember 7-year-old Kristyana in front of her home on Kilbourn Street in Elkhart. 

“They were just coming home from the Central-Memorial football game and some stuff happened,” explained Ballard of Friday night. “I don’t know exactly what happened or how the story went.”

But, neighbors remember the events of Friday night all too well.

“By the time I got out to the street, the father across the street had already exited the front door with a bloody arm, screaming, they shot my baby, they shot my baby,” remembers neighbor, Iverson Grove.  

According to neighbors, Kristyana was shot in the head when unknown suspects broke into her family’s home and opened fire. Neighbors say, her father, John Jackson was shot several times trying to protect his family.

(a related article).

13-year old Indianapolis boy shot and killed by felon during dispute

Jarrell Tucker, age 13

13-year old Jarrell Tucker, of Indianapolis, got into an argument with an adult neighbor's brother.  That's when the neighbor got involved and apparently shot the boy to death.  The neighbor, Glenn Beard, was a convicted felon who had recently been robbed.  Beard allegedly shot the boy in the head and leg, then fled.

Jarrell had recently been in trouble, including involvement in a recent robbery and beating, and came from a broken home.

From an article:

Tucker died at Riley Hospital on Monday afternoon after being shot Sunday night on North Denny Street on the Eastside.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed this afternoon in Marion Superior Court, Beard’s son told detectives that Jarrell tried to rob Beard’s brother in front of Beard’s house. Beard came out of the house to assist his brother, then punched Jarrell, according to the affidavit.

Beard’s brother then left in a car and Jarrell chased it with a brick. Jarrell returned to Beard’s back porch with another youth when Beard allegedly shot him twice, once in the head and once in the leg.

“I have to go,” Beard allegedly said afterward, and fled in a red pick-up.

Beard denied to police that he shot Jarrell and denied that he had a gun. He said he left the scene before the shooting.

Beard has a past criminal record. He was released from the Indiana Department of Correction last September after serving about two years of a six-year sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious felon. According to online DOC records, the Marion County conviction was for a Class B felony, just below the most serious Class A felony category.

A related article.

3-year old Indiana boy gets into unlocked gun safe and shoots self in wrist

A 3-year old boy in South Bend, Indiana, got into his family's unlocked gun safe and picked up a loaded gun, then shot himself in the wrist.

From an article:

 South Bend police say a 3-year-old boy who found an unlocked gun safe near where his mother was sleeping on a couch picked up the weapon and accidentally shot himself in the wrist.

A spokeswoman at Memorial Hospital says Eric Caprio was transferred to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health in Indianapolis, where he was in good condition Monday.

South Bend Police Lt. Cindy Kilgore says the boy's father works the midnight shift, so the mother keeps a gun nearby. Kilgore says the mother was unaware that her son was up and was awakened when she heard the gunshot about 7 a.m. Sunday.

Kilgore says no charges were filed because police determined the shooting was accidental. A copy of the police report was forwarded to Child Protective Services.

No charges were filed to hold the parents accountable.

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

3 year old Indiana boy shoots and kills own father

Adults should think about bringing loaded guns with them when they have small children. There has been another shooting by a young child who picked up a loaded gun and accidentally discharged it. This time in Indiana when a 3 year old shot and killed his own father:

Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin says the 33-year-old Martinsville man had brought his gun with him Friday to a home he was remodeling in Salem, about 25 miles (40 kilometres) northwest of Louisville, Kentucky.

Goodin says the man, his wife, their three children and a juvenile relative were at the home when the 3-year-old boy apparently found the gun and it accidentally discharged, fatally wounding the man.

Goodin says the case remains under investigation and prosecutors will determine if any adult should face charges. He calls the case a "tragic accident and a tragic mistake" of leaving a gun within a child's reach.

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

UPDATE (7/16/12):  The man's name was Michael Bayless.  From another article:

Michael Bayless, 33, was watching TV when his son gained access to the weapon and accidentally fired shots, according to a local ABC outlet. Bayless was pronounced dead on the scene.

No one else was injured.

Indiana State Police Sergeant Jerry Goodin suspects no foul play.

"We think that this is purely a tragic accident that happened," the officer told WLBT.

Neighbors in Salem are devastated at the turn of events. Bill Smith, the owner of a nearby general store, called the incident "a sad day in a nice family's life."

Police will continue to investigate why the weapon was within reach of a 3-year-old.

There are too many "tragic accidents" like this in America.

Two kids, ages 7 and 8, injured along with father in Indiana

Two children and their father were walking to a pool, in Washington, Indiana, when a gunman opened fire on them, injuring all three.

From an article:

Police say the shooting was reported around noon Monday in the 1900 block of Savannah Street. The victims were on their way to a swimming pool.

Police spokesman Anthony Clay says an 8-year-old boy who was shot in the ankle has suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but a 7-year-old child shot in the back is in critical condition.

The adult victim was shot in the leg. 

The circumstances of the shooting are under investigation.

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