Young child in California gets hold of cop's gun and injures him with it

A small child, "age 6 to 8," was attending a reading event in Lodi, California.  A police officer, who was on the SWAT team, was attending the event when the child came up to him, reached for the gun, and fired it.  The round hit the officer in the leg, injuring him.  There was no safety on the weapon.

From an article and news video:

The officer was showing off the department’s SWAT truck, vest and other gear at a children’s event called Reading Roundup on Aug. 24. 

“A small child, witnesses tell us was 6 to 8 years old, was able to walk up to the officer and was able to pull the trigger.”

The bullet hit the officer’s leg. He was taken to the hospital for a minor injury and released. 

The department is investigating the shooting to see if protocols or procedures need to be changed to prevent the same thing from happening again. 

Officers want to find the child and his parents to piece together what went wrong.

It's pretty obvious what went wrong.  Children and guns don't mix.

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

17-year old boy shot and killed by Chicago police

A 17-year old boy in Chicago, named Christian Green, was approached by police.  When he pulled out a gun, he was shot and killed.

From an article:

Shortly after 1 p.m.Thursday afternoon near 57th and State, Chicago police shot and killed 17-year-old Christian Green after police say Green ran from officers who tried to question him. 

Pat Camden is a spokesperson for the police union and says Green was armed.
"Individual at that point gun in hand pointing it at the officer,' Camden said. "The officers fire in defense of their life." 

But Thursday night, Green's brother is disputing the police account. 

"I know for a fact he didn't point no gun at no police," said Travail Fowler. "I know for a fact that's not my brother." 

And neighborhood residents say they believe Green was merely lighting off fireworks. 

"I heard he, they thought it was a gun, but it was a firecracker, like a Roman candle or something. He pulled it out, and police just started shooting," said Keaara Payton. 

"It's got nothing to do with fireworks," said Camden. "It's got to do with an illegal weapon being carried illegally by an individual who points it at the police putting them in danger of their life. 

Camden said a semi-automatic weapon was recovered at the scene. The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the shooting.

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17-year old Chicago boy shot and injured by police after he aimed gun at them

Police responded to a "shots fired" report in Chicago.  They found there a 17-year old boy, Marvin Thompson, with a handgun, which he raised at the officers.  The officers then shot the boy in the left leg.  The boy is now being charged.

From an article:

Marvin Thompson, 17, is accused of pointing a blue steel Colt Cobra .38 caliber handgun at officers at 3:12 p.m. Friday in the 2000 block of East 94th Street, according to court documents. 

The officers shot Thompson in the left leg and he remained at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn on Sunday, authorities said. A police officer stood in Thompson’s place before Cook County Judge James Brown. 

Before Thompson was wounded last week, Area South detectives heard shots fired near East 95th Street and South Jeffrey Boulevard and called for backup as they followed three people fleeing north, according to the Chicago Police. 

The detectives ordered one of the suspects, Thompson, to drop his gun, but instead he pointed it at detectives, who opened fire and shot him, police said. 

Thompson was charged with three counts of aggravated assault to a police officer with a firearm and one count each of aggravated discharge of a firearm at a police officer and unlawful use of a weapon.

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

16-year old New York boy shot and killed by police

Kimani Gray, age 16

A 16-year old boy in Brooklyn, named Kimani Gray, had just come from a party when he was seen by two plainclothes police "adjusting his waistband" in a "suspicious manner."

They confronted Kimani, at which point they said that the boy pulled out a loaded six-shot revolver.  The police then shot at Kimani 11 times, hitting him multiple times.  He soon died.  He never fired his weapon.

From an article:

The police said the officers, patrolling in an unmarked car in East Flatbush, came upon the teenager, identified as Kimani Gray, 16, in a group of men just before 11:30 p.m. 

The teenager separated himself from the group and adjusted his waistband in what the police described as a suspicious manner. 

As officers got out of the car to question him, Mr. Gray turned and pointed a .38-caliber Rohm revolver at them, the police said; two officers fired, hitting the teenager. 

He was pronounced dead a short time later at Kings County Hospital Center. 

Mr. Gray did not fire the handgun, which was recovered at the scene. Paul J. Browne, the chief spokesman for the Police Department, said the six-shot revolver was loaded with four live rounds. 

“After the anti-crime sergeant and police officer told the suspect to show his hands, which was heard by witnesses, Gray produced a revolver and pointed it at the officers, who fired a total of 11 rounds, striking Gray several times,” Mr. Browne said. 

Mr. Gray’s sister, Mahnefah Gray, 19, said that a witness to the shooting told her that her brother had been fixing his belt when he was shot. She, among others who knew Mr. Gray, said they had never known him to have a gun. Even if he had one on Saturday night, he would not have pointed it at police officers, Ms. Gray said. 

“He has common sense,” she said. 

A woman who lives across the street from the shooting scene said that after the shots were fired, she saw two men, whom she believed to be plainclothes officers, standing over Mr. Gray, who was prone on the sidewalk, clutching his stomach. 

“He said, ‘Please don’t let me die,’ ” said the woman, 46, who gave her name only as Vanessa. One of the officers, she said, replied: “Stay down, or we’ll shoot you again.” 

A cousin of Mr. Gray’s, Malike Vernon, 17, said that Mr. Gray had been at a party Saturday night in the area where he was killed. Mr. Gray, who was of Guyanese and Jamaican descent, grew up in the neighborhood, Mr. Vernon said.

(a related article, questioning the police choices)

The article didn't say where he got the gun and ammo.

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

Armed resource officer unintentionally fires his gun in school

After the Sandy Hook shooting, the Highland Central School District in Highland, New York, took the NRA's advise and began a program where an armed police resource officers patrolled its schools.

Yesterday, one of those officers unintentionally fired his weapon in the school.  Luckily no one was injured.

The program is now suspended.

From an article:

Police Officer Sean McCutcheon for the town of Lloyd, N.Y., accidentally fired his gun at 1:38 p.m. Tuesday in Highland High School's hallway, the district said. No one was injured, and no students or staff were nearby when the gun went off.  ...

Mark Wallen, 43, whose son is a senior at the high school, questioned the value of having armed guards in the schools. He called the choice to have an armed officer in schools a "knee-jerk reaction." 

"What if a kid had been killed? We got lucky this time and that's purely what it is," Wallen said. 

McCutcheon was assigned as a resource officer following a Jan. 3 special school board meeting, according to the district website. 

Following that meeting, district officials said they were discussing efforts to enhance safety and security in the buildings with local law enforcement. Administrators were exploring hiring trained security personnel with law-enforcement backgrounds and allowing them to carry their side arms in the building. 

Police Chief Daniel Waage assigned McCutcheon to the role while logistics and details for a more comprehensive plan are being developed. ...

McCutcheon, a veteran police officer who served more than two decades with the New Paltz, N.Y., police before joining the Lloyd police, was on routine patrol with no one around when he mistakenly shot his gun, Lloyd Supervisor Paul Hansut said. 

He is a part-time officer with Lloyd and is the only school resource officer in the Highland district. He rotates between the three school buildings, Haab said.

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7-year old Nevada boy shot and killed in double murder/suicide/arson by police father

A 7-year old boy and his mother were shot to death in their Boulder City, Nevada home by the father, Hans Walters, a 20-year veteran and lieutenant of the Las Vegas police force.  After reporting the killing, the father then said he would shoot anyone who came to the scene, then set his home on fire.  When authorities arrived, Walters showed up with a gun at the door, then went back in and shot himself to death.  The home and bodies burned.

From an article:

Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said a man called 911 at about 8:20 a.m. Monday and told a dispatcher he killed his wife and child, set his house afire and would shoot anyone who approached. 

The home is owned by Hans Walters, according to Clark County assessor records. Many know Walters as a Las Vegas police lieutenant married to a former Las Vegas police officer, Kathryn Walters. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that she left the department in 2005. 

Boulder City police arrived to find the homeowner with a handgun in the doorway of the burning house before he retreated back inside and apparently killed himself, Paul said. 

No shots were fired by police or SWAT officers from Henderson and North Las Vegas who later found the bodies of a 52-year-old man, a 46-year-old woman and a boy inside, Paul said. Officials said the boy was believed to be about 7. 

"We're investigating the incident as a murder-suicide at this time," Paul said.

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Two Oregon teens shoot police car and other motorists with pellet gun

Two teen boys, ages 14 and 15, shot at and hit a police car and three other moving vehicles with a pellet gun, in Pleasant Hill, Oregon.  Luckily, no one was hurt or any traffic accidents.

From an article:

The two youths - a 14-year-old from Pleasant Hill and a 15-year-old from Coburg - were cited and released to their parents. The Lane County Sheriff's Office said the two face multiple counts of reckless endangering and criminal mischief. 

The sheriff's office got a report of projectiles hitting cars on Cloverdale Road just after 8:20 p.m. Saturday. When the first deputy responded to the scene, his vehicle was also struck by a pellet, the sheriff's office said. 

Three motorists reported damage to their vehicles, including a rear side window of a car with two small children seated in the backseat. 

No injuries or traffic accidents were reporting in connection to the incident.

Pellet guns aren't toys.

Two Ohio teens arrested for shooting in Toledo

A man was shot in the buttocks in Toledo.  When officers responded, they pursued two teen suspects, one of which dropped a gun in the chase, the other trades shots with the police officer before being caught.

From an article:

Neither the officer nor the suspect was hit, and no injuries were reported. Police on Thursday night arrested two teenage male suspects believed to be involved in a Nicholas Street shooting. 

The Toledo Police Department received reports just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday of a person shot in the buttocks on the 500 block of Nicholas Street. Lt. Mark King said the person was taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio, for a nonlife threatening injury. His name was not released. 

A nearby police car heard the shooting report, and officers saw two people walking down an alley off Nicholas Street, Mr. King said. 

Officers decided to investigate the two people, and when one officer got out of the car the two suspects ran in separate directions. 

One suspect was lost in the darkness and dropped or threw a gun as he jumped a fence; police later found and arrested that suspect. Mr. King said he did not know where the arrest occurred. 

An officer chased the other suspect for about 60 feet. That suspect then stopped, turned around, and fired one shot at the officer, Mr. King said. The round struck a garage on the alley off Nicholas Street. The officer, whose name was not released, immediately fired one shot and did not hit the suspect, Mr. King said. The suspect started to run again, the officer lost sight of him in the darkness, and then put out a description of him. 

A second police crew heard the shooter's description and saw someone running who matched it. The officer’s police car slid over wet grass and hit a fence in the yard of a house on the 500 block of Carlton Street. Mr. King said the police car hit the fence, which hit the suspect and knocked the suspect down. 

Police officers found a gold-colored gun and two live rounds and one spent round underneath the suspect, Mr. King said.

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

14-year old Santa Ana boy commits "suicide-by-cop" using shotgun

Jose Rodriguez Jr., age 14

Police in Santa Ana, California, responded to a 911 call about a suspicious person with a gun.  When they arrived, they found 14-year old Jose Rodriguez Jr. holding a shotgun.  Both the police and family members yelled for him to drop the gun, but he instead raised it at police.  The police then shot.  He later died.

It turns out that Jose had been the one to call 911.  A suicide note was found in his room.

From an article and video:

When they arrived, they saw a male standing on the north side of Wisteria holding a pistol-gripped shotgun, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. 

Officers ordered him to drop the weapon, but instead he pointed the shotgun in their direction, Bertagna said.

The officers fired an unknown number of shots at the teen, wounding him. 

The teen, identified as Jose Rodriguez Jr. of Santa Ana, was taken to a trauma center, where he later died. 

Bertagna said investigators are trying to determine why Rodriguez would have of a shotgun and why he called police. 

"Based on scene evidence, Rodriguez is the person who called 911 reporting a man with a gun," said Bertagna, who declined to elaborate. 

After obtaining a search warrant for the boy's room, officers discovered a suicide note, according to Bertagna.

Its contents were not made public. 

Rodriguez, a freshman at Segerstrom High School, was a good student with good attendance, said Deidra Powell, a Santa Ana Unified School District spokeswoman.

The article did not say where Jose had gotten the shotgun.

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

15-year old Chicago boy engaged in gun battle with cop; both wounded

A 15-year old boy was with friends in Chicago when they were stopped by a policeman for suspicious activity.  The boy and the officer both pulled their guns and a shootout ensued, with both the boy and officer wounded.

From an article:

About 8 p.m., plain-clothes officers stopped three teenage boys for “suspicious activity,” police said. But the 15-year-old boy fired at the officers and “engaged in a gun battle,” said Police Supt. Garry McCarthy. 

But at least two residents said the officer shot his gun first. 

The teen was in serious condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. 

The officer, a five-year veteran and member of the department’s Area South gun team, was “in good shape” at the same hospital. McCarthy said the officer was joking with him before going into surgery. 

The officer was “very fortunate,” “in pain” and “annoyed,” McCarthy added.
Police detained the other two boys — 15 and 16. 

Officers recovered a 380 automatic weapon on the scene, said McCarthy, who added several shots were fired.

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

15-year old San Francisco boy fatally shot after pointing gun at officer

Derrick Gaines, age 15

On June 5 of this year, a 15-year old boy, Derrick Gaines, was "acting suspiciously" at a gas station in South San Francisco, along with another boy.  A police officer arrived.  The boy pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it at the police officer.  The officer responded by shooting the boy and fatally wounding him.

The police officer has been cleared and the shooting has been ruled as justified.

The boy had had run-ins with the police in the past.

From an article:

Around 9 p.m. Tuesday, an officer came across two pedestrians in the 2300 block of Westborough Boulevard who were allegedly acting suspicious, police Capt. Mike Brosnan said at a news conference Wednesday.

When asked to stop, one of the two juveniles complied while the other did not and allegedly produced a firearm from his waistband, Brosnan said.

The officer then determined it was a dangerous situation and shot the boy.

The officer and other personnel who had been called to the area administered CPR and other live-saving efforts before the boy was taken to a hospital, where he died, Brosnan said.

There was danger to the nearby businesses and patrons at the ARCO gas station when the boy refused to comply with police and produced a weapon, Brosnan said.

“SSFPD is not accustomed to this sort of behavior,” Brosnan said.

The weapon the boy had is in police custody and the suspect’s companion was not detained, he said.

The captain also said the suspects were known to police and that the officer had initiated contact with the two boys.

 Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.
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15-year old Oregon boy attempts to get cop's gun to commit "suicide-by-cop"

Police attempted to stop a 15-year old boy who was riding a bike down a Springfield, Oregon street at 2AM, after curfew.  The boy fled, but was eventually tracked down with the help of a K9 unit.  When the police officer tried approached the boy, the boy tried to take the gun, yelling "Just shoot me!" and hoping to be shot in response.  The boy was controlled using the dog and taken into custody without a shooting occurring.

From an article:

The incident started with a 15-year-old riding his bike along Harlow road in Springfield early Friday morning. He was riding without a headlight after curfew. At around 2:40 a.m. a Springfield Police officer pulled up next to the youth and asked him to stop. The boy fled into a nearby apartment complex and temporarily lost the officer. 

A K9 unit responded to the scene to help the officer search for the rider. The K9, Bronko, was able to pick up the rider's scent and followed him to a field off of Laura Street. The officers found the boy's abandoned bike in the field. 

The team followed the rider's scent to some berry bushes, where they muzzled Bronko and sent him into the brush to find the boy. Bronko soon began barking to alert the officers that he has found the rider. 

When officers found the boy, he was pushing Bronko away from him. The K9 officer challenged the teen, who fled further into the bushes. 

The officer finally reached the boy, who began grabbing at the officer's gun, yelling "just shoot me!". The officer de-muzzled Bronko and ordered him to bite the youth. He was unresponsive to the dog's bites. 

The officers and Bronko eventually get control of the boy and put him in handcuffs.
After he was detained the teen said he was grabbing at the officer's gun to shoot one of the officers, in the hopes that the other would shoot him. 

The boy was taken to the SERBU youth center on multiple charges including possession of marijuana, a probation violation, two counts of harassment on police, resisting arrest and interfering with a police animal.

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17-year old Portland boy wounded in Police gang task force stop

17-year old boy wounded in police shooting

During an investigation of a gang member in Portland, Oregon, members of the Portland Police Bureau’s Gun Task Force and Gang Enforcement Team witnessed a 17-year old boy come out of the suspect's apartment with a gun.  They followed the boy and pulled him over, but when he was asked to reveal the gun, he ran.  Police fired a beanbag round and a live round.  The bullet grazed the boy's right thigh.  A chase ensued and the boy was caught.  He had ditched two handguns in the chase.


From an article:

East Precinct Officer Greg Moore, who had just started riding alone during his final phase of probation, was the officer who fired a single shot from his handgun at a fleeing 17-year-old boy after the teenager Tuesday ran from a high-risk felony car stop. Moore, who was hired March 24, 2011, fired one shot. Portland Officer Dennis Wilcox had fired one beanbag from a less-lethal beanbag shotgun.  The 17-year-old boy was booked late Tuesday night into the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention on allegations of four counts of unlawful use of a firearm after he was treated at a local hospital for his injuries. He was wounded by Moore's bullet in the right thigh, police said Wednesday.....The 17-year-old has a prior juvenile conviction for third-degree robbery and was on probation for a year, which ended in December. 

Tuesday's encounter between police and the teen occurred after members of the Portland Police Bureau’s Gun Task Force and Gang Enforcement Team had been conducting surveillance on an apartment in Southeast Portland.  

Unit 39 at 646 SE 148th Ave was to be the subject of a federal search warrant, stemming from an investigation into tampering with witnesses and linked to the pending felon in possession of a firearm indictment against Sid Willis, a Crip gang member. 

While doing surveillance, Portland officers saw the teenager come out with a gun, "showing it off," police said.

(a related link with article and news videos)


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

3-year old Chicago girl gets hold of father's gun during traffic stop

Police pulled over a vehicle in Chicago because two children in it weren't wearing seatbelts or using child seats.  When they asked an occupant of the car to step out, a 3-year old girl in the car got hold of the man's loaded .9mm handgun.  Police got her to drop the weapon.

Also in the car, besides the other child, was a male driver, the girl's mother, and the girl's grandmother, for a total of six people.

From an article:

Queshawn King, 19, of the 3300 block of West Monroe Street, was charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon for having a loaded weapon inside the vehicle, misdemeanor endangering the life and health of a child, and misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card, police said.

King was one of six people inside a vehicle that police stopped because they saw two children inside who were not in car seats or wearing seatbelts late Wednesday night in the 3800 block of West Gladys Avenue, according to a police report.

As a police officer walked toward the vehicle, the officer saw King, who was in the rear passenger seat making “furtive’’ downward movements toward the 3-year-old child who was in the center rear seat of the vehicle.

The officer asked King to step out of the vehicle to talk to them and found King to be “extremely nervous,’’ according to the report. He was breathing heavily, stuttering and his hands were shaking.

During their discussion, the officer heard King yell: “Fatty, Fatty, Fatty” -- the 3-year-old’s nickname -- several times.

A police sergeant who was approaching the vehicle’s front passenger side then saw the toddler holding a handgun while sitting in King’s seat, the report said.

When the sergeant tried to recover it from the child she threw the loaded 9 mm weapon to the floor of the vehicle, according to the report.

The gun had eight live rounds in it, but it did not discharge at any time. No one was hurt.

The other occupants -- a man who was behind the wheel, and the 3-year-old’s mother and grandmother -- were also interviewed and they told police the gun did not belong to them.

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

15-year old Arizona boy shot in leg during "suicide by cop" attempt

A 15-year old boy in Surprise, Arizona, near Phoenix, apparently called for police and then appeared to them with a rifle when they responded.  He raised the weapon, in an apparent "suicide by cop" attempt, and was shot at least once in the leg.

From the article:

Shortly after 9 a.m., police received an emergency call about a person with a rifle who was in the backyard of a house.

Based on evidence on scene and statements made by the teen, they determined he was the one who called police and requested an officer, police say.

Two officers arrived and were immediately "confronted" by a juvenile holding a rifle, Anzini said.

The officers repeatedly told the teenager to drop the weapon. The teenager, who lives at the residence, ignored the officers' commands. The youth eventually pointed the rifle at the officers, Anzini said. The officers fired at him and struck the teen at least once. It is unclear how many times he was shot, the police spokesman said.

The teeanger was taken to John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital, Fire Department spokeswoman Renee Hamblin said.

An adult male, who may be an older sibling of the teenager, was home at the time of the shooting, police say.

The police say it is unclear whether or not drugs or alcohol may have been involved in the incident.

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

4-year old boy in Texas shoots self to death with mother's gun

4-year old Jaylen Johnson, the son of a jailer, got into his mother's car in Tyler, Texas, and found her gun.  He then shot himself in the head with it, dying from the wound.

From the article and news video:

"If you've got a gun in the house," [neighbor Brenda Pogue] says, "and you've got children of any age, you need to lock your gun up where they cannot get it because kids are curious and they don't know what they're getting a hold of."

Police say the danger doesn't just lie inside your house.

"Even in your vehicle," says Sgt. Jacks. "If a child knows it's there or even if they're just roaming around, they're likely to find it. It needs to be locked up."

Pogue says it's imperative to teach your kids that guns are not toys.

"It's not like you see on TV," she says. "The person that gets shot on TV can get up, but a person that gets shot in real life cannot get up."

The consequences are very real, and in this case, fatal.

"A child can die," Pogue says.

The Tyler Police Major Crimes Unit is investigating the incident. At this point there have been no charges filed.

Leaving a readily dischargeable weapon firearm around a child can be charged as a Class A Misdemeanor.

Here's a better idea:  don't have a gun in a home with a child.

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

17-year old Utah boy with Down's almost shot because of toy gun

Police in Clinton, Utah spotted a shadowy figure with a gun late at night.  He didn't respond to verbal commands, and nearly got shot before they managed to see the tiny red tip at the end of the toy gun he was holding.  The boy turned out to have Down's Syndrome and had gotten out of his home late at night.

From the article:

"I saw someone crouched by the van," Benedict said. "At that time, the deputy I was training stated that she saw a gun."

They pulled around for a closer look, from about a couple dozen yards away.

"As I flipped around, I did see a gentleman crouched down by the van in a tactical position, and he was pointing a gun," Benedict said. The officers had to be careful and their training kicked in.

"I called out the location, asked for additional units," Benedict said.

Then the teen turned and pointed the gun toward the officers. As officers pulled their weapons, calling for the boy to drop his, Benedict said the teen just turned around, keeping the gun at his side.

It was a standoff for a few seconds. "As he was walking away, we were closing the distance, giving verbal commands to drop the weapon," Benedict said.

But it wasn't until the officers got much closer that they could see the 17-year-old was holding a plastic toy gun with an orange tip and that he had Down syndrome.
....
Still, toy or not, deputies said in the dark it all seems very real and dangerous. "(What was) going through my mind is that this was a threat to mine and my partner’s lives," Benedict recalled.

Police say parents need to be aware that those real-looking guns, even the ones with orange tips, can be dangerous, especially since some criminals have painted orange tips on their real weapons.

The teen’s mother said the boy loves the police and was playing “policeman.”

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10-year old Spokane policeman's daughter shoots herself with father's gun

A 10-year old girl, the daughter of a Spokane, Washington police officer, got hold of her father's unsecured duty weapon, and shot herself in the leg.

From the article:

The 10-year-old daughter of a veteran Spokane police officer was in stable condition after shooting herself in the leg on Easter with her father's duty weapon, authorities said.

Officer Barry O'Connell, an 18-year veteran of the Police Department, has taken time off to care for his daughter. When he returns, he will be assigned to desk duty while an investigation by Spokane County sheriff's detectives is under way, police said.

The girl was at the family home Sunday when she shot herself in the leg, sheriff's Deputy Craig Chamberlin said. She was taken to a hospital.

Detectives have not determined how she got the gun or where it was before the shooting, Chamberlin said.

"We are gathering all the facts to make a determination if there was anything criminal," he said.
After the sheriff's investigation is complete, O'Connell will face an internal Police Department investigation into possible policy violations, police Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said.

This is the fourth reported child shooting in seven weeks in Washington state and the second involving a law enforcement officer's child.

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

UPDATE (5/7/12):  The father will not be charged for allowing the gun to get into his daughter's hands.  From the article:

Barry O'Connell is a veteran Spokane officer. Last month, his 10-year old daughter got a hold of his weapon at their home and shot herself in the leg. She was hospitalized and released a few days later. O'Connell was placed on paid leave by the police department and the Spokane County Sheriff's office was brought in to investigate the case. They handed over their report to prosecutors last week.

Thursday morning, prosecutors announced they will not seek criminal charges against O'Connell and detailed what happened the day of the shooting. It was Easter Sunday and prosecutors say O'Connell cleaned his gun and put it on the dresser near his bedroom window. The family went to church, then came home and had their Easter dinner.

The 10-year old finished dinner early, then went upstairs with her friend. Though her parents' bedroom was off limits, the girls went into the room so they could look out into their backyard to try and see where Easter eggs were hidden. They began to play with the gun on the nearby dresser; the gun went off, hitting O'Connell's daughter in the leg.

According to prosecutors, the O'Connell children had been taught about gun safety and the dangers of guns. That's why prosecutors say, "By all study and legal review, this is an accidental shooting. It may rise to the level of negligence, but does not constitute chargeable criminal conduct under these facts."

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15-year old Missouri boy killed by police

Lavon Peete, age 15

15-year old Lavon Peete was in the Glascow Village area of St. Louis, Missouri, visiting his cousin, when he was shot and killed by a St. Louis police officer. 

When the officer arrived to investigate a report of gunshots, he found Lavon with two other boys, and Lavon had a sawed-off shotgun.  After being warned to drop the weapon, but instead turning the gun toward the officer, the boy was shot and killed.

Lavon had prior behavioral problems which put him into a special school program.

From the article and news video:

Police said they heard gunshots, so an officer went to the scene. The officer found three males in a common area behind a vacant home in Glasgow Village that had previously been burglarized. They said one of the teens was holding a sawed-off shotgun.

The officer demanded the teen drop the gun. The teen then pointed the gun at the officer, so the officer fired shots hitting the teen, according to police.

The teen died at the scene.

Police said the officers found shell casings and live ammo in Peete's pockets. They are searching for the two teens that ran away.

Lavon's family is disputing the police story and demanding an investigation.

Fitch said the officer was "clearly upset that he had to take this action" and that Lavon Peete's age "is really weighing on the officer's mind."

"What in the world is a 15-year-old doing in a residential neighborhood with a sawed-off rifle at that time of night?" Fitch asked. "And his family deserves an answer to that."

Lavon Peete was the youngest of five children. Family members said they have a hard time reconciling his personality with the police account.

"He was a very loving, caring little boy and would never hurt anybody," said his sister, Aigner Turman, 19.

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

17-year old boy shot by police in Charleston

Carlton Lamont Pringle, age 17

A 17-year old Charleston, South Carolina boy, Carlton Lamont Pringle, is recovering after having been shot by police.  A surveillance video showed the shooting, which seems to corroborated the police account that the boy had a 9mm gun and turned to shoot at the officer who was chasing him.  One of the boy's Facebook pictures also shows the boy with a 9mm handgun.  Despite this, the family claims Carlton wasn't the sort.

From the article:

Surveillance video of the shooting, taken from a business at the corner of Gaynor Street and Hock Avenue, shows Pringle running and turning briefly toward Dipaolo, who then fires his sidearm. Critics said the video’s quality is too poor to discern whether Pringle had a gun and pointed it. 

As Pringle writhes on the pavement, Dipaolo holds him a gunpoint and kicks something onto the grass toward himself. Police officials later would release a photo of a Hi-Point 9 mm lying on the grass. 

The gun they say Pringle had pointed at Dipaolo bears resemblance to the one he holds in his left hand and points toward the camera in the Facebook photo. A friend smokes beside him as they both display their middle fingers. 

Capt. Scott Deckard, a police spokesman, said detectives were of aware of the photo, but they do not know if it features the same gun they collected from the shooting scene Sunday.

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