16 year old Tennessee boy shot in head accidentally by friend

Two Tennessee teens were playing "army" when one of the teens shot the other in the head:

A teen told police he accidentally shot his friend while they were “playing army” in his home in Knoxville.

Kenneith Lampkin, 16, of the North Side died at 12:55 a.m. Monday in UPMC Mercy, where he was taken after the shooting that police say occurred at 5:29 p.m. Saturday in a home on Zara Street, a spokesman for the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said.

Joseph Robinson Jr., 16, was arrested on Sunday on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and firearms violations. Robinson, charged as an adult, told police “he accidentally shot the victim while pointing a gun at him and having his finger on the trigger,” the criminal complaint states.

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

Tennessee child unintentionally shot in the head at a home

A child and his friend were at a home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and handled an unsecured, loaded firearm.

One child pulled the trigger and hit the other in the back of the head.

Luckily, it appears the child may survive.

From an article:

Investigators tell Channel 3 that upon their arrival they found a child suffering from a significant bullet wound to the back of the head.

It was reported to police that the juvenile was with a friend and the two were handling a loaded firearm when the friend pulled the trigger of a small caliber revolver and accidentally struck the victim in the back of the head.

Investigators say the child was conscious and talking to officers and was brought to the hospital by his mother and is currently being treated for the injury that is believed to be non-life threatening

Investigators did recover the weapon. The investigation is ongoing and more information will be released when available.

The article doesn't say how the children got hold of the gun.

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

16-year old Tennessee boy shoots 17-year old boy at school

A 16-year old boy and a 17-year old boy had been fighting over a girl, at Liberty Technology Magnet High School in Jackson, Tennessee.  After school, the 17-year old approached the 16-year old.

That's when the younger boy pulled out a handgun and shot the 17-year old in the thigh.  The shooter fled, but was later caught.

The shooting happened on school property, just outside the school doors.

From an article:

Police said on Friday that investigators have learned the 16-year-old suspect and 17-year-old shooting victim had been in a previous disagreement concerning a female Liberty student. When school was dismissed Thursday afternoon, the 17-year-old approached the 16-year-old outside the building, police said.There was an altercation, and the 16-year-old shot the 17-year-old once in the thigh with a handgun, investigators said.

The 17-year-old did not have a gun.

“The 17-year-old approached the shooter,” Jackson police Capt. Tyreece Miller said. “If (the victim) had not approached (the shooter) we don’t think he would have shot him.”

The 16-year-old is charged with aggravated assault, carrying a weapon on school property, alteration of an item with permanent distinguishing numbers because the serial numbers had been altered on the handgun, and tampering with evidence.

The shooting victim remained in the hospital Friday in stable condition, police said.

The 16-year-old is charged with assault because authorities do not believe he intended to kill the victim, Miller said.

The gun's serial number had been filed off.  Where did the boy get his gun?

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

10 year old Memphis, Tennessee boy shoots his brother on Christmas Day

A Christmas Day "accidental" shooting resulted in the death of a 10 year old Tennessee boy. From an article:

A 10-year-old Memphis boy was killed when police say his own brother accidentally shot him on Christmas Day.

Jim Devine stood on his front porch Christmas Day, beside a "God So Loved" stop the violence sign. 

"This is really sad," he said. 

Across the street, he watched as police responded to the call that a 10-year-old boy was shot in a home full of people celebrating the holiday. 

"I'm sorry to hear it.  It's on Christmas Day and I wish he had enjoyed his Christmas," a neighbor said. (...) 

Police say the boys were in a bedroom playing with an unsecured gun. 

Investigators say an adult family member was in the room during the shooting, but didn't notice the children discovered the gun until it fired. 

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

15 year old Tennessee boy shot while toilet papering neighbor's house

A Tennessee man shot a 15 year old boy while he was toilet papering the home of a neighbor. From the article:

A Tennessee man is facing multiple charges after shooting a 15-year-old boy with a shotgun when he saw him using toilet paper to “roll” a neighbor’s home.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Chris Guess told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that Dale Bryant Farris had observed several teens spreading toilet paper around the yard of Huntland School Principal Ken Bishop on the night of Oct. 20.

“Some kids got out at a residence over there to roll it with toilet paper and this gentleman came out of his residence a couple of houses over and shot one of the teenagers who was rolling this other guy’s yard,” the officer explained.

“He got peppered pretty good,” Guess said. “The problem is they were not on his [Farris'] property and they were not doing anything to his property.”

According to the Times Free Press, the teen was shot “in the right foot, inner left knee, right palm, right thigh and right side of his torso above the waistline.”

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

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

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

From an article:

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

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

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

12 year old Tennessee girl shot in drive-by shooting

A 12 year old Memphis girl was hospitalized on Saturday after a drive-by shooting:

Memphis Police were called to the Graceland Farms Apartments just before 5:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

MPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Karen Rudolph tells WREG the girl was hit in the ankle and was taken to Le Bonheur in non-critical condition.

One person has been detained, but there is no word on any charges at this time.

6-month old Tennessee girl killed when parents fight over handgun

A couple were involved in a domestic dispute, in Knoxville, Tennessee, and were fighting over a handgun.  At their feet were one of their small children, a 6-month old girl.  The gun was discharged, hitting the father in the hand and then hitting the child in the head.  She soon died.

From an article and news video:

According to documents a witness in the house at the time of the shooting overheard the child's parents fighting over a handgun while the baby girl sat at their feet.

The witness says she then heard a struggle. The gun went off, striking the father in the hand and hitting the baby girl in the head.

It happened around 1:30 Wednesday on Alcoa Highway in South Knoxville. Officers are not yet saying how many rounds were fired. The handgun was recovered at the scene.

The couple had previously been charged with arson.

1 year old Tennessee boy injured

We are reporting on yet another shooting of a baby. This one, in Tennessee, involved an apparent stray bullet which came through a home and hit the little boy in the head:

Jackson police are investigating a shooting that injured a 1-year-old boy at The Villages at Old Hickory Apartments, at 550 Old Hickory Blvd., shortly before 11 p.m. Monday.

A bullet came into the child's apartment from outside, hitting the boy in the head, investigators said. The bullet fractured the child's skull, but did not hit his brain, police said.

The child was taken to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in critical condition and was awaiting transfer to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis late Monday night.

Police said the shooter was in a small red small car, possibly a Fiat. Witnesses told police there were three black men in dark clothes in the car. No arrests were made Monday night.

Police said a burglary was reported at the same apartment earlier Monday and they were investigating whether the burglary and the shooting were connected.

Witnesses said they heard one or two rounds fired.

Little children should be safe from stray bullets flying around on their streets.

Three teen girls and their mother shot by mother's boyfriend in Tennessee

An argument took place in an apartment in Nashville, Tennessee, between 39-year-old Earnest Woodley and his girlfriend, Nicole Luke.  

Woodley, a convicted felon for second-degree murder, assault, and drug charges, then pulled out a gun and started shooting, injuring Nicole and her twin 14-year old daughters.  Woodley then went outside and shot and injured Luke's 15-year old daughter, who was sitting in a vehicle.  Woodley then fled.  Other children in the apartment were, luckily, unharmed.

From an article:

Police said "Woodley and Nicole Luke were reportedly moving to Memphis when they stopped by Woodley's cousin's apartment...to say goodbye." They parked two vehicles outside, a U-Haul full of their belongings and a Chevrolet Traverse.

Woodley, Luke and twins Deona and Keona Luke went inside while Luke's 15-year-old daughter, Kierra Smith, stayed inside the SUV.

Woodley's cousin told police that the couple argued inside the apartment and Woodley shot Luke and the twins before going outside and firing into the SUV, wounding Smith, the news release said.

Three other children inside the apartment, including the couple's 3-year-old daughter, were not harmed.

Police said Woodley ran into the woods after the shooting, wearing blue shorts and a gray t-shirt.

The police department's domestic violence division said it has no prior history on the family.

The news release said Woodley's parole expired in 2010. In addition to his murder conviction, he has a long arrest record in Nashville and felony convictions in Shelby County for aggravated assault and cocaine possession, police said,

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17 year old Tennessee teen dies after being shot in head outside of gas station

A BP gas station was the scene of a shooting last week-end where a 17 year old teen was shot in the head and later died of his injuries:

Brownsville Police say more than 20 shots pierced the darkness on Norris Street in Brownsville, Friday night. Neighbors say they ran inside to avoid the gun fire that left one seventeen year old with critically wounded. 

Monica West lives on Norris Street and heard the gun shots. 

"We thought it was a fire cracker, but it was a gun going off. We couldn't tell what direction it was coming from so we just stayed in the house last night till it was over with," she said.

Brownsville Police said around 9:15 P.M. they received reports of shots being fired. A few minutes later they received an emergency call from a BP gas station saying a male victim had been shot in the head. 

Lt. Chuck Willis says the shooting happened on Norris street and why the teenagers drove from the scene of the crime about a tenth of a mile to the nearby gas station is still under investigation.

Lt. Willis says after questioning the seventeen year old driver of the car he was taken into custody. He is currently being held at a Shelby County Juvenile Detention Center. 

"The juvenile that's in custody now was charged with reckless endangerment and possession of a hand gun," Willis said. 

Willis says Brownsville Police worked both the gas station and Norris Street crime scenes until around 5:00 A.M. He believes more shooters may have been involved because more than twenty shots were fired. 

"I think it's more sad than anything, maybe not surprising but saddening. These are two individuals who haven't even started their lives yet," he said. 

Both the teen arrested as well as the gun shot victim are seventeen and from Hardeman County. The victim was airlifted to the Med in Memphis and died over the weekend

"We just gotta pray for these kids and just pray everything will be alright because we got way to many young folk dying on the streets now," neighbor Monica West said. 

Brownsville Police say they are still investigating what the teenagers were doing in the city. 

"This violent act may end one life and will definitely or possibly end another for the rest of his life in prison," Lt. Willis said.

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

13 month old Tennessee baby shot when father's gun discharged accidentally

There seem to be a lot of these sorts of incidents of late. A 13 month old was shot and injured when her father was taking his gun apart and it discharged:

A 13-month-old child remains hospitalized, and her father is behind bars after police said the girl was shot in the chest.

The incident happened Sunday shortly after 11 p.m. at the East Gate Apartment Complex.  Tullahoma police responded to unit H8 to find the baby shot in the chest.

Police reported the child's father, 26-year-old Kevin Sayre, was taking apart a handgun inside the apartment, when a 9mm round was discharged, striking the victim in the chest.

The child was initially transported to Harton Regional Medical Center ER, but was later flown to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. 

The child remains in stable, but critical condition. Family members said they believe she will make a full recovery.

Tullahoma Police Chief Paul Blackwell said police see this type of incident far too often.  He said owners need to be very careful when cleaning or handling their guns.

Some good advice was delivered by the Police Chief.

4-year old Tennessee child gets loaded handgun and shoots woman to death

Wilson County Deputy Daniel Fanning, age 51, was showing off his guns to another relative in the bedroom of his home in Wilson County, Tennessee, during a gathering, when a 4-year old child, related to him, entered the room.  The child got hold of one of the loaded handguns put on the bed by the deputy and fired it, hitting Fanning's wife, Josephine, and killing her.

From an article:

The shooting occurred while Wilson County Deputy Daniel Fanning, 51, was with another relative looking at guns in a bedroom of the home, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The 4-year-old and Josephine Fanning walked into the bedroom where a loaded weapon was on top of the bed, TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said. The child picked up the gun and fired one round, which killed Josephine Fanning.

Alcohol was present at the gathering, Helm said. Daniel Fanning was not on duty at the time of the shooting.

The gun fired by the 4-year-old was Fanning’s personal weapon and not a police gun, Helm said. The 4-year-old was a relative of Daniel and Josephine Fanning, police said.

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

10-month old boy unintentionally shot and killed by father in Tennessee hotel room

A 10-month old boy, Adam Bass, was in a Nashville, Tennessee hotel room with his father, mother, and two brothers, ages 2 and 3, when his father, Larry Bass, handled a loaded handgun.  The father unintentionally fired the gun, hitting Adam in the chest and killing him.

The family was visiting from Texas.

From an article:

Officers responded to the Extended Stay America hotel on Elm Hill Pike, within three minutes of getting the call at 6:42 p.m. Thursday.

Police spokesman Don Aaron said the child, Adam Bass, had been shot in the chest, adding that one of the detectives attempted CPR but couldn’t save him. The child would have turned 1year old in May.

Investigators have learned that the father, Larry Bass, 30, the mother, Jacquelin Bass, 28, and two siblings, both boys, ages 2 and 3 years old, were in the room at the time of the shooting, Aaron said. The father was handling a semiautomatic pistol when the gun went off.

“There’s been some suggestion that there was a mechanical problem with the gun,” Aaron said.

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3-year old Tennessee boy shoots self with aunt's gun

A 3-year old boy was in his home in Manchester, Tennessee, when his aunt went to the bathroom, leaving her loaded .380 handgun on the bathroom counter.

The boy found the gun and played with it, shooting himself through the head.

Amazingly, the boy is expected to live.

From an article:

His aunt told police she had to use the bathroom, so she removed her .380 handgun and placed it on the countertop. She apparently forgot about the firearm when her son began to act up and exited the bathroom. 

The 3-year-old's older sister then entered to draw a bath for him, according to WSMV-TV. While she was filling the tub, the toddler grabbed the gun and shot himself in the head. 

His sister told investigators she saw her little brother play with the firearm, but thought it was one of his toy guns. 

Detectives say the bullet passed through the child's skull and exited. 

The boy was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where doctors are calling him "the luckiest kid on earth" and say he is expected to survive. 

The toddler was "conscious and fighting with nurses" on Saturday, lead investigator for the Manchester Police Dept. Billy Butler told the Manchester Times. 

He was listed in stable condition on Sunday, according to WKRN-TV. 

Investigators ruled the shooting accidental and the child's parents will not be charged.

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

16-year old girl injured, and 16-year old boy caught with gun, in Memphis shooting

A teen party was being held at the Zodiac restaurant and lounge, at night, across from a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Memphis, Tennessee, when around 300 of the teens were turned out of the club.  From an article:

“When we reached capacity, we had our courtesy officers to tell every child to leave our lot, call their rides or whatever they needed to do. We are just trying to give back to the community and we are giving them something to do,” said manager at Zodiac Restaurant and Lounge Anita Poplar.

Several dozen of those teens then went over the to Walmart store, where there were then reports of "looting and vandalizing" of the store by the teens.

Then shots were fired inside the Walmart store.  When police responded, they found a 16-year old girl shot in the leg, and a 21-year old security guard shot and injured.

A 16-year old boy was caught with a rifle, and another was arrested for disorderly conduct and evading arrest.

4 year old Tennessee boy killed while playing with gun

It's happened again. A four year old boy from Tennessee was shot to death while playing with a gun in his home. From an article:

A 4-year-old boy is dead after a gun went off while he was playing with it, according to the Memphis Police Department.

Officers responded to the call at an apartment complex at 3988 Camelot Lane.

When they arrived, they found the 4-year-old had been shot. The child was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police believe the child was playing with a gun when it accidentally went off.

"It feels sad. Very sad. Yeah, I hate to hear that," said neighbor Carol Maris, who has played with the little boy before. "He's very active. Just like a child. Very active. Loved to play toys, stuff like that. He be outside sometimes playing with his trucks and stuff. Real good kid."

A good kid, who is now dead after a heartbreaking sequence of events.

Investigators were on the scene for more than three hours, discussing the situation with several people, one of whom was in the back seat of a police car.

At this point, no arrests have been made, but detectives are still working to figure out where the gun came from, how the boy got it, and who, if anyone, was supervising him at the time of the shooting.

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

15 year old Tennessee boy kills himself with family gun

Matthew Daniels

A tragic shooting occurred in Tennessee when a 15 year old teen shot and killed himself with the family handgun. From an article:

Sweetwater Police Chief Eddie Byrum said in a news release that no foul play was suspected. Per procedure, Sweetwater police secured the weapon and the Monroe County District Attorney contacted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, who took over the investigation, he said.

Sgt. Marty Kyle said Matthew didn't intent to shoot himself.

"As best we can tell, there was nobody else there in the room, so he did shoot himself," Kyle said. "Apparently, based on everything we can find out, we have no sign that he was depressed or anything of that nature, so it looks like an accidental shooting."

Police did not specify the type of firearm involved in the shooting.

Sweetwater High School principal David Watts said students, staff and faculty planned to honor Matthew at school on Monday.

"Matthew's favorite color was purple and we're going purple on Monday and kids can dress in purple and we'll have purple ribbons," he said. "We'll also have counselors available."

The school also planned an assembly in Matthew's honor Sunday at 2 p.m., in the gym at the school, located at 414 S. High St., Sweetwater.

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

Thanks to our friend at the Ohh Shoot blog for alerting us to this incident.

2 year old Tennessee toddler shoots self in finger

A two year old in Tennessee has shot his own finger with a gun he found in his home. From an article:

You protect them from everything, electrical sockets, stairs, and yes guns.  It’s the last one that has sent police and paramedics rushing to a south Memphis home Monday night. 

  A two-year old boy found a gun somewhere inside a house and before it was over pulled the trigger. The family didn’t shed much light on the shooting. 

It all happened behind closed doors, police say the boys’ parents were home, other family members and children were also there.

Somehow the two-year old found and fired the gun, hitting his finger and scaring everyone out here. 

Neighbors say the family just moved in to the area and they’ve seen the boy playing outside, and are so saddened to hear he was hurt.

They hope the parents take steps to make sure it never happens again.

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

13-year old Tennessee boy shot at gun range

A 13-year old boy was at a firing range with his family in Cheatham County, Tennessee, when he was unintentionally shot in the abdomen while retrieving targets, when someone moved some guns on a bench and one of them was unintentionally discharged.  Luckily the wound was not life-threatening.

From an article:

The boy, whose identity and hometown was not released, was shot with a .22 single action revolver, said Randy Cromer, who oversees the CMWA.

He was taken by Life Flight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Cromer said the boy was there with his father and another family member. They were checking on their targets when the shooting occurred.

He said several firearms were on a bench when a woman moved them and that's when the revolver discharged, hitting the boy in the lower abdomen.

Cromer said the injuries appear to be non-life threatening.

He added that several people were at the firing range when the incident occurred.

The incident is being investigated.

The firing range is on Headquarters Road off Griffintown Road in the Petway Road.

Aren't shooting ranges supposed to be places of increased gun safety?