3 year old Wisconsin toddler shoots self with mother's gun

Unfortunately there has been another toddler shooting. A Milwaukee, Wisconsin 3 year old found a gun in his mother's car and shot himself. From an article:

Three-year-old Kevin Donald shot himself with a gun while playing in his mother's car. Police say the toddler found the gun hidden in the glove compartment. The family tells us the boy is still being treated at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Doctors are waiting for the swelling of the head to go down before doing surgery. Now the family is focusing on why a gun was being kept in that car.

Donald's grandmother and aunt both say this could have been prevented. The boy's mother is saying she kept the gun inside the car for protection purposes. Brittany Petersink, the boy''s aunt, told our Sandra Torres, "This is Milwaukee. This is the ghetto...anywhere you go there's someone trying to take something from you."

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

6 year old Wisconsin boy shoots 3 year old sister in face; father tells boy to lie about shooting

A 6 year old Wisconsin boy who had access to a loaded gun, shot his 3 year old sister in the face on August 30 of this year. His father told him to change his story about how the little girl was shot. From an article:

A Wisconsin dad is under fire for allegedly telling his 6-year-old son to lie about shooting his 4-year-old sister in the face.

The incident happened Aug. 30 in Alma, Wis., when the boy allegedly found a loaded shotgun and pointed it at the girl. The gun discharged, striking the girl in the right side of her head, WKBT reported.

The girl's injuries were deemed non-life-threatening, but on Monday investigators charged the father, Fred Maphis, with leaving a loaded firearm near a child and obstructing an officer by telling the son to lie about the shooting, the LaCrosse Tribune reported.

Further in the article:

The boy's mother told investigators that her son had been trained to use firearms since he was 3 and even had his own .22 caliber rifle that he was allowed to shoot with adult supervision, RawStory.com reported.

Maphis insisted that he had just forgotten to unload and secure the shotgun.

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

 

14 year old Wisconsin boy shot by relative at driving range

A 14 year old Wisconsin boy has been shot in an accidental shooting by a relative. From the article:

A 14-year-old Racine boy is hospitalized after being accidentally shot while target shooting with relatives in central Wisconsin.

Adams County sheriff's officials say the boy was shot about 6 p.m. Wednesday while in the Town of Strongs Prairie.

Authorities say the boy suffered a gunshot wound in the abdomen from a handgun being handled by a 64-year-old relative.

The boy was flown to a Marshfield, Wis., hospital, where he is in stable condition.

Investigators say the shooting probably was an accident.

Wisconsin father charged after 4 year old brought loaded gun to preschool

(UPDATED -- see below)

A Wisconsin father has been charged after a loaded gun was found in his 4 year old son's backpack. From an article:

The father of a 4-year-old boy who brought a loaded gun to a Hallowell day care center in April has been charged with reckless conduct, a misdemeanor charge.

Kennebec County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said Wednesday that Adam J. Keene, 31, of Madison, has been served with a summons to appear in court.

On April 23, a worker at Rollins Family Child Care Center in Hallowell found a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun in the boy's backpack.

"All weapons are toys to children, so parents have to take care of them," Maloney said. "By failing to keep control of his weapon, Mr. Keene acted in a reckless manner that could have ended in tragedy, not only for his family, but for an entire daycare. That's why I decided to bring the charge."

The charge alleges that Keene, who works as a dispatcher for the Somerset County Communications Center, "did recklessly create a substantial risk of serious bodily injury" to the boy.

"It's more that he misplaced his weapon and didn't know where it was," Maloney said. "Misplacing it in his son's daycare bag is reckless. I'm convinced it was not intentional -- that's why it's not a felony."

The gun was removed from the premises, and Hallowell police were called. Hallowell Police Chief Eric Nason said at the time that the gun's safety was on, but a round was in the chamber.

Philip Mohlar, Keene's attorney, said his client is upset about what happened.

"He does not know how it ended up in the bag," Mohlar said. "He was very upset obviously, and horrified, to think of what could have happened and is grateful that nothing did."

Later that day, the boy's mother, Heidi Lynn Johnson, of Hallowell, alleged in an affidavit seeking a protection from abuse order in Augusta District Court that "the gun was brought in the bag to day care on at least three occasions. It was available to my son for six days as he had access to the day care bag."

The boy uses the travel bag to carry belongings between the homes of his parents.

She also indicated that Keene "kept a loaded gun in the house and pointed it at the family dog threatening to kill him."

Johnson said after telling Keene that the gun was found in the bag at day care, she asked why he was not using the gun safe she bought for him, but received no response.

Johnson got a temporary protection order, but two weeks later successfully requested the court dismiss both her complaint and the temporary order. In asking for the dismissal, she said the district attorney's office and the child protective services department were investigating the incident.

The termination of that order on May 9 meant Keene could possess firearms again.

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

UPDATE (8/13/13):  The father, Adam Keene, was given a slap on the wrist for nearly killing his son or other kids in the class by allowing a loaded handgun to be in the boy's backpack.  According to an article:

The father of a 4-year-old who brought a loaded handgun to day care in Maine has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor reckless conduct, claiming the incident was unintentional. .... 

Maloney said she chose not to pursue felony charges because she believed the incident was an accident. She said in a phone interview that the state had extended a plea offer to Keene, who has not yet responded to it. 

"If I thought that he'd intended to have the gun go to day care, this would be a very different case," said Maloney. "But I'm optimistic we'll be able to come to some common ground."

Thus, the man will be able to continue owning a gun...  and potentially making the same mistake, or worse.

Milwaukee girl shot in both legs

A girl in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was shot in both legs.

From an article:

Milwaukee police are investigating after a girl is injured in a late night shooting. 

Officers were called out to the area of 62nd Street and Silver Spring Drive around 9:30 p.m. Friday night. 

A juvenile female, whose exact age is not being released, was shot in both of her legs.
She was taken to a local hospital for treatment, but is expected to be ok. 

Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting and a possible motive. 

There is word on any suspects.

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14-year old Wisconsin boy brings realistic BB gun to mall and almost gets shot by police

A 14-year old boy in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, thought it would be fun to bring a realistic-looking BB gun to the mall, with the tip painted black, hidden in his pants.  It fell out, alarming employees, and police responded, holding the boy and his friends at gunpoint.

From an article:

The 14-year-old and his friends brought a BB gun to the mall because they "weren't thinking." They saw rumors on Facebook that a lot of people were going to the mall, so they took two BB guns to the mall in their pants. One armed boy couldn't keep the gun from falling out of the waistline of his pants and several employees thought he had a real gun. The employees called the police, who caught the boy and friends walking out the front door. 

An officer immediately held the 14-year-old and his two friends at gunpoint and told them to get down. The boy threw his gun, the tip painted black to look like a real pistol, into the snow. He was arrested and his friends were let go.

He's lucky he's alive.

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

9 year old Wisconsin boy shot by 11 year old brother

What is an 11 year old doing unloading a handgun? A 9 year old Wisconsin boy was shot and injured by his 11 year old brother:

A 9-year-old Spring Valley, Wis., boy is in the hospital after being accidentally shot by his 11-year-old brother on Saturday, officials said.

The boy, whose identity has not been released, was shot in the leg about 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Spring Valley in western Wisconsin, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.

The boy's 11-year-old brother was believed to be unloading a handgun when it accidentally went off, wounding the 9-year-old, officials said.

The boy was airlifted to Regions Hospital. His condition is unknown.

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

17-year old boy shot and killed in Milwaukee

A 17-year old boy was found shot to death in a vehicle in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

From an article and video:

Officials say a 17-year-old Greenfield boy was found shot to death inside the vehicle near 32nd and Mitchell just before midnight.

The motive for the shooting is not clear — and there are no suspects in custody.

Saturday, yellow police tape still clung to the steps of Carmen High School of Science, which is across the street from where the shooting occurred. The victim, whom police have yet to identify, was found in a black SUV at the southwest corner of the intersection.

One neighbor who didn’t want to be identified said he lives about a block from the shooting scene and noticed the sirens outside.

“About 20 minutes later, a minivan pulled up and the squad moved out the way,” he said, “I guess it was the morgue, they just started going through the truck and pulled the body out.”

Another neighbor, Jason Dahlman, lives half a block from the shooting scene. He says he didn’t notice the crime scene.

“It’s a little strange, I think, to find out that right outside our door, that was going on,” he said, “Yeah, it’s a little unsettling.”

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11-year old Milwaukee boy injured in crossfire

An 11-year old boy was riding his bike in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when a gunfight broke out across the street.  One of the bullets grazed him in the chest.  The boy was taken to an area hospital.

One witness in the neighborhood said she heard around 20 shots fired.  She never lets her children play outside.

Four men are in custody for the shooting.

A news video.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

8 year old Wisconsin boy accidentally shot

There are few details about this latest accidental shooting of a child in Wisconsin. From the article:

 An 8-year-old boy is dead after he was shot near Kieler, in far southwestern Wisconsin.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office was notified Friday that a boy had been accidentally shot with a gun. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after deputies and emergency medical crews arrived.

More details will likely be released later.

Wisconsin child shot in the eye with a BB gun

Some children were playing around with a BB gun, in Evansville, Wisconsin, when one of them were shot in the eye, resulting in a serious eye injury.

From an article:

The incident initially was reported as a drive-by shooting, but after police interviewed the kids, they admitted they were horsing around and one of them was shot in the eye. The injury is “relatively serious,” McElroy said, but he didn’t have more details because police still were investigating.

“We’re confident there was no drive-by shooting,” he said.

Police anticipate charges in the case because those involved initially lied to police, he said.

The article did not indicate the age, name, or gender of the wounded child.

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

11-year-old shot while sitting on porch

An 11-year-old boy was shot in the chest while sitting on the front porch of a relative's home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  According to reports:

The shooting began after a disturbance broke out in the neighborhood and the child was struck.
Police do not believe the boy was the intended target of the shooting.
The child is expected to survive.

12-year old Milwaukee girl shot in home from outside

Averiona Hines, age 12

A 12-year old girl, Averiona Hines, was hit by bullet fragments or debris when bullets flew through her wall from outside her home, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

From an article:

A 12-year-old girl was injured about 12:50 a.m. Tuesday after someone fired shots into her home in the 1500 block of N. 39th St., police said. 

The girl was scratched on her back and arms by fragments, but investigators have not determined whether the girl was struck by bullet fragments or material from the home sent flying after bullets hit the residence, police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said. 

The injuries are not life-threatening. 

The incident is believed to have stemmed from an earlier argument between a group of girls, police said

UPDATE (6/24/12):  Averiona is home again, but fearful for her life.  From an article:

She was sitting at a table. Her parents were sitting outside on a warm summer night when they first heard gunshots and then the sound of their daughter calling for them. 

The girl was bleeding profusely. She was immediately rushed to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin for treatment of her non-life-threatening injuries. Police called to the scene learned that several shots had been fired at the duplex where Averiona lived with her parents. 

The girl later told WISN-TV (Channel 12) that she was having a hard time sleeping after the shooting. 

"When I go to sleep, it takes me a long time to go sleep," she said. "I think that somebody is going to come back and shoot and I'm going to get hurt again." 

Milwaukee police have no suspects in custody. 

The girl's mother told reporters it wasn't the first time gunshots have been heard in their Washington Park neighborhood. About a week earlier, three males, ages 17, 18 and 19, were shot in the same area, but police don't think the shootings were connected. 

Residents have long expressed concern about escalating violence and gunfire. After the shock of Averiona's shooting, community leaders held a prayer vigil Friday to draw attention to the situation and demand change.

(a related article and video)
.

Milwaukee 13 year old shot by previously-law abiding gun owner

(UPDATED -- see below)

Darius Simmons, age 13

It's happened again. Another teen has been shot by an adult with a gun for no reason. This story explains what happened:

According to the complaint, Spooner approached Simmons as the boy retrieved a garbage cart from in front of a house Thursday morning. The boy's mother, Patricia Larry, who saw the shooting, said Spooner told her son he "wanted his stuff back and that he wanted his shotguns back," the complaint said.

Simmons and his mother told Spooner they did not have his property. Spooner then pulled a gun, pointed it at Simmons and fired one shot from about five feet away, the complaint said.

Spooner fired a second shot at Simmons as the boy was running away, according to the complaint. An autopsy found the boy suffered a gunshot wound to his chest, and the bullet damaged the ventricles of his heart before exiting his back. Police recovered a weapon as well as two spent casings.

So a 13 year old boy is dead because an older man suspects that he might have stolen some of his guns.

UPDATE (7/18/13):  The shooter, 76-year old John Henry Spooner, was mentally ill at the time of the shooting.  He has now been found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting 13-year old Darius Simmons.

(a related article on testimony from Darius' mother)

17-year old Milwaukee girl shot and injured

From an article:

The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating a nonfatal shooting that occurred late Saturday or early Sunday in the area of N. 53rd St. and W. Rohr Ave.

Police Capt. Rebecca L. Pixley said a 17-year old Milwaukee girl suffered a gunshot wound to the right ankle. She was being treated at a hospital.

Police are searching for suspects.

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16-year old boy steals firearm in Wisconsin

A 16-year old boy was arrested for stealing a loaded firearm from a vehicle in Durand, Wisconsin.

From the article:

Durand Police say the gun was stolen from a vehicle around 8:30 Wednesday evening. Officers say the weapon was reportedly loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition.

A witness told officers the gun was taken by a 16-year-old boy. Thursday, officers found him in a vehicle near an apartment complex.

He was taken in on charges of theft, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

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8-year old boy shot by 4-year old boy after felon leaves loaded gun out

Three children were at a home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when their mother's boy friends came to visit.  Despite being a felon, he had a handgun and showed it to the children.  He then left the gun within their reach.

That's when the 4-year old boy picked up the gun and shot and injured his 8-year old step-brother.  An 8-year old girl was also present.  The man then fled with the gun.  The victim is being treated.  Police are looking for the man.

From the article:

"You'd think they'd have more sense than to expose children to those things because anything can happen. Kids move quick," Moss said. 

"I got kids of my own. I don't let my kids play with toy guns," neighbor Anthony Olden said.Olden and Winona Grinnage were shocked by the shooting. 

"We were actually trying to move into the neighborhood, but hearing that, I don't really think too much about moving down here," Grinnage said. 

The child's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

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

12-year old Wisconsin girl committed suicide due to bullying

Payton Ruth Ann Richardson, age 12

12-year old Payton Ruth Ann Richardson was visiting her grandparents in Ladysmith, Wisconsin.  When her grandparents woke up and looked for her, they found she had committed suicide with her grandfather's gun, which had been stored unlocked.

From the article:

“This was a total shock to the grandparents and everybody that’s known her. This was way out of the ordinary for her,” Kaminski said.

The sheriff said the pistol was registered to the grandfather.

While it was stored in a secure location, investigators said it was not locked up.

“She was very safe with the weapons and knew how to use the weapons. So this is something that was not accidental,” Kaminski said. 

Though the school denies it, Payton's mother says she has proof that the girl was endlessly bullied by classmates.  Now she is trying to make it possible to pass a law to hold bullies accountable.

“She was a happy-go-lucky kid and it was so tragic because none of us actually knew what was happening,” Richardson said.

She said bullying by middle school classmates lead her daughter to take her own life.

“There was a group of girls that I have proof in my hands that were bullying her and I think with some other things that were happening in her life the bullying was the top of the cake and that was it,” Richardson said.

Richardson said the she was shocked to hear the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser School District tell WEAU that there’s no merit to allegations of bullying.

“When I seen the first news broadcast and the information that I had from Payton’s Facebook and her iPods, yeah I think they tried to brush it under the table,” Richardson said.

Payton’s mom said she’s trying to turn this tragedy into something positive for not only her family but the entire state of Wisconsin.

She said she’s raising money for a scholarship for students who stand up to bullies and that’s just the start of it.

“They are actually in the process of writing some paperwork to take to legislative committee so that we can make a law so that a bully is held responsible for their actions and what they’re doing to other students,” Richardson said.

She said they want to name the legislation Payton’s Law.

“I need to do this for my daughter and if I only save one student I served my purpose,” Richardson said.

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

Two children killed, along with mother, when father commits murder/suicide in Wisconsin

A man in Da Pere, Wisconsin, shot and killed his two children and wife before killing himself. The couple had been dealing with problems related to a lay off and disability, and had been in a contested divorce.

According to a neighbor, the girl was 14, and the boy was 9 or 10. The kids and mother were friendly with the neighbor, but the father was anti-social and controlling of his wife.

Neighbors say and land records show Denis and Michelle Bay own the home at 1245 S. Erie St. in east De Pere, and the couple has two children, Andrea and Daniel, but police would not say whether these were the individuals at home during the shooting.

Police Chief Derek Beiderwieden said a man called police from inside the house about 3 p.m. to report that he had just killed three people and was about to kill himself. The phone line went silent, and others at the police station then heard a loud “pop,” the chief told the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Officers arriving at the home a short time later found four victims — two adults and two children — shot to death in a bedroom of the single-story home. Authorities recovered a firearm they think is the weapon used in the apparent murder-suicide, he said.

....

The Bays are going through a contested divorce, court records say, and Michelle, along with the children, had moved out about six months ago but returned home in the fall before the new school year, said Jane Nohr, who lives in the home behind the Bays.

“Why she went back with him I don’t know,” Nohr said.

The Bay family moved into the neighborhood about five years ago, said Nohr, who has lived at nearby 1244 O’Keefe Court for more than 30 years.

“I didn’t know the man very much,” Nohr said. “He was the kind of guy, if she was out talking to me, he’d send the kids to get her. He was very demanding.”

.

Two Wisconsin children shot to death by father

A 10 and 14 year old child are dead in a murder/suicide incident in DePere, Wisconsin. As always in these cases, there are conflicting views about the family and the person who did the shooting. From the article:

Dan Angell, who lives across the street, said the family seemed like a normal family.

"I would have never guessed that any of that would have happened," Angell said.

A police truck was outside the ranch-style home with an attached garage Friday evening. Beiderwieden said he does not believe police had been called to the house for any previous trouble.

Neighbor Jane Nohr told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that the family moved in about five years ago. She described Denis Bay as demanding and said whenever he saw his wife talking to her he would send the kids to get her.

Police said Saturday they are still investigating the motive. Police said Denis Bay was unemployed and his wife filed for divorce in 2010. The divorce was still pending.

The public will likely learn more later as more information is released. Guns just make is so much easier to end difficult situations. And two more children were caught in the middle of an apparent domestic dispute.

UPDATE (2/12/12):  Killed were the mother, Michelle Bay, daughter Andrea Bay (age 14), and son Daniel Bay (age 10), as well as the father who did the shooting, Denis.

From a follow up article:

Michelle was born in Sturgeon Bay, graduated from Sturgeon Bay High School in 1985 and worked as an accountant until health problems forced her to retire in 2002. She also was an artist who enjoyed painting, making jewelry and other crafts. She is survived by three sisters.

Andrea, 14, was a freshman at De Pere High School who wanted to become a veterinarian. She also played the violin, enjoyed volleyball and archery and loved her dog, Maddie.

Daniel, 10, was a fourth-grade student at Heritage Elementary School in De Pere. He loved school and enjoyed playing cards, fishing and visiting his aunt Margaret and uncle Tim's cabin.

(Additional article).