Alabama Teen Killed in an Accidental Shooting.

Eli Estrada

Local news reports

A gun accident is to blame for the death of a Collinsville teenager.

Eli Estrada was pronounced dead at a home in Collinsville on Sunday after a 911 call was made concerning a shooting at the home.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office said a relative had the gun went it discharged. After receiving a 911 call, sheriff's deputies and investigators responded to the home. The boy was taken to the DeKalb Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The boy's body was taken to Huntsville for an autopsy at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

Yes, by all means let's have an autopsy. And when that's done, and perhaps a lengthy investigation too, we can look at the "relative [who] had the gun went it discharged [all by itself]. But, since this is Alabama, maybe not.

Charges Dropped in Police Shooting of Unarmed Kansas City Man

LA Times

Prosecutors in Missouri have dropped all charges against a Kansas City police officer who was charged in the nonfatal shooting of an unarmed man, arguing the case was not strong enough to secure a conviction.

In February, a state grand jury determined there was probable cause to indict Jacob Ramsey, 31, on charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the June 24 shooting of 37-year-old Anthony Contreras.

“Like all prosecutors, we have a duty to be convinced that evidence supports a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a news release Friday night. “Our subsequent investigation convinced us that burden could not be met.”

According to prosecutors, the Missouri shooting began when officers spotted Contreras, who was identified as a suspect in a string of 31 thefts from tractor-trailers, on the porch of his home. Before trying to take Contreras into custody, officers had been briefed that he was “known to flee and was considered dangerous.”

An officer said he shouted “Anthony, stop!” but Contreras entered the home and left through the back door. Ramsey, who was positioned at the back of the home, said he ordered Contreras to show his hands, then fired a single shot at Contreras after he dropped his right hand to his side. Ramsey said he believed Contreras was reaching for a gun.

Contreras, who was found to be unarmed, was struck on the left side of his face, causing serious injury to his jaw, teeth and tongue. He has maintained he did not see Ramsey or hear his commands.