Ohio Woman Accidentally Shot by her Son's Negligence - No Charges

Local news reports

A Dayton woman was hospitalized last week after a new gun her son was showing his father accidentally discharged. 

Lyon County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Bryan Parsons reported a 26-year-old man was showing a new gun to his father at about 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, and, as he was removing it from a holster, it discharged and hit his mother in the leg. 

On Friday, he said the investigation was still continuing, but to that point the sheriff’s office had found no evidence to show it was “anything but an accident,” so no charges had been filed.

Ohio Concealed Carry permit Holder Smuggles Gun into Toledo Court House in Companion's Purse - No Charges

The Blade

A Lucas County sheriff’s deputy who has been disciplined in the past for inattention to his job could face additional sanctions for allowing a handgun to get through security screening at Toledo Municipal Court.

Deputy Barry Disalle, 68, was working the screening area at the court entrance Feb. 10 when he apparently became distracted and did not see a small semiautomatic handgun at the bottom of a woman’s purse, said Rob Sarahman, an investigator with the sheriff’s internal-affairs unit.

According to an incident report, the deputy noticed an image of the gun in the purse later on the X-ray machine about 2:30 p.m. and located the woman carrying it in the lobby area outside the city prosecutor’s office. A man with her said the gun was his and that he had a concealed carry permit, according to the report.

Is that allowed?  Is a concealed carry permit holder allowed to turn his weapon over to another person to hold? 

Typically, in gun-lovin' Ohio, the focus of this story is on the inattentive security guard who didn't stop them at the screening point.

Sounds like more special treatment for civilian gun owners.

Wisconsin (not Ohio) Concealed Carry Permit Holder Arrested

Local news reports

A Wausau man with a concealed-carry permit is accused of pulling a loaded gun on the owner of a town of Cleveland business and threatening to shoot him, according to court documents. 

Thomas Krautkramer, 30, was arrested Thursday afternoon when a man working at a Cleveland business told police Krautkramer and another man came to the business demanding money; when the worker refused, Krautkramer threatened to shoot him, according to court documents. 

Krautkramer will appear in Marathon County Circuit Court Wednesday, where he faces one felony count of making threats to injure. Misdemeanor charges of intentionally pointing a firearm at a person and disorderly conduct also were filed Friday against Krautkramer in connection with the incident, which was reported Thursday. 

Marathon County Circuit Judge LaMont Jacobsen on Friday ordered Krautkramer not to possess any weapons as a condition of bond. That order will trigger a suspension of his concealed-carry permit, Wisconsin Department of Justice Deputy Administrator David Zibolski said, because the DOJ checks court records daily for convictions or bail conditions that can result in license suspension or revocation. 

If Krautkramer is convicted, his permit will be revoked.

Bumbling Ohio Cop has Negligent Discharge in Police HQ

Local news reports

A Columbus police officer accidentally discharged his gun accidentally at police headquarters Wednesday.

According to police, medics were dispatched to the Columbus police headquarters at about 12:03 p.m. on a report of a shooting. An officer was processing a prisoner and had to put his gun into a lock box. As he was retrieving the gun and putting it in his holster, it discharged twice, striking the floor.

At the time of the shooting, it was unclear if anyone had been injured so a medic was requested as a precaution.
The officer is a 26-year veteran with CPD.

The dispatch center initially told NBC4 the officer was shot in the hip.

An internal investigation will be conducted.

Bumbling Lawful Ohio Gun Owner Shoots Himself Protecting the Chickens

Local news with video

Ohio Couple Face Additional Charges in Child's Shooting

Local news reports

A  Hamilton County grand jury adds more charges to a couple charged in connection with the accidental shooting of a toddler in Avondale. 

Cordero Warren and Ebony McDavis told police that McDavis' 3-year-old daughter was shot during random gunfire outside of their Tacoma Avenue home on December 17. Police determined the little girl was shot inside their home with a gun belonging to Warren, a gun that he is not allowed to have. 

Prosecutor Joe Deters says the little girl is still in the hospital. The grand jury added child endangering, assault and tampering with evidence to the falsification charge McDavis already faces. Cordero was originally charged with tampering with evidence. 

He now is charged with child endangering, assault, negligent assault, falsification and a gun charge. If he's convicted of all charges he could face 17 years in prison. Police say they still don't know the location of the gun that injured the little girl.   

In a release, Deters said, “It remains a mystery to me how a mother can constantly lie in order to protect a boyfriend when her baby has been shot.  Prison is where both of these people should be residing.” 

Now, these guys really know how to pay for their negligence. First, be black, second, lie to the cops, and third, get rid of the gun.

Ohio Woman Who Compelled 10-Year-old Stepson to Kill his Father Gets Life Sentence

The Republic

A prosecutor says a northern Ohio woman who compelled her 10-year-old stepson to kill his father in a shooting initially ruled accidental has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Defiance County prosecutor Morris Murray says 46-year-old Oakwood resident Judith Hawkey was sentenced Thursday.

Hawkey was convicted last month of aggravated murder, insurance fraud and child endangering in Robert Breininger's 2003 slaying. Her attorney hasn't returned a phone call seeking comment on Thursday's sentencing.

Murray says the case was reopened last year after authorities learned of new evidence indicating Hawkey physically and emotionally abused the boy and compelled him to shoot his father and directed him to say it was accidental.

Murray says at least part of Hawkey's motive was nearly $500,000 in insurance money.

Ohio Man, John Wise, Gets 6 Years in Wife's Mercy Killing

CBS News

An Ohio man convicted of fatally shooting his ailing wife in her hospital bed was sentenced Friday to six years in prison. 

John Wise, 68, has said he shot his debilitated wife in the head out of love in August 2012 after she suffered aneurysms and appeared to be in pain at an Akron hospital. Mercy is not a defense to a murder charge in Ohio. 

Wise's attorney, Paul Adamson, said ahead of the sentencing that Wise will pursue clemency from the governor no matter the punishment. 

County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh had called Wise's actions illegal and dangerous but said the case warranted leniency. She had recommended that Wise be sentenced on a lesser offense, manslaughter.

Police say Wise calmly walked into his wife's hospital room on Aug. 4, 2012, and shot her at her bedside. She died the next day. 

Wise told police he intended to kill himself after shooting his wife, but the weapon jammed. 

"My recollection is that I walked in there, and within two minutes, I kissed her on the cheek and shot her," Wise told jurors. 

Barbara Wise, 65, was in the intensive care unit at Akron General Medical Center after suffering triple cerebral aneurysms that had left her unable to speak, a family friend has said. 

A doctor testified that Barbara Wise wasn't terminally ill and seemed to be responding to treatment. 

Wise testified that he couldn't stand to see his wife of 45 years in pain in the hospital and decided on his course of action after seeing a tear roll down her cheek.

Ohio Men Arrested for Accidental Shooting

Local news reports

A 31-year-old Columbus man who the shotgun belonged to and a 22-year-old Cleveland Heights man who told police he pulled the trigger were both arrested on suspicion of felonious assault. 

Formal charges have not been filed, and the court was closed Friday.

The 31-year-old man who had driven to the home from Columbus with a 12-gauge shotgun in his trunk didn't want to take the gun to the bar, so he left it inside the home.

Reports say the Columbus man showed the woman's boyfriend the gun earlier in the day, when it was unloaded. At some point the Columbus man loaded the gun.

The group returned to the home and at about 12:20 a.m., the 22-year-old man picked up the shotgun in the living room and was looking at it. Reports say he pointed the gun at the woman and fired a shot less than five feet away from the woman.

The blast struck her in the stomach and chest, and buckshot struck her in the right bicep area, severely damaging the arm.

When officers arrived at the home, they found the woman's boyfriend giving her CPR and applying pressure to the gunshot wound.

The Cleveland Heights man told police he shot the woman but that it was an accident.

Reports say officers collected evidence, including the gun, bloody clothes and a alcohol bottle found on the dining room table.

Ohio Becoming Even More Gun-Friendly

State Rep. Al Landis, R-Dover


The Times Reporter

Gun legislation approved last week by the Ohio House is more than just a "stand your ground" bill, area lawmakers say.

"It's been tagged with the label, 'Stand Your Ground Law,' but that's only one component," said state Rep. Al Landis, R-Dover. "There are so many other moving parts — it strengthens the criminal background check in Ohio. If it passes, all applicants also will go through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

"Ohio also would recognize Carrying Concealed Weapons permits from outside of our state, if they recognize Ohio's CCW. That's an important part of the bill. Currently, that has to be a

negotiated, written agreement with other states individually."

The legislation passed the Ohio House on a 62-27 vote Wednesday and now heads to the Senate. Among changes, it would:

n Eliminate the requirement that a person reside in Ohio to receive or renew a concealed handgun license;

n Eliminate the current 12-hour training requirement, substituting a minimum of four training hours in the safe handling and use of a firearm;

n Waive certain concealed-carry license renewal requirements for members of the armed forces, Peace Corps or foreign service while on active duty and for six months afterward.

But a provision that expands the list of circumstances under which people can use force without the duty to retreat first attracted the most attention — and protests as the measure was being debated in the House.

Ohio Man Arrested in Friends Accidental Shooting Death

Local news reports

Ryan Raider allegedly shot his roommate Brandon Smith while Smith was lying in bed with his girlfriend, according to a search warrant filed Tuesday in Lorain County Court of Common Pleas. 

Smith’s girlfriend, Emily Markel, told police that they had been out drinking earlier in the evening, and Smith and Raider had been playing with firearms when they returned home. She said when she and Smith went to bed, Raider continued playing with a firearm that later fired a shot into Smith’s head. 

Raider, who was questioned after the incident, told police that the gun discharged when he dropped it, but he later changed his story to say that the gun was about to fall and he caught it when it went off. 

Police said Raider appeared to be intoxicated, but he did not grant police consent to search his residence that night. 

Smith was flown to Metro Health Medical Center in Cleveland, where he died after Markel called 911 at 3:16 a.m. Saturday. Raider was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and having weapons while intoxicated. 

Police indicated that the semi-automatic pistol that Smith was shot with was not the only weapon in the house. Police said there were four other firearms, including three assault-style rifles. Police found those firearms, as well as ammunition and magazines in a gun safe in the bedroom. A .40-caliber magazine was found on the bedroom floor, and a .40-caliber casing was found on the bed. Rounds were also found kitchen floor. 

Our pro-gun commenters often claim that guns do not discharge when dropped.  They say what usually happens is someone tries to catch the gun as it's falling and inadvertently hits the trigger. This story is a case in point.

Ohio Concealed Carry Permit Holder Shoots Girlfriend - It Was the Gun's Fault - No Charges

Local news reports

A shooting that injured a 25-year-old Etna woman has officially been ruled an accident by detectives. 

Crystal Johnson was taken to Grant Medical Center around 8 p.m. Friday night after she was accidentally shot by her boyfriend, 25-year-old Aviz Quraish, on the 400 block of Ballman Road. 

Licking County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sgt. Brock Harmon said Quraish had received his conceal/carry permit on Friday and was in the kitchen of the residence with Johnson looking at the holster for his handgun.

“At one point in time, he produced the handgun and dropped a magazine in the handgun and pulled the slide back and the gun went off,” Harmon said. “He immediately sat her down and tried to help her out.”

This is the caliber of gun savvy folks we have getting carry permits. How does a gun go off when you pull the slide back? Answer: the same way a gun goes off anytime, by pulling the trigger.

Maybe that should be one of the test questions.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Homicide Detectives Probe Accidental Shooting Death

Local news reports

This one got me to thinkin'. Although I reject outright the pro-gun argument that says statistically there are very few accidental gun deaths, it occurred to me that there are even fewer than we think.  Some of them are actually murders disguised as accidents.

This would lessen the impact of the accidental-death argument but increase that of the irresponsible-lawful-gun-owner argument.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Persian Gulf War Vet Wins Battle with Sheriff over Ohio CCW License

“If I’m out on the street with a weapon the public is safer. I’m a trained expert,” Redmon said. (Photo credit: The Lima News)

Guns dot com

James Redmon sued Van Wert County Sheriff Thomas Riggenbach after he denied Redmon a license based on a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis from more than six years ago as well as felony charges, which were later dropped.

Redmon accused Riggenbach of abusing his power and misinterpreted the law by denying him his license, which he claims he had no legitimate reasons for doing so.

“The sheriff overstepped his authority and broke the law. I tried twice to tell him before filing the lawsuit and he treated me as if I were not worth of speaking to him and blew me off,” Redmon said.

Had Redmon not won the case, he said would have simply continued to carry openly, as is legal in the state of Ohio and as he has done for the past 14 years.

One of the felony charges was when "Redmon had warned a drug dealer to stay away from one of his friends who was trying to get clean. When the drug dealer didn’t heed his warnings, Redmon kicked in his door and assaulted him. "

The article didn't provide details of the other felony charge that was dropped or pleaded down.

This is exactly why "may issue" is a good thing.  Local law enforcement can make informed decisions based on all the information they have and not just rubber stamp those applications that meet rigid guidelines.

Too bad the judge didn't see it that way, because in spite of what the gun nut said about himself, the public is not safer with guys like him carrying guns.

The other thing Ohio needs to do is abolish open carry.  That way dangerous guys like Redmon who begin every sentence with "I'm a combat veteran," won't be able to carry guns at all.

"“I was a combat vet who beat up a drug dealer trying to save someone’s life,” he said.  Sounds like Moonshine and all the other losers who joined the military because there were no jobs at home and never stopped telling us about their patriotism and heroism.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Ohio Gun Control Rally is Overwhelmed by Pro Gun Supporters

This reminds me of the behavior of commenters on gun control blogs. That's why most gun control bloggers, the smart ones, disallow comments altogether.

White Supremacist Felon Caught With 18 Guns, 45,000 Bullets And A List Of Black & Jewish Leaders

Think Progress

Federal agents were tracking Ohio resident Richard Schmidt’s imports of counterfeit sports jerseys when they stumbled upon his arsenal of 18 guns, more than 40,000 rounds of ammunition, and bulletproof body armor. Besides the arsenal, he had lists of Jewish and black leaders in Detroit, MI. He is also an ex-felon who killed a Hispanic man and wounded two others 24 years ago.

Yet before December, no one even noticed that Schmidt, 47, was amassing weapons illegally, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Instead, federal investigators zeroed in on his sports memorabilia shop around September 2011, tracking his shipments of knock-off jerseys from China for over a year before they discovered the cache of firearms.

Schmidt plead guilty to federal gun charges and the counterfeit racket last month, and will be sentenced in October. But many connected to the crime are still scratching their heads over how an ex-felon with ties to white supremacist groups was able to get his hands on so many guns.

Schmidt might have been able to stockpile firearms so easily thanks to decades of hard work by the the gun lobby. Combating calls for stricter background checks on private gun sales, the National Rifle Association insisted the bill would create a national registry of gun owners which would be used to confiscate weapons and enact tyranny. This fearmongering has also hobbled federal law enforcement agents, who are forbidden from keeping any records of gun purchases. That means individuals like Schmidt can potentially avoid background checks when they purchase firearms, or they can obtain guns through a straw purchaser that law enforcement cannot track because any records revealing the purchaser’s activities would have been destroyed. It was luck that Schmidt was caught before he could wreak havoc — but Americans won’t get so lucky every time.

Columbus Ohio Teen Gets Probation for Killing His Friend - No Charges for the Gun Owner

Local Fox News

The mother of an accidental shooting victim wants authorities to file additional charges connected to her son's death. 

A juvenile court judge sentenced Levi Reed to one year of probation Friday for the July, 2012 shooting death of his friend, Noah McGuire.  Reed, 15, pleaded guilty to reckless homicide last month, and stated that he did not know a gun he had found in a bedroom in his grandparent’s home was loaded before he shot McGuire, 14, in the chest. 

McGuire was spending the night at the home when he was killed. McGuire's mother, Judi Sandoval, does not believe Reed should have been charged in her son's death. Instead, she wants the gun's adult owner to be held responsible. 

"He's a good boy.  He's a good boy and I hate to see him mixed up in the criminal justice system," Sandoval said of Reed. "I'm angry an adult has never been charged. Columbus police have failed to do that." 

No additional arrests will be made in connection with case, according to prosecutors.
 

Instructor Shoots Student Accidentally in Ohio Gun Safety Class

Local news reports

Police say an instructor at a central Ohio gun safety class has accidentally shot a student. 

The Columbus Dispatch reports 73-year-old Terry J. Dunlap Sr. was demonstrating a handgun at a training facility on Saturday when he fired a bullet that ricocheted off a desk and into the right arm of 26-year-old Michael Piemonte. 

The student says the .38-caliber bullet hit him between his elbow and armpit. He says many of the students in the class were nurses who helped stabilize him before he was transported to a Columbus hospital. 

Piemonte tells the newspaper it appears Dunlap didn't know the gun was loaded. Dunlap hasn't responded to requests for comment. 

A police report lists the shooting as accidental.

"Listing the shooting as accidental" is code for "no charges will be filed."

What's your opinion.  Please leave a comment.  Please tell us how in the world a gun safety instructor who does something like that should not forfeit his gun rights.

Ohio Woman Who Accidentally Shot her Best Friend at her Birthday Party Faces Several Charges

Local news reports

Relatives of a woman accused of killing her best friend last week during a birthday party at Perkins Park said there is no doubt that the fatal shot was fired accidentally.

Lakeisha Bell, 19, of Warren pleaded not guilty at her initial court appearance on Thursday. Her bond was set at $100,000.

She is accused of fatally shooting McKayla Hopkins, 18, of Howland during an Aug. 2 celebration of Bell's 19th birthday.

"They loved each other. This is sad for both of them, both of their families. It hurts all of us that this happened," said Jonathan Penn, who was among several of Bell's family members, including her mom, at Thursday's proceedings.

Bell was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter and carrying a concealed weapon, both felonies. However, on Thursday an additional felony charge of having a weapon under disability was also lodged against her.

Well they didn't waste any time charging this young woman even though it was just an accident. Why do you think that is?

Please leave a comment-.

Another Boy Dies in Ohio, America’s Capital of “Accidental” Child Shootings

In this file photo, a young student displays a sign referring to handgun violence during a public rally sponsored by the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence outside the Kluczynski Federal Building on Oct. 20, 2004, in Chicago. Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Slate article by Justin Peters


On Saturday, the New York Daily News reported that, since Newtown, at least 40 children 12 and under have died in “accidental” shootings—ones in which the child either shot himself or was shot by another child. Make that 41: On Sunday night a 4-year-old Ohio boy apparently shot and killed himself with an unsecured gun while his 1- and 5-year-old siblings watched. Police report that three handguns were found in the room where Raytwon Briggs was shot. It’s not yet clear who owned the guns, or how they were stored, or whether anyone will be charged in the matter. 

If you read this blog often, you know what’s coming next. All together now: Accidental child shootings are almost never accidents. 

I know I say this every week, and I’m sorry to be repetitive, but what can I do—people keep making the same mistakes. When it comes to firearm safety, negligent gun owners create their own bad luck. It’s my contention that these sorts of shootings often constitute criminal negligence, and that the relevant parents and guardians ought to be prosecuted, if only to send the message that society will not and should not stand for a cavalier approach to gun safety when children are involved.