Indiana Negligent Discharge Ruled Accidental

Local news

 Indiana Conservation Officers have determined a shooting that happened on December 31 was an accident.

According to officers, 19-year-old Jonathon Rose of Sullivan accidentally discharged a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun while placing it into a car.

18-year-old Wyatt Land of Sullivan, who was sitting in the front passenger side of the vehicle, was injured when the deer slug entered the top of his left foot.

The two had just finished target shooting on private property just prior to the accident.

Police began investigating the shooting when the Sullivan Community Hospital called the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department at 9:10 a.m. and reported they had admitted a victim of a gunshot wound to the emergency room.

Pennsylvania Woman Charged in Kid's Shooting

Local news reports

Tiffany Jean Whitman, 24, pleaded guilty before Judge John Spataro in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas on Thursday to a single felony count of endangering the welfare of children — a charge that carries up to a maximum of seven years in prison. 

Whitman and her husband, Mark L. Whitman, 24, both of 25159 Sugar Creek Lane, Lot 8, each were charged last year by Pennsylvania State Police with a felony count of endangering the welfare of children for allowing their three children to live in what police described as “deplorable conditions.”

State police initially were summoned to the couple’s Wayne Township home after the couple’s then 4-year-old son wounded his then 2-year-old brother by firing a gun the older child had found inside the home. The young boy was hit in the face by a bullet fired from the gun, according to police.

According to the affidavit of probable cause in the case, the couple’s three children were PLAYING in their Wayne Township home while Tiffany Whitman slept, when one of the children found a loaded .380 Ruger pistol in an unlocked dresser drawer on April 14, 2014, at 2:30 p.m.

Police described the residence as being in total disarray, with rotten garbage scattered all over the kitchen floor, garbage and dirty clothing strewn about one of the children’s bedrooms with feces and other stains on the walls, floor and mattress. Garbage and old cigarette butts were reportedly found in the bottom of the family’s dirt-stained bathtub.

In entering her guilty plea Thursday, Tiffany Whitman told the judge she had been battling mental health issues prior to the incident, but she was working to control them.

“I let my depression get the best of me enough not to let me keep my house clean for my babies,” a tearful Whitman said. “Yes, I’m guilty.”

Kansas Gun Store Shootout - Owner Dead - Robbers Wounded and Arrested

Washington Post

The third injured person was one of the store’s owners, a 44-year-old man, who later died at a hospital, Maj. Dan Tennis, of the Shawnee Police Department said.

Number of Shootings is Increasing

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Since 2008 the number of non-fatal incidents of gun violence has been increasing. Interestingly, that perfectly coincides with the extremely high gun sales that followed Obama's election.

So, as we pointed out in another post recently, the murder rate is basically static (or declining slightly) while the number of shootings is increasing.

More guns means more crime.  What a surprise.

Non-Fatal Firearm Related Injuries Other Than Gun Shot Wounds

Injury prevention

To characterize non-fatal firearm related injuries other than gunshot wounds (non-GSWs) treated in hospital emergency departments in the United States that occur during routine gun handling and recreational use as well as violence related use of a firearm.

Methods—Cases were identified through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). During the study period, 1 January 1993 through 31 December 1996, NEISS consisted of a nationally representative sample of 91 hospitals in the United States having at least six beds and providing 24 hour emergency services.

Results—An estimated 65 374, or an average of 16 300 per year, non-fatal, non-GSWs were treated in American hospital emergency departments during the four year study period. Fifty seven per cent of all the non-fatal, non-GSWs were violence related, most of which involved being struck by a firearm. The majority of unintentional non-fatal, non-GSWs were self inflicted and occurred during routine gun handling or recreational use of a firearm; 43% of these injuries resulted from gun recoils.

Conclusions—Non-fatal, non-GSWs make a notable contribution to the public health burden of firearm related injuries. Firearm related injury prevention programs should focus on not only the reduction of gunshot wounds but also the reduction of unintentional and violence related non-GSWs.

Florida Man Charged in Child's Self-Inflicted Shooting Death

Jaleel Taylor

Local news reports

A toddler playing alone in a Frenchtown home accidentally shot himself in the face Dec. 29 and now his uncle is facing charges in his death.

The child and his mother were at his maternal grandmother's home in the 800 block of Dover Street visiting with family when the incident occurred, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Jaleel Taylor, 20, was outside when he heard the sound a gunshot from inside the house, according to court documents. He went back inside and found his nephew, 3-year-old Raymond Gaines Jr., on the floor with a gunshot wound, court documents said.

Tallahassee Police Department officers arrived and found Gaines lying on the floor in Taylor's bedroom with a gunshot wound to the face and another injury to the back of his head. An autopsy determined the child died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Taylor told officers the gun was his and that he normally kept it in a box. Officers found his silver .380 semi-automatic gun with the serial number removed in a shoebox, court documents said.

The grandmother said she no knowledge the gun was in the house, according to a DCF incident report.

Police searched the home and found 233 grams of marijuana as well. Taylor turned himself in at the Leon County Jail on Wednesday night on charges of culpable negligence, possession of a firearm by a delinquent and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed.

How in the world was this guy not arrested on the spot? He had to turn himself in 10 days later?

15 Items That Can Save Your Family’s Life

Better Family Home

Tasers can save your life. They will incapacitate any assailant without actually harming them in the long run. You and your family will feel safe and secure even if you’re out after dark.

In most states, you’re able to carry a taser without needing permission. They can be a great alternative if you don’t want to have firearms in the house.

This was the 14th of 15 items considered important for family protection.