(3/1) Gunkilltoo accidental and negligent shootings, two year old twins finds gun, one dead...

Student hurt after gun goes off in elementary school parking lot
By John Moritz

Batesville Ark. (11-11-15) A Batesville School District student was injured in the parking lot of an elementary school Wednesday morning when a gun accidentally went off, the district superintendent said.

A student was showing off the gun inside a parked car at the Sulphur Rock STEM Magnet elementary school around 7 a.m. when it discharged and hit another student, Superintendent Gary Anderson said.

The injury was not life-threatening, Anderson said, and the student was taken to a hospital.

Anderson said he could not give detailed information about the students' ages or where they went to school but said that they were "older" and did not attend the elementary school.

Anderson said some students wait at the rural elementary school to catch buses to other schools in the district, he said.

"It was early enough that the elementary school students weren't there" at the time the gun went off, Anderson said.

Students are not allowed to have guns on school property, Anderson said. The Independence County sheriff's office is investigating, he said, while district officials will determine any separate school punishment.

"We're extremely lucky it wasn't worse," he said.

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/nov/11/student-injured-after-gun-goes-parking-lot/?f=news-arkansas





2-year-old killed in accidental shooting

JACKSON, Ga. — (11-11-15)  A 2-year-old is dead after an apparent accidental shooting, according to police.

Investigators said they were called out to a home on WW Carr Avenue in Jackson for a shots fired call.
The mother heard a shot and discovered that one of her 2-year-old twins had been shot.

Jayden Jamar Clay was pronounced dead at the scene by the Butts County coroner, Jackson Police Chief James Morgan said.
He was in the living room of the house with his twin when he was shot, Morgan said, while his mother, Choice Clay, was in the kitchen area. It’s believed they were the only three people in the house at the time the shooting occurred.
No arrests have been made in the case and investigators are not sure who the gun belonged to at this time.
Information from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution used in this article.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/2-year-old-killed-accidental-shooting/npLfh/




Woman shot by bail bondsman in McDonald's drive-through in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG — (11-11-15) The bail bondsmen had been tailing the man all day. Their quarry had failed to appear for a September court hearing on a cocaine possession charge. Now Kyle's Kwik Bail Bonds would be on the hook for his five-figure bond.

They decided the takedown would happen at McDonald's.

A white sedan turned into the drive-through. The man, Deveon Stokes, 26, was in the back seat. A team of bondsmen decided to box in the sedan.

That's how St. Petersburg police Chief Tony Holloway described the start of the confrontation that unfolded in broad daylight Wednesday afternoon. The result: A woman inside the sedan — who was not wanted — was shot in the head by a bail bondsman and left in critical condition.

Police released few details about the incident. But Holloway criticized the bondsmen's decision to try to capture their subject in such a public place.

"We're going to be talking to them to figure out why they picked this location," he said.

Court records show Stokes failed to appear in Pinellas court for a September pretrial hearing on his felony drug charge, so a warrant was issued. His bond was in the amount of $21,000, the chief said.

So around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, a team of three or four bail bondsmen attempted the takedown at the restaurant at 4585 34th St. S. Here's how Holloway described the confrontation:

The sedan Stokes was in waited in the drive-through. A blue sports car pulled up nose to nose with the sedan. A gray sport utility vehicle pulled up alongside the white sedan, trapping it. A bail bondsman got out of the SUV, walked to the white sedan, introduced himself, police said, and stuck a gun through the cracked passenger window.

The driver of the sedan stepped on the gas. Police said a gunshot was fired. A woman in the passenger seat of the sedan was shot in the head. Hours later, her blood could be seen inside the car, its door flung open.

Stokes was the only one involved in the incident who was identified by police. The bondsman who held the gun was not named. Nor was the wounded woman. Nor the driver of the white sedan.

The armed bondsman told police the firing was accidental.

Stokes was taken into custody, police said, and the woman taken to a local hospital for surgery.

The owner of the McDonald's declined to comment, as did someone who answered the phone at Kyle's Kwik Bail Bonds.

This was not the first time Kyle's Kwik Bail Bonds was involved in a violent confrontation. In January 2014, one of its bond agents shot a 24-year-old who hadn't appeared in court on a marijuana charge. The fugitive drove at the bondsmen, and one fired at the car several times, hitting the fugitive in the shoulder. The bondsman was not charged.

In this case, however, Holloway said charges are possible. State statutes govern the actions of bond agents. One forbids any "attempt to collect, through threat or coercion, amounts due for the payment of any indebtedness related to the issuance of a bail bond."

Holloway said agents don't get more leeway to use weapons.

"They're going to go through the same procedure as you would if you shot off your weapon," the chief told reporters. "We're interviewing them to figure out exactly what happened."

He said police generally have a "very good working relationship" with bail bondsmen.

"They normally contact us, let us know when they're looking for someone," he said. "So again, we're going to look at this to see exactly what happened.

"Did they let us know they were in the city, and did they let us know they were getting ready to do this takedown in the city?"

It's not always possible for bondsmen to let police know what they're planning, said Armando Roche, past president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States.

"The arrest by bail bondsmen of people that fail to go to court occurs every single day across this country," he said. "Not to the extent of what happened in St. Pete today, but these arrests are effectuated every day."

In a typical scenario, a judge issues a warrant for a fugitive's arrest. A bail agent goes looking for them, makes an arrest and brings them back to custody. Roche said in Florida, bail agents are given 60 days to return the fugitive before they have to pay the bond. After that, for the first year, they can recover as much as 85 percent of the bond amount, and 50 percent in the second year. In Stokes' case, Wednesday was the 61st day since he missed his hearing.

Roche said agents may act "within reason" to recover clients, but that that's a gray area.

"As for a determination of what's reasonable . . . ," he said. "That's a question for the state attorney's office and the sheriff and whoever's investigating this incident."

The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office will likely evaluate the incident, said Chief Assistant State Attorney Bruce Bartlett.

"It sounded to me like it went a little bit over the top, particularly with something that involved other citizens and the use of deadly force," Bartlett said. "That's something that kind of changes the game."

Times staff researchers Caryn Baird and John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Claire McNeill at cmcneill@tampabay.com.

http://www.home.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/woman-shot-in-mcdonalds-drive-thru-lane-in-st-petersburg/2253551




City spokeswoman: Teen injured in accidental shooting
James Durbin

(11-11-15) Midland public safety officials investigate an apartment at the Park Square complex where a 16-year-old male allegedly was injured by a negligent discharge of a firearm according to Sara Bustilloz, public information officer for the city of Midland, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

A 16-year-old male was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital on Wednesday night with a gunshot wound to the torso after an accidental shooting, according to the city’s spokeswoman.
The injury was believed not to be life threatening, Sara Bustilloz said.

Midland police were called to a unit at Park Square Apartment Homes, off Neely Avenue, at about 6:30 p.m. The incident is under investigation to determine if foul play was involved, Bustilloz said.

http://www.mrt.com/top_stories/article_62c646e4-88f0-11e5-bcbd-bf334fa82564.html



(update)
Woodward teen remains hospitalized
By Rachael Van Horn Staff Writer

(11-10-15)  A Woodward teen is still in critical condition after what appears to be a possible accidental discharge of a shotgun over the weekend, according to Woodward police detectives.
According to Woodward Detective Lt. Billy Parker, the 14-year-old girl is scheduled for more surgeries and her condition has remained listed at critical.
The incident took place Saturday around 8 p.m. at a location in east Woodward. A call to police came in from adults who were out of town reporting that they had been notified by someone at the location that a shooting had occurred there, according to the Woodward police logs.
According to an interview with Parker on Sunday morning, the incident appeared to be an accidental discharge when a shotgun was being unloaded by a juvenile with other juveniles in the residence.
When the shotgun discharged, the girl was struck near her collarbone, Parker said.
She was airlifted to Oklahoma City, according to the interview with Parker.

http://www.woodwardnews.net/news/woodward-teen-remains-hospitalized/article_776138b6-879c-11e5-b6dc-4f698ddb3ed4.html