(4 wounded/ 3 dead/ 2 discharges) Gunskilltoo Feb 2nd; Feared break-in, killed neighbor

Fairbanks police investigate soldier’s death in accidental shooting

Fairbanks, Ak  (2-1-16)   A Fort Wainwright soldier died Sunday in what U.S. Army officials call an apparent accidental shooting involving a non-service weapon.

U.S. Army Alaska spokesman John Pennell said cavalryman Sgt. Nathan Michael Higginbotham, 25, died early Sunday after he was shot in Fairbanks. According to a statement from the Fairbanks Police Department, a 9 mm pistol was recovered from Higginbotham at the scene. He had a single gunshot wound to the head, police said.

“(Higginbotham) died after a privately owned firearm he was handling accidentally discharged,” Pennell wrote. “No others were harmed in the accident. No foul play is suspected.”

Police said at least two other people witnessed Higginbotham’s death, but law enforcement isn't releasing their names or “what actions Sgt. Higginbotham was taking with the firearm at the time of its discharge.”   

Higginbotham -- originally from ​Schenectady, New York -- was a member of the 5th Squadron in the 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. Formerly assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, he served in Iraq in 2011 before being assigned to Fort Wainwright in 2013.

https://www.adn.com/article/20160201/fairbanks-police-investigate-soldier-s-death-accidental-shooting

Will County judge back on bench after accidentally shooting himself in hand

Joliet, Il  (2-1-16)  Will County Associate Judge Robert Brumund was on the bench Monday, just two days after he accidentally shot himself in the hand.

Brumund, who presides over family court, confirmed the accident and said he was "embarrassed" by it.

"It's an unfortunate accident that occurred when I was handling my gun," he said. "(It was) a stupid incident."

He said no one else was injured and that his hand was fine.

"Nothing was done intentionally," said Brumund, who has been a judge since 2005.

Although Joliet police would not name Brumund, they said they responded to an incident when asked about a possible accidental shooting involving a judge.

According to police, officers responded to a call of an accidental shooting about 3:25 p.m. Saturday. When officers arrived, they found the victim with a gunshot wound in the hand, Joliet police Deputy Chief Edgar Gregory said.

The weapon was a semi-automatic handgun, Gregory said.

Gregory said the victim told police he had just returned from a shooting range and was about to clean his weapon when it discharged. Gregory could not say whether the victim knew there were still bullets in the gun or not.

The bullet entered the palm and exited through the back of the hand. Gregory said the victim was taken to Presence St. Joseph Hospital where he was treated for his injury. Gregory said the victim's wife was home at the time, but she was not injured.

Police took the gun from the home, said Gregory, adding that the case is still being reviewed.

The victim had a valid Firearm Owners' Identification card, Gregory said.

Alicia Fabbre is a freelancer.

http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-85759628/

Questions linger after homeowner shoots, kills accidental intruder    (Defense)

Spokane, Wa  (2-1-16)  Many questions remain unanswered since a fatal shooting in the 6500 block of North Assembly over the weekend after a man shot who believed to be an intruder in his home.

That person he thought was an intruder turned out to be a neighbor.

When Spokane police arrived, they found a man outside of the home with a gunshot wound. He later succumbed to his wounds.

The family of the man who died identified him as "Jerry" but wanted the medical examiner to say the rest. Police have released the name of the shooter and they aren't sure if they will because they don't know if he has committed a crime.

What is known is that a woman called 9-1-1 after her husband thought he shot what he thought was an intruder. The only big clues left at the scene were a blood stain on the porch and grass, and broken glass on the front door.

The slain man's family said he wasn't trying to intrude in the home; that their home is just three doors down and looks very similar to the one where he was shot. They added that he just moved to the area and believe that he mistook the house as his own after a night of drinking.

One of the many questions that has gone unanswered so far is what that person was doing before he was shot and whether or not the shooting was justified.

“There has to be an immediate, and otherwise unavoidable threat of death or great bodily harm to the innocent,” firearms expert Robert Smith said.

Smith teaches about the legality of using firearms as a defense and served as an expert witness during the Gail Gerlach trial. In that case, Gerlach shot a man who was stealing his truck. Smith explains that it comes down to if the shooter's actions were justifiable and reasonable under the circumstances.

“It's not just enough to say, 'I was in fear of my life.' That's a common misnomer, it gets bandaid-ed a lot and it won't take you very far in a court of law,” Smith said. “Everything is always, not what it appears. So until we have all the facts, which the police are investigating, it's difficult to make any judgments.”

Major Crimes detectives are continuing to investigate the shooting, while the medical examiner will be performing an autopsy in order to confirm the identity of the person who was killed as well as their cause of death.

http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/questions-linger-after-homeowner-shoots-kills-accidental-intruder/37763204

Port Angeles man found shot in chest

Port Angeles, Wa  (2-1-16) – Port Angeles police continue to investigate a shooting early yesterday morning.

Officers were called to the 1400 block of South Oak Street about 4:40 yesterday morning to reports of a shooting.

There they found 23-year-old Jacob Parker with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Parker initially claimed he had been the victim of an attempted robbery.

But police say a witness and evidence suggests it was an accidental shooting.

Parker was taken to Olympic Medical Center and later transported to Harborview. His condition is unknown at this time.

http://www.konp.com/local/11340

Antioch: Police arrest 86-year-old man suspected in shooting 

Antioch, Ca (2-1-16) -- An 86-year-old man who called police on himself was arrested last week for allegedly firing his revolver during a dispute with his roommate, police said.

Pervis Cohen, of Antioch, was arrested after he called police around 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 25, to report that he'd discharged his weapon while arguing with his roommate in the front yard of his home, on the 3000 block of Larkspur Drive.

The reason for the shooting? Cohen said his roommate was hurling rocks at him, so he fired a warning shot in the air, then accidentally discharged his weapon a second time as he was bringing it down. The second shot missed the roommate but hit a neighbor's garage door, police said.

Police were skeptical of Cohen's version of events.

"(An accidental discharge) like that is usually not possible with a revolver, because a revolver is double-action," Antioch police acting-Lt. Tom Fuhrmann said.

The unidentified 30-year-old roommate was not arrested, and no injuries were reported. Cohen was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm and willful discharge of a firearm with negligence, but the DA has not filed charges against him, police said.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_29460895/antioch-police-arrest-86-year-old-man-suspected

Four shootings, shots fired reports made in Lee County

Lee County, Fl  (2-1-16)  A man who accidentally shot himself in the kneecap was one of four shooting reports handled by the Lee County Sheriff's Office over the weekend.

On Sunday the Lee County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a shooting at a home in Lehigh Acres shortly after 1:30 p.m.

The report said that a 25-year-old man, boyfriend of the homeowner, had suffered a gunshot wound to his knee after his 9mm pistol accidentally discharged while he was sitting in his car in the front yard of a home on Fourth Street West.

A round from the man's black Diamondback model DB9 went through his leg at the knee-cap, the report said. A spent 9mm round was found on the floor the victim's 2005 Chrysler 300.

On Saturday, a Cape Coral man suffered multiple wounds in a shooting on McGregor Boulevard in south Fort Myers.

A report by the sheriff's office said that shortly before 4:45 p.m. deputies were called to McGregor near Gladiolus Drive where they found the man inside a car with gunshot wounds to his left forearm and lower left chest area.

Relatives of the man said that another man had shot the victim while he was in a black Buick SUV. A brother of the victim and another friend said they left the area for their own safety and then called for medical help.

A friend of the victim's said the shooter was wearing a red hoodie and dark cargo shorts and had dreadlocks.

Another witness said the man approached their car and shot into it three times, striking the victim twice.

He was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman said on Monday that no person by that name was registered at the hospital.

On Friday, two reports of shootings included a mother who was driving with her two daughters when her car's window was shattered by a gunshot and shots fired at a Palm Beach Boulevard business.

The sheriff's office reported that the woman told them she was leaving her home near 13th Street in Lehigh Acres shortly before 8 p.m. when the rear window on her 2007 Honda Odyssey blew out.

The woman said she had been driving with her twin five-year-old daughters.

Deputies found what appeared to be a bullet mark in the window and headliner of the van. A .22-caliber shell casing was found on the street nearby.

The woman and her daughters were not hurt.

The second Friday incident occurred at a business on Palm Beach Boulevard around 8:30 p.m.

A worker at a tire and auto body shop on Palm Beach said he heard what sounded like firecrackers and then saw a leather jacket hanging on a workbench inside the shop move.

Employees at the shop said they saw four people wearing hoodies in a nearby vacant lot but no weapons.

When employees shook the jacket a partial bullet fell out and they found a hole in the sleeve.

Other witnesses nearby said they heard the shots but did not see anybody shooting.

Connect with this reporter: MichaelBraunNP (Facebook) @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter

http://www.news-press.com/story/news/crime/2016/02/01/four-shootings-shots-fired-reports-made-lee-county/79648004/

Man shoots self in leg while playing with pistol in Pontiac

Pontiac, Mi    (2-1-16)  A 20-year-old Pontiac man accidentally shot himself in the leg while playing with a pistol at a friend’s house Friday night.

Oakland County sheriff’s deputies were called to McLaren Hospital shortly before 9 p.m. Friday after a shooting victim was taken to the emergency room.

The man said he was at his friend’s house on Third Avenue near Whittemore and Jessie streets when he found a small-caliber pistol on the table and began to play with it.

The man said the round struck him in the upper leg. He told deputies he could not recall the address where the incident occurred.

Hospital staff said the wound appeared to be consistent with the man’s story. He was listed in stable condition.

The investigation will continue.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20160201/man-shoots-self-in-leg-while-playing-with-pistol-in-pontiac

Schools alerted after a shot was accidentally fired during a break-in

Winston-Salem, NC   (2-1-16) — Two Winston-Salem schools were alerted Monday of a breaking and entering in progress after a shot was fired by a nearby neighbor.
The break-in occurred at 2317 Redbud Lane, a mile from both Speas Elementary School and Mount Tabor High School, a news release from the Winston-Salem Police Department.
Neighbors witnessed two people breaking into the vacant house and called the police, officers said.
Police said the schools were notified after officers received reports of a shot being fired.
One of the witnesses, waiting for police to arrive, shot his personal gun into the ground at the vacant property, the news release stated.
Police determined the shot was accidental and said they won't be pressing charges.
Officers located one of the break-in suspects, but have not released any identifying information about him or her.
Police ask anyone with information about this break-in to contact CrimeStoppers at (336) 727-2800.

http://www.greensboro.com/news/crime/schools-alerted-after-a-shot-was-accidentally-fired-during-a/article_79fe97d6-2c14-5bdb-be6a-8d21dce79e0e.html

Man shoots himself in wrist with gun


Franklin, In  (2-1-16)   A Franklin man has been released from the hospital after accidentally shooting himself in the wrist.

Ward Cummings was removing the magazine clip from his 9 mm handgun when he accidentally twisted the gun and shot himself in the wrist. Cummings had one bullet in the chamber of his 9 mm handgun, according to a police report from the Franklin Police Department.

Cummings went to Johnson Memorial Hospital for treatment on Saturday, and was transferred to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital.

Police officers searched Cummings home, with his permission, and they found the gun and shell casings in his bedroom.

Cummings has since been treated and released from Methodist.


http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/local_story/Man-shoots-himself-in-wrist-wi_1454372855