4-year-old finds handgun in family car, shoots himself

A 4-year-old boy from La Plata, Maryland was playing outside his home. His grandmother was watching him. According to the police report:

The grandmother reported that the boy got into a car which was parked in the driveway and suddenly she heard a gunshot. The child ran to her and she noticed he had an injury to his head.

The child was flown to a hospital where it was learned he had a graze wound.

A computer check revealed the gun - a 9mm semi-automatic handgun - is registered to a member of the child's family. At this point, it is not clear why the gun was in the car and the investigation is continuing.

It should be noted that Maryland is one of the few states that requires registration of handguns. In the majority of states the police would not have been able to run a computer check on the gun to determine ownership.

16 month old Maryland baby shot in attack on father's car

A baby was shot and killed while in his car seat in the back seat on Friday when gunmen opened fire on his father's car. From an article:

Three men wearing latex gloves, two in hooded sweat shirts, fired at least 16 shots as Rashaw Scott sat in the driver's seat of a parked red Chevrolet — his 16-month-old son, Carter, was in the back passenger seat — in what police say was a targeted shooting that left the child dead.

Scott, 22, of Harlem Park, described the scene inside the Cherrydale Apartments complex in South Baltimore to police before he was admitted to surgery, according to an arrest warrant obtained Sunday. Scott, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the shooting Friday, was listed in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center on Sunday.

Carter was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his leg. The child was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour after the shooting.

Police confirm arrest of suspect in fatal shooting of 1-year-old

City leaders and neighbors expressed outrage at the shooting, with a spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake calling it "senseless and cowardly."

Police arrested a suspect, 20-year-old Eddie Tarver, of the 200 block of Cherry Hill Road. He was charged with first- and second-degree murder and related charges. A preliminary hearing in Baltimore District Court is scheduled for June 21. No attorney for Tarver is listed in online court records.

A former teammate and coaches who know Tarver saw his booking photo and confirmed Tarver had been a standout shooting guard on the St. Frances Academy basketball team.

A search for the other suspects continued over the holiday weekend.

 

10-year old girl killed by celebratory gunfire in Maryland

Aaliyah Boyer, age 10

A 10-year old girl, Aaliyah Boyer, was setting off fireworks for New Year's in Elkton, Maryland, when she was shot through the top of her head by a bullet from celebratory gunfire.

She eventually died from her wound.

From an article:

The girl, identified by police as Aaliyah Boyer, had been in critical condition on life support at A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital in Wilmington. 

Cecil County Sheriff's Office Lt. Michael Holmes said the girl, a resident of Manheim, Pa., was standing in the yard of a relative's home in the unit block of AJS Court in Elkton, watching neighbors set off fireworks, when she suddenly collapsed. A bullet of unknown caliber had struck her on the top of her head, Holmes said. 

Investigators do not know where the bullet came from and have no suspects. Neighbors have told authorities they heard a lot of fireworks and gunshots at about midnight, about the time the girl was struck. 

"It's our belief that celebratory gunfire caused a wound to the head," Holmes said.
Detectives continue to look for leads for a suspect. 

"It's being treated as a homicide investigation now," Holmes said.

Bullets don't know when to stop.

16-year old Maryland boy shot for cell phone

Someone tried to steal a cell phone from a 16-year old boy in Capitol Heights, Maryland.  He resisted, so the robber shot him in the forearm and took off with the phone.

The victim is in stable condition.

From an article:

The suspect, who had approached on foot at the 1200 block of Nye St. in Chapel Oaks, ran off with the victim's phone after shooting him in the forearm, police said.  

The 16-year-old boy was taken to a local hospital in stable condition, police said. He was to be released Wednesday evening.

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Two Maryland teen boys shoot and injure teen boy and girl

A Rockville, Maryland teen, Kevin Nguyen, age 16, pleaded guilty to shooting, along with an accomplice, Tavares Harris, 17, another teen boy and girl last May.

Their target, a 16-year old boy with whom they had a dispute, was shot at least once, but recovered.  An 18-year old girl, who was an innocent bystander, was also shot and wounded, but recovered.

From an article and news videos when the shooting happened:

Police arrested two Rockville boys, Kevin Q. Nguyen, 16, of the 300 block of North Van Buren Street, and Tavares D. Harris, 17, of the 700 block of Fallsgrove Drive, and charged both with attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy, assault and a weapons offense. Both are charged as adults. 

Police say they believe Nguyen was the shooter. Investigators believe that the shooting may have been motivated by an ongoing dispute or disagreement. 

Two people were shot outside the Rockville Metro Station Friday afternoon. A 16-year-old boy was shot at least once and is suffering from serious but non-life threatening wounds. 

An 18-year-old female was also shot and is suffering from non-life threatening wounds.
Police believe the boy was shot intentionally, but the 18-year-old appears to have been an innocent bystander.

Recent articles about the charges and court appearances of the shooter and accomplice HERE and HERE.

Nowhere is it indicated where Nguyen got the gun.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

18-year old young man tries to rob 12-year old Maryland boy with toy gun

A 12-year old boy in Severn, Maryland, was approached by an 18-year old male, who then tried to rob the boy using a toy pistol.  The boy fled the scene.

From an article:

Dejon Arnold, 18, of the 8200 block of Autumn Lake Court in Severn, was charged with robbery, theft less than $1,000 and second-degree assault, according to online court records. 

Officers responded to the 8200 block of Clearwater Court at 4:45 p.m. and spoke with the victim and his father. The boy told officers that he had been walking in the area of Clearwater Court and Indian Drive at 3:15 p.m. when Arnold approached him and displayed what looked like a handgun, police spokesman Justin Mulcahy said. 

Arnold demanded the victim's coat. The boy refused and then fled; he was not injured. 

Police were able to find and arrest Arnold. Officers determined the gun used in the incident to be fake, Mulcahy said.

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10-year old Maryland girl dies after discharging family gun

A 10-year old girl in Sanford, Maryland, got hold of a loaded gun an unintentionally discharged it, hitting herself.  She later died from the wound.

From an article:

A 10-year-old girl was fatally injured in what appeared to be an accidental shooting at a Saxis Road residence Thursday night.

The Accomack County Sheriff’s Office received a report from the Eastern Shore 911 Center at 10:19 p.m. that a child had been shot at 23533 Saxis Road in Sanford.

Deputies when they arrived at the residence found the girl had sustained a gunshot wound to the body.

The victim was transported by ambulance to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Md., where she was pronounced dead.

An autopsy is being conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore, Md.

Officials did not release the victim’s name.

Godwin said investigation into the shooting is continuing but it appears to have been accidental.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

12-year old Maryland boy unintentionally shoots father

A 12-year old boy was with his father in Frederick, Maryland, shooting at roosters on their property.  The boy fired a round, but it hit a truck and ricocheted  hitting his father in the chest.  The man is now in the hospital being treated.

No charges are being filed.

From an article:

The boy and his father, a 48-year-old Frederick resident, were outside at the farm, where the boy was shooting a .22-caliber rifle, said Cpl. Jennifer Bailey, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. 

“What they were shooting at were Bantam roosters, which were very aggressive on the property,” Bailey said. 

The father was struck when one of the bullets ricocheted off a truck and hit him in the chest, she said. 

The man was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he continues to be treated, she said.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

8th-grade Baltimore boy brought grandfather's gun to school

An 8th-grade boy found his grandfather's unsecured handgun and brought it to school with him.  School officials were able to get the gun away from him.

The grandfather is being charged for violating Maryland's child access protection law, which requires safe storage of firearms around children.

From an article:

In an article posted August 31 on Baltimore County NOW at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/news , Johnson wrote, “Regardless of our opinions about guns and gun control, we ought to be able to agree on this: The consequences of not securing firearms in the home can be disastrous.”

At the press briefing today, Johnson displayed several guns of the type that the Stemmers Run student took to class – all smaller than a cell phone. He also displayed the simple, inexpensive locking mechanisms that gun owners can use to prevent guns from being used improperly.

“The teachable moment here is, ‘Lock your weapons up,’” Johnson said.

Students and teachers say the incident happened during class change and was a result of a fight between a few students that happened on Monday. Students at the school say there was a fight Tuesday morning in a hallway that may have been related to that previous incident, and word was that someone had a gun.

As a result, Stemmers Run Middle School was placed on lockdown and the Baltimore County Police Department was called to the scene. Officials say no one was injured.

A female teacher reportedly saw the eighth-grade student with the gun and wrestled it out of the student's hands.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

17-year old boy shot on first day of school by 15-year old boy

Daniel Borowy, age 17.

A 17-year old male student, named Daniel Borowy, is in critical condition after a 15-year old boy, Robert Wayne Gladden, brought a loaded shotgun to the first day of school and opened fire in the cafeteria, in a high school in Perry Hall, Maryland, hitting Daniel in the back.  Luckily, a school counselor reacted quickly and tackled the boy, with only one other shot being fired.  The shooter is now in custody.

From an article:

Sophomore Nick DiPaula said it was almost the end of his lunch period when he heard a loud bang near him in the cafeteria and he and a friend turned around to see what it was. 

"We just see him with the gun and he's aiming it at my table," DiPaula, 15, said. 

A school counselor he identified as Jesse Wasmer ran over and tackled the gunman, DiPaula said, as he and other students hit the floor and another teacher started yelling, "Get out of the building, get out of the building!" 

Police said they do not believe the victim was targeted. 

It was "overwhelming," said Julia Schoennagel, 14, a freshman. "It was my first day, and I was excited to meet my teachers and see who was in my classes," she said. "It was unreal, I couldn't believe it. You never think that would happen at your school." 

Schoennagel and others described the first shot as sounding like the pop of air from a bag of chips being popped open, or a door slamming shut. But when they looked in the direction of the sound, they saw smoke from a gun in the hands of another student. 

Police said the student entered the cafeteria shortly before 10:45 a.m., removed a weapon that he had concealed and discharged it. The police have the weapon, but have not confirmed the kind of gun.

Shooter Robert Wayne Gladden, Jr., age 15

(a related article)

From another related article:

You never forget the first day of high school.  After today, that's an understatement for Perry Hall freshmen Jared Gos and Kelsea Burke. 

"The counselor pushed the boy up against the wall and he pointed the gun up in the air and shot it and that's when everyone like bolted out of the cafeteria," said Burke.   

From a related article: The shooter, Robert Gladden, claims he brought the shotgun to school to intimidate bullies and that it went off by accident.  He also, apparently, had vodka with him.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

UPDATE (8/29/12):  The gun came from the home of his father. The shooter was stopped by school staff when they tackled him; no gun needed to stop this shooting. From the article:  

"But let this episode also be a reminder that guns of all types are best held by responsible adults under lock and key. A 15-year-old should no more have unfettered access to a shotgun than to a motor vehicle or stick of dynamite. The emotional turmoil that is adolescence is uncertain enough without bringing firearms or other deadly weapons into the fray. The gun in question was allegedly taken from Mr. Gladden's father's home."

From another article about this shooting:

No one answered the door Monday evening at the home of the alleged shooter's mother. A sign at the house said, "We don't call 911" and had a carved relief of a gun.

UPDATE (8/29/12):  Gladden will be charged as an adult.  The victim, Daniel, has Down's Syndrome and is well-loved by his classmates.  From the article:

Borowy, a 17-year-old special-education student at Perry Hall, is well-known for his welcoming waves, high-fives and other friendly interactions, classmates said. He remained in critical condition Wednesday morning at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. 

The Monday shooting led to a lockdown and then early dismissal at the Baltimore County school on the first day of classes. Robert Wayne Gladden Jr., 15, was charged as an adult Tuesday with attempted murder and assault. 

Friends of the family and fellow students described Borowy as passionate about soccer and Lady Gaga and quick to make friends. Classmates rallied behind Borowy on Tuesday, wearing T-shirts and posting signs outside the school that read “Pray for Daniel,” gathering at an early-morning vigil around the school’s flagpole and sharing via social media a plea to get the pop singer to visit the teen.

UPDATE (2/19/13):  The shooter, Robert Gladden, has entered a guilty plea.  From an article:

Robert Gladden Jr., 15, entered the plea to the adult charge on the day his trial was scheduled to begin in Baltimore County Circuit Court. Judge Robert Cahill Jr. accepted the plea and agreed to a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for Monday. 

Gladden also pleaded guilty to using a firearm in a crime of violence. Both counts involved 17-year-old Daniel Borowy, who was hit in the back with a shotgun blast Aug. 27, the first day of classes at Perry Hall High School. Borowy, who has Down syndrome, missed more than two months of school while recuperating from his injuries. 

Gladden had been charged as an adult with 29 offenses, including nine counts of attempted first-degree murder. The other alleged victims included the students sitting at a lunch table with Borowy and the school employees who wrestled the shotgun away from the teen, authorities said. 

Gladden gave mostly one-word answers to questions from the judge about his willingness to plead guilty, keeping his head slightly bowed with his long, reddish-brown hair slightly obscuring his face. His mother and a few other supporters sobbed and wiped their eyes as the teen entered his plea. 

Borowy's family was not in the courtroom. Milton Borowy, Daniel's father, said in a telephone interview Monday that he was pleased a plea deal had been reached. 

"At least the admission of guilt is finally there," he said, later adding: "It's good to know that he is going to pay for his crime." 

Milton Borowy said his son is close to 100 percent healed, but he still has nightmares once or twice a week.

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9-year old Baltimore boy shot in crossfire

A 9-year old boy was with two adults when they were shot at, in Baltimore, Maryland.  Both men were injured.  The boy was shot in the stomach and is in stable condition.

From an article:

Anthony Guglielmi, the Baltimore Police Department's chief spokesman, said officers responding to a report of a shooting found the boy sitting inside a vehicle, where he was being held by his mother and was bleeding from his stomach. He was taken to a hospital and was listed in critical but stable condition.

Patrol officers learned of the shooting at about 12:03 a.m., when they were sitting in the 2100 block of McCulloh St. and saw 20 to 30 people running from the 400 block of Bloom St., Guglielmi said. 

A woman flagged down the officers, and said her son and grandson had just been shot. Officers found a 24-year-old man leaning against a vehicle with a gunshot wound to his left forearm, and the 9-year-old inside the vehicle. A 21-year-old victim was later located, suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. 

Guglielmi said the adult victims were "extremely well known to police" but declined to elaborate. He said the young victim was "caught in the crossfire."

Bullets don't know when to stop.

3-year old boy and 7-year old sister find gun in parking lot; boy shoots self

A 3-year old boy and his 7-year old sister were playing in a parking lot in Hagerstown, Maryland, when they found a loaded .22-caliber semi-auto Berretta handgun in a bush.  The boy then discharged the gun, hitting himself in the chest.

The boy is in stable condition. The gun had not been reported stolen.

From an article and video:

Hagerstown Police say a 3-year-old boy has been injured when the gun he found in a parking lot discharged, striking him in the chest.

Officers say the boy and his 7-year-old sister were playing in a parking lot behind a building on West Franklin Street about 11:10 a.m. Friday. Office say the children found a handgun and the boy began playing with it.

The gun discharged, striking the boy in the chest. His sister alerted her parents and paramedics were called.

The boy was taken to a local hospital and is in stable condition.

Police are still looking for the gun's owner.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

11-year old Maryland girl shot by another child

An 11-year old girl was apparently shot unintentionally by another child, in Willards, Maryland.

From an article:

An 11-year-old girl is being treated at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury after being shot this afternoon.

According to the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, another child may have accidentally shot the 11-year-old girl around 2:40 p.m. on State Street.

After 911 was called the girl was taken by ambulance to PRMC.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Father of 3 year old Maryland boy shot with BB gun sentenced

Even BB guns can be dangerous. The father of this Maryland 3 year old was sentenced for shooting his son last year in the face with a BB gun.

Twenty-four-year-old John Wilfong Jr. of Hagerstown pleaded guilty second-degree child abuse Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court.   

Wilfong's children were visiting him last year when he called his estranged wife to say their son had shot himself in the face. She reported the incident to Child Protective Services and the boy was found to have two BBs embedded in his face and head.   

The boy told investigators that his father had shot him.  

The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown reports that Wilfong said in court that he was bipolar and needed medication for his anger.

3-year old Maryland boy shot in head and face by father with BB gun

A 3-year old boy in Hagerstown, Maryland, was shot twice in the head with a BB gun by his father.

He will be serving a year in jail.

From an article:

Wilfong’s children were visiting him on Dec. 23, 2011, when he called his estranged wife and told her their son had shot himself in the face with a BB gun, Wilson told Judge M. Kenneth Long Jr.

His wife told Wilfong to take the child to the hospital, but he did not, and she reported the incident to Child Protective Services, Wilson said, reading from the statement of facts.

The boy was later found to have one BB embedded in his chin and another behind his ear, Wilson said. There was also a welt that indicated the boy might have been hit a third time, he said.

The boy told investigators with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Child Advocacy Center that his father had shot him, he said.

The father also has a record for marijuana offenses and reckless endangerment for throwing objects at moving vehicles.

11-year old boy killed by 8-year old brother playing with stolen gun

Two brothers, ages 11 and 8, took a loaded, unsecured handgun from the home of an elderly couple where they had been doing yard work, and played with it in nearby woods.  Sadly, the 8-year old shot his brother in the head, killing him.

From an article:

Deputies were told at first that an unknown person had fired from an unknown direction, but they found a handgun hidden in the woods, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities said the older boy was shot accidentally by his brother as they were playing.
The gun had been taken from a secured area on the property of an elderly neighbor when the boys went to his house to help with yardwork, authorities said.

No charges had been filed, and the county prosecutor’s office would review the incident, authorities said.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

17-year old brings BB gun to Maryland school

A 17-year old boy was found with a BB gun at a school in La Plata, Maryland.

From the article:

A 17-year-old boy was arrested after he was found with a BB gun at a Charles County high school, authorities said.

Wednesday at about 9:45 a.m., a tipster reported to Crime Solvers seeing a student with what appeared to be a handgun in a classroom at Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf. Deputies found a BB gun in the suspect's coat pocket, and they also found that the suspect was in possession of a box cutter razor knife, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office.

The teenager was charged with carrying a weapon on school property, authorities said, and was released into parental custody. 

Charles County Public Schools spokeswoman Katie O'Malley-Simpson said parents received an email about the incident and that, generally, students who are caught with a gun could receive a suspension or an expulsion.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

6-year old boy shoots and kills self with gun left in a Spiderman backpack

A 6-year old first-grader named "Omari" was at home in Clinton, Maryland, a home that he shared with his grandmother, great-grandmother, and a 20-year old man named Raymond Allen Brown, who wasn't related.  Omari found a Spiderman backpack and looked inside.  There he found an unsecured, loaded handgun.  Handling the gun, it discharged, killing the boy.

Brown was the last person to handle the gun, though he apparently did not own it.  He is being charged with reckless endangerment.

From the article:

Cpl. Clinton Copeland, a county police spokesman, said the department is using the incident to remind residents to safely secure any registered weapons.

“We always say if you are a home owner and own a weapon, make sure it’s in a safe position, somewhere a child cannot get a hold of it,” Copeland said. “In this case, we don’t know all the circumstances behind it, but for those who are gun owners, it’s a wake-up call to make sure you have your weapons secure.”

How about not having a gun in the home with a child?

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

UPDATE (4/12/12):  The 6-year old boy victim's name is Amari Markel-Purrel Perkins.

6 year old Maryland boy shoots himself with gun found in backpack

SEE AN UPDATE ON THIS CASE HERE.

It's sad and tragic to post stories like this one so often on this blog. A 6 year old Clinton, Maryland boy shot himself with a gun he found in the backpack of someone who lived in the home:

A 6-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed himself in a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes in the Clinton area Monday afternoon, and Prince George’s County homicide detectives are considering filing charges against a 20-year-old who lived with the boy and apparently brought the gun to the house, authorities said.

Detectives and uniformed police officers descended on the 6000 block of Arbutus Lane about 2:40 p.m., cordoning off a long row of blue- and white-sided houses with yellow crime tape. Assistant Prince George’s Police Chief Kevin Davis said they were exploring the tragic death of a 6-year-old boy, who shot himself in the chest with a loaded revolver that he found inside the home where he lived with his great-grandmother. (...) “This was an irresponsible act that caused this very, very unnecessary death,” Davis said. “This did not need to happen.”

(...) “It’s really sad,” Meadows said. “A child that young, life just beginning and ending, you might say, in a matter of days.”

It did not need to happen. A gun in the hands of a child or teen must first pass through the hands of an adult.

Maryland middle-school student caught with gun at school

A student at a middle-school in Waldorf, Maryland, was caught with an unloaded handgun at school, intending to sell the weapon.

From the article:

"Our principal and school resource officer responded immediately,” says Charles County Public Schools Spokesperson Katie O’Malley-Simpson. “They went and found the student. The student showed them where the weapon was. They took the weapon and then police took the student from the school."

Investigators say the gun was not loaded. The student was charged with possession of a weapon.

"He intended to take it and sell it after school after he got off the bus,” says O’Malley-Simpson.

The school district sent an email to parents and sent a letter home with students explaining what happened.

School officials say the student could be suspended or expelled from school pending an appeals process.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.