hall of shame
3 RULES OF FIREARM SAFETY
Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
Keep your stupid finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire the weapon.
Open the action.
Instructor Shoots Student in Gun Safety Class
A 73-year-old Ohio man accidentally shot a student with a .38-caliber bullet this weekend when he was teaching a daylong gun-safety class for people seeking concealed-carry permits.
Terry J. Dunlap Sr. was the instructor and the shooter, reports The Columbus Dispatch. The incident occurred Saturday at around 7:30 p.m. at Dunlap’s combination shooting range and training center located at 6995 Coonpath Road near the town of Lancaster.
Dunlap was openly displaying a hand gun in the classroom when he fired the bullet. It ricocheted off a desk and then hit a student in the right arm, between the armpit and the elbow.
The student, 26-year-old Michael Piemonte, was attending the course with his wife.
“My wife was sitting just inches away from me,” Piemonte told The Dispatch.
“I am thankful that it only ended up being in my arm, and didn’t hit my wife or individuals sitting at the desk behind me,” he added.
Piemonte also said he believes Dunlap was not aware that the gun was loaded.
The 30 or so students enrolled in the gun-safety course included several nurses. They were able to stabilize Piemonte after he suffered the gunshot wound. Medics transferred him to a hospital in Columbus, some 30 miles northeast. He was released later Saturday night.
No charges have been filed, notes The Dispatch. The local sheriff ruled the shooting accidental.
Alfredo Malespini, Prison Guard, Allegedly Tries to "Shoot Off" Wedding Ring, Mangles Finger
PITTSBURGH -- A federal prison guard has been charged with shooting his own finger in a drunken attempt to remove his wedding ring during an argument with his wife at their northwestern Pennsylvania home, police said.
A criminal complaint said Bradford police were called just before 9 p.m. March 2 and were met by Alfredo Malespini III, 31, who told officers he was "trying to get rid of his wedding ring" and decided to "shoot it off." The Bradford Era first reported the shooting on Friday.
The gunshot badly mangled Malespini's finger, but didn't remove the ring, police said.
At the time of the shooting in Bradford, which is near the New York border about 130 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, Malespini was employed as a lieutenant at the Federal Correctional Institution-McKean, a medium security prison a few miles away.
Vicky Moser, the executive assistant at the prison, said she could confirm only that Malespini remains employed as a lieutenant at the prison, but could not comment as to whether he's been suspended or has otherwise taken leave.
Bradford police Lt. Steve Caskey told The Associated Press that he wasn't sure of Malespini's employment status, but "as far as we know, he is still seeking treatment in Erie."
Malespini was taken to UPMC Hamot hospital where he was treated for the gunshot wound and also for mental or emotional issues, Caskey said.
Police have been called to the Malespini residence a "couple times" previously for domestic disputes, but Caskey said he doesn't believe Malespini had ever been charged with a crime before.
On the day of the shooting, Malespini "had been drinking quite heavily throughout the day and he and his wife had been arguing throughout the day about an affair he had had several months ago," Caskey said.
Malespini has been charged with disorderly conduct and was cited for firing a weapon within city limits but also is charged with reckless endangerment, a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison. That's because the bullet Malespini fired could have endangered someone else, Caskey said.
"He was out on his back deck, he was outside...the bullet could have been fired in a direct line with neighbor's houses," Caskey said.
Nobody else was hurt in the shooting, and Malespini was neither armed nor confrontational when police arrived.
"The weapon was still there, but it was not in his possession. It was lying on the kitchen counter," Caskey said. "There were never any threats to any officers."
Online court records don't list an attorney for Malespini, who is scheduled to be arraigned March 26.
N.J. Officer Accidentally Shoots, Kills Self – Gun discharged while he installed rubber sleeve on the grip
Friday, February 22, 2010
OFFICER.COM NEWS
An Atlantic City officer died of an accidental gunshot from his service weapon while on duty yesterday morning, according to The Press of Atlantic City.
Officer Kevin B. Wilkins was sitting in his cruiser at approximately 1:30 a.m. outside the Stanley Holmes Village apartment complex on Kentucky and Baltic avenues when the incident occurred.
The 31-year-old removed the clip of extra bullets in his semi-automatic pistol's handle to install a rubber sleeve on the grip, but accidentally discharged the remaining bullet in the chamber.
The bullet stuck him in the face, police told the newspaper. Nearby officers summoned medical help, but Wilkins was pronounced dead 15 minutes later.
He is the first Atlantic City officer killed in the line of duty in five years.
"He was a city resident who knew and was able to interact favorably with the community
Rookie cop who killed himself removed clip, left bullet in chamber
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Jaxon Van Derbeken,John Coté, Chronicle Staff Writers
The San Francisco rookie police officer who accidentally shot himself to death fired his weapon while displaying for a female friend how officers are taught to avoid having their guns used against them, law enforcement authorities said Tuesday. The incident happened at 1:40 a.m. Saturday during a gathering of as many as 15 people at the San Mateo apartment of the 23-year-old officer, James Gustafson Jr. According to those familiar with the incident, Gustafson was showing his Police Department-issued emiautomatic pistol after removing the clip that stores the rounds. He explained that there are ways an officer can disable a weapon in close proximity to keep it from being fired. It apparently was part of a demonstration of the department's "weapons retention" procedures. However, there was still a bullet in the chamber. Gustafson pointed the weapon at his neck and pulled the trigger, shooting himself, according to authorities.
San Francisco Police Department policy is never to point a gun at a target that an officer does not intend to shoot, authorities said. San Mateo police Capt. Kevin Raffaelli, whose agency is leading the investigation of the incident, declined to comment Tuesday other than to say that police do not believe other officers were present at the time of the shooting. Some of those at the party apparently were drinking, authorities said. Toxicology results from Gustafson's autopsy will not be available for several weeks. Gustafson graduated from the San Francisco Police Academy in January and had just finished a six-month stint in the Mission District under a field training officer. He had recently been assigned to the department's Central Station.
Investigation of shooting death ongoing
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Antelope Valley Press
By VERONICA ROCHA, Valley Press Staff Writer
LAKE LOS ANGELES - Sheriff's homicide detectives are continuing to investigate the death of a 40-year-old man who was shot by his roommate. Ray Toothman, 40, was shot once Aug. 5 in the 39000 block of 161st Street East, authorities said. He was found dead about 2 a.m. "Until we get further information, we are ruling it as an accidental shooting," said Detective Dan McElderry of the sheriff's Homicide Bureau. Friends of Toothman said he had been living with his roommate for several months. He worked at a construction company in Woodland Hills, said friend Leslie Beers . Beers said she became friends with Toothman while he worked on her home during a three-year construction phase. "He was a fine person," she said. Toothman moved from Indiana to the Antelope Valley, Beers said. For Beers, his sudden death is a shock. "The reason why this is really bothering me is because he is everywhere in my house," she said. Toothman custom-made woodwork for Beers' home. "He was a really earthy guy," she said. "I think he loved life."
Austin PD officer accidentally shoots himself
Monday, July 30, 2007
KVUE News
An Austin police officer accidentally shot himself over the weekend while out of town and off duty, and APD's new police chief dispatched a city-owned plane to pick him up from Fort Worth and bring him back to Austin. Authorities say Michael Rhone's weapon accidentally fired on Friday. He shot himself in the hand. Fort Worth police are investigating the details surrounding the shooting. Chief Art Acevedo said Rhone's injury could have had career-ending implications and needed a specialist to fix his wounds. None were immediately available, which is why a specialist was arranged at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin. The city's aircraft was available to pick him up and take him to Brackenridge. Acevedo says he'd do the same for any officer in similar circumstances. Officer Rhone, who has been with APD since 2002, has been released from Brackenridge but will need to go back for follow ups. Acevedo says an internal affairs investigation is underway into this accidental discharge. Acevedo also said this only cost the city about $400.
Policeman accidentally shoots himself at store
Friday, March 25, 2005
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
An off-duty Seattle police officer was shot in the leg when his gun accidentally fired.
The shooting happened about 11:50 p.m. Wednesday at the Larry's Market at 10008 Aurora Ave. N., police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said. The officer, an 11-year veteran, was in uniform but working off-duty at the supermarket. He was apparently readjusting his firearm when it went off, firing at least one, and possibly two, rounds. The officer had a wound in his upper thigh and another in his calf. The officer was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. The shooting remains under investigation.