Kentucky – Shattered – The Gun Accident Journal

Adult Injury Kentucky No Charges Filed January 23, 2020February 17, 2020 by Gary Klein

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

In Prestonburg, Kentucky, a messenger for an armored car service was shot when his gun accidentally discharged while he was making a drop at a Big Lots store in a …

Adult Arrested Adult Death Kentucky January 8, 2020February 16, 2020 by Gary Klein

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020

20-year old Gregory Lee Miller, Jr. of Lexington Kentucky died today of a gunshot wound. 25-year old Jaquan St. Louis has been arrested and charged with reckless homicide. According to …

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2019

15-year old Bradley Hulett was shot and killed in Lithia, Florida at the home of his friend, the son of a Tampa police officer. A group of four teenage boys was present at the time of the shooting. According to a subsequent news report about the investigation, some of the boys found the gun in a locked closet with the magazine removed. They did not realize that there was a round in the chamber.

“At 15 years old, Bradley stole the hearts of all who knew him with his sweet disposition, intelligence, and charisma,” according to a Facebook post made after the incident. “His passions in life were his family, friends, and basketball... A tragic accident took him from us too soon.” More than 3,000 people attended Bradley’s funeral service.

“This house used to be vibrant and alive,” Bradley’s father said. "It’s not right now, and I don’t know when it’s going to be again, or if it ever will be, and that’s scary. He was one of kindest, sweetest, most decent people you’d ever meet…”

The officer in whose home the accident occurred was on-duty in Tampa at the time of the incident. His name has not been released. According to a local attorney representing the officer, state law says loaded guns kept in locations where a minor could access them must be secured with a trigger lock or kept in a locked container or location "which a reasonable person would believe to be secure.” “He did everything and more than what is required” by the law, the lawyer said of the officer, though he acknowledged that the officer inadvertently left the gun loaded.

A lawyer for the family said, ““If you’re handling a firearm, you have to assume that it’s loaded and that whatever you do with that firearm could take the life of a person very easily. We’re talking about 15-year-old boys here, not 5-year-old boys.”

“It’s a tragedy because it could have been prevented,” Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Captain Preston Hollis said, adding “[a]nytime we have one of these events, unfortunately, it’s a great time to talk about gun safety and firearm safety."

The gun apparently did not have simple safety features such as a magazine safety disconnect so that it would not fire without the magazine present or a loaded chamber indicator that might have made the boys aware that the gun was loaded.

Tony Marrero and Jamal Thalj i, “Teenager Shot in Lithia at Police Officer’s Home Identified,” Tampa Bay Times (December 14, 2019).

Tony Marr ero, “For Family of Teen Shot at Tampa Sop’s Home, Anger and Unanswered Questions,” Tampa Bay Times (January 29, 2020).