3-year-old fatally shoots himself
3-year-old fatally shoots himself
SEATTLE (AP) — A 3-year-old scrambled out of his child seat after his parents stopped for gas early Wednesday, found a gun police say was left in the car by his father and fatally shot himself in the head.
The accidental shooting in Tacoma marks the third in three weeks in Washington involving young children, and the second death. The spate of gun violence is raising questions about the effectiveness of the state’s gun laws and community awareness of firearm safety.
Tacoma police Officer Naveed Benjamin said the 3-year-old boy’s death highlights the need for people to secure guns. “It is incredible in light of the other ones,” Benjamin said. “You would think people would take more care, not less.”
Tacoma police said the boy’s death came after his father put his pistol under a seat and got out to pump gas while the mother went inside the convenience store. The boy’s infant sister, who also was in the car when the gun went off, was not injured. The Pierce County medical examiner has identified the boy as Julio Segura-McIntosh of Tacoma.
Gunman kills 1,
wounds 3 at court
BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) — A man opened fire Wednesday outside a Texas courthouse where he was on trial in a family dispute, killing an elderly woman and wounding three other people, including a daughter he ran over with a pickup truck as he tried to escape, authorities said.
Bartholomew Granger, 41, was being held at a jail without bond after being treated at a hospital following his arrest on a murder charge, police said.
Granger was outside the Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont before the continuation of his trial, grabbed a gun from his truck and began shooting, authorities said. The woman was fatally struck as she tried to run into the courthouse, while Granger’s daughter and another bystander fell to the ground.
Several law enforcement officers returned fire as the courthouse about 80 miles east of Houston went on lockdown.
“It was crazy,” said Beaumont Police Chief Jimmy Singletary. “He was shooting. Our guys were shooting.”
Blagojevich set to report to prison
CHICAGO (AP) — Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich embraced the public spotlight one last time Wednesday, claiming on the day before he reports to prison that he always believed what he did was legal and expressing faith that an appeal of his corruption convictions will succeed.
The famously talkative Blagojevich seemed to relish the attention as he spoke to a throng of television cameras, reporters and well-wishers outside his Chicago home less than 24 hours before he was due to arrive at a Colorado prison to begin serving a 14-year sentence. He was convicted on 18 counts during two trials, including charges that he tried to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat.
“While my faith in things has sometimes been challenged, I still believe this is America, this is a country that is governed by the rule of law, that the truth ultimately will prevail,” the impeached governor said during an event that seemed part farewell, part campaign rally.