Boy, 7, Killed In Gun Store Parking Lot In Pennsylvania
Mercer County, PA | A boy, 7, has been killed at a Pennsylvania gun store, and police say a tragic misfire led to a fatal gunshot wound to the child’s chest.
The boy was killed in the gun store’s parking lot, and scant details about the way the scene unfolded have been released. The 7-year-old was strapped in a booster seat at the time of the presumably accidental shooting.
According to local news sources, the boy, 7, was killed in the gun store parking lot as his father backed out of a space at Twig’s Reloading Den, located at 8388 Sharon Mercer Road in East Lackawannock Township. A CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh reports what little is known about the fatal shooting:
“The boy was shot in the upper right chest while in a booster seat in a pickup truck parked at the shop … The boy’s father said he went inside the shop to sell a .9 mm hand gun and while he was backing out of his parking space, the gun went off.”
Nicole Howard witnessed the aftermath of the boy’s shooting death at the gun store, and she explains that the fatal incident was audible from her family’s adjacent business, Howard & Son Meatpacking. Howard recalls:
“There are lots and lot of flashing lights and lots of crime tape. There was a single shot, and then the police came.”
The boy’s gun store shooting occurred this morning at 10:54 AM, and the investigation into the tragedy is being handled by the Mercer County coroner as well as local police. A website for the gun store at which the 7-year-old was fatally shot urges patrons to be “sure to start looking early for ammo, bullets or powder for this season,” as it “looks like everything will be harder to find.”
Tags : Boy 7 killed in gun store, Boy 7 killed in gun store 2012, Boy 7 killed in gun store parking lot, Boy 7 killed in gun store pennsylvania, Boy 7 killed in gun store twigs, Twig's Reloading Den
Posted: December 8, 2012
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Dec 8, 2012
All about safety in the car with booster seats, all about stupidity when it comes to the gun.
Dec 8, 2012
if he was just in the store trying to sell the gun…why was it loaded?
Dec 8, 2012
This sounds fishy…Im a gun owner and NEVER have I carried a loaded gun OUT of a gun store….
Dec 8, 2012
Who's firearm discharged? The fathers?
How did it discharge? Mishandling?
"A website for the gun store at which the 7-year-old was fatally shot urges patrons to be “sure to start looking early for ammo, bullets or powder for this season,” as it “looks like everything will be harder to find.”".
This information is completely irrelevant to the story. Do us readers a favor and simply report news as focused as possible.
What ever happened to waiting for a full story to report on?
Dec 8, 2012
Rafael, news occasionally becomes notable before all information is available. It is common practice in media to report a story as it breaks. When additional details become available, we add them.
Dec 8, 2012
poor kid
Dec 8, 2012
Fair enough answer to my dislike of vagueness found in stories "as they break." Though I could make the argument that a vague story is not a story, but I understand your point.
Perhaps you can explain the inclusion of the quotations from the gun stores website and how they pertain to this story?
Dec 8, 2012
Don't try and justify writing irrelevant information Kim. You should know better. Hand off any updates to someone else.
Dec 8, 2012
That is assuming it was indeed the fathers firearm that discharged. The story doesn't quite say it clearly.
Dec 8, 2012
I was thinking the same thing, though, assuming it was the fathers firearm, he could have reloaded it upon getting back in the car.
Dec 8, 2012
Perhaps reloaded in the car before they headed out. Which raises a question, what are the legalities of vehicle carry where this happened and is the father a CHL holder, if need be?
Dec 8, 2012
no it does not. But it does say the gun discharged at the end of the story.
Dec 8, 2012
He went in to sell a loaded 9mm? or was he going to rob the store? I know there's a 30 day wait on background checks to sell weapons in the America. So did he want quick cash? Sounds really suspisious..
Dec 8, 2012
Another tragic incident involving a gun, and I'm tired of hearing the same bullshit about 'is not the gun, is the person' argument. Why is this society so stubbornly incapacitated to realize that guns aren't safe and you can't end violence with violence, it's crazy. Guns only cause death and the same supposed protection can be a massacre in the other hand if the law is not strict enough to prevent lunatics to acquire a gun. The US is in the TOP 10 in firearm death rate! in the WORLD for Christ sake. This deep-rooted gun culture is destroying the US.
Dec 8, 2012
The idiot who wrote this article included that the gun shop says to start looking for ammo and bullets early, like he was telling us all that they put that up on their website because of the shooting, but they put that up on the website because their manufacturers are running out of ammo.
Dec 8, 2012
It says the gun went off while he was backing up. Guns don't go off unless someone pulls the trigger or drops it on the hammer, but guns don't just go off.
Dec 8, 2012
It's like the writer is saying that the shooting and the info on the website are related, but it's not true.
Dec 8, 2012
I've taken hunter's safety, All loaded guns should have the safety on!
Dec 8, 2012
a vague story is not a story but a speculation and has no factual base except that "something happen". The media is good at that.
Dec 8, 2012
This is an article done by anti gun zealot. It's unfortunate an innocent life was lost because of someone's carelessness. The article seems to omit the important facts and use these words to make it look that guns and gun stores are at fault "A boy, 7, has been killed at a Pennsylvania gun store." Condolence to the family.
Dec 8, 2012
Where do you have a thirty day wait? Certainly not where I live.
Dec 8, 2012
It only sounds suspicious because you are not considering the possibility that he has the firearms for defense, brought it loaded to the store location, unloaded it in the car, went in and failed to find a good price to sell it for, went back to his car, reloaded the firearm, and so on….
Remember, we know nothing, only information (lack of it) passed down from the source.
Dec 8, 2012
How come whenever someone gets killed in a car wreck after driving their new car off the dealer's lot THAT isn't breaking news?
Dec 8, 2012
You don't walk into a gun store with a loaded gun even if you have a Carry Permit. That is a good way to get shot. If in fact he wanted to sell the gun, the gun should have been in a case. You would hope the store owners would have "cleared' the firearm before inspecting it as a possible purchase. This story is so vague right now I am guessing that whomever wrote it thought they would get some mileage out of early reporting or using it as "breaking news", which it is not. Sounds more like an accident at this point.
Dec 8, 2012
Having a loaded weapon out of a holster and assuming it was in his hand while getting into a vehicle is not quite a smart thing, this by no means is a reason for activist to go nuts, its just one irresponsible gun owner out of millions.
Dec 8, 2012
James Fuqua because it's much more common. Though that would imply that if accidental killings by means of firearms would receive less attention if it was common enough, and for some reason I do not think that would be the case.
Dec 8, 2012
You don't walk into a gun store with a loaded gun even if you have a Carry Permit. That is a good way to get shot. If in fact he wanted to sell the gun, the gun should have been in a case. You would hope the store owners would have "cleared' the firearm before inspecting it as a possible purchase. This story is so vague right now I am guessing that whomever wrote it thought they would get some mileage out of early reporting or using it as "breaking news", which it is not. Sounds more like an accident at this point.
The questions are whether the gun was unloaded when he left the store and whether he was carrying it on his person, or had it stored either in a case or uncased when he got back to his vehicle.
Dec 8, 2012
Mechanical safeties, although highly unlikely, can fail.
The best safety to "keep on" is the one between your ears.
Dec 8, 2012
This is NOT notable news either Kim. Who designated it as such? You? I give you credit for at least showing your face and responding to Rafael but as far as posting this as news worthy at this point forget it. There are a lot of people fed up with the media and the lame, biased articles we have to read that are not based on facts, especially when it comes to firearms/guns.
Dec 8, 2012
all very sad… my heart and prayers go out to this Dad, certainly not intending to do harm to his child, also to the mom and other family members for their loss… rest in peace little one. Such a sad and tragic event.
Dec 8, 2012
I know this is a tragedy, but how much news would this bring if it happened in a church parking lot.
Dec 8, 2012
well, except that the dad said he did not realize there was a bullet in it… if he had loaded it after returning to the vehicle from the gun shop he most certainly would have known there was a bullet in it… sometimes the story is less vague if you actually read all the words.
Dec 8, 2012
Another idiot with a hand gun.
Dec 8, 2012
Well said Thomas….
Dec 8, 2012
First things first. I looked up some information about this website. It looks so unreliable especially when their top article is "Facebook Mistakes Elbows For Breasts In Bathtub." Now, about the article: Clearly, the article's writer was trying really hard to make this article interesting. With the Obama's anti-gun agenda, the writer probably thought that this phrase would catch people's attention. This person completely missed the whole point of the story (that what happened was truly a tragic accident). All of the quotes in this article were also irrelevant or worse, a misinformation.
Dec 8, 2012
And also, on breaking news of the Inquisitr, Kim Kardashian's Cat Mercy died last night. Just saying! lol
Dec 9, 2012
If u aré backin out how does your gun go off
Dec 9, 2012
Editor and writer needs to be fired. So many error and stuff that makes no sense in here. The overall lack of investigation in this story is just a sad state of our press. Did they just read some ladies tweets on this or something?
Dec 9, 2012
Also what the heck is with that picture? The gun store wall? Who cares.
Dec 9, 2012
Always keep weapons pointed in a safe direction and always consider them loaded!
Dec 9, 2012
What STUPID parent or anyone keeps a loaded gun at all? I hope the father suffers the rest of his life for neglecting his childs well being.
Dec 13, 2012
Gun goes off by it self, yea right. Is it that bad that the dad had to load his gun right there in the parking lot? Were zombies chasing with? Ridiculous, I hope dads gun brings him many years of safety and security.