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String of accidental shootings involving teens, kids
Elizabeth Fry reports
Over the past two months, four accidental shootings involving teens or kids have taken place in the Bay Area. It’s a concerning pattern for both law enforcement and parents,as the latest incident caused a Ruskin high school to be placed on lockdown.
Hillsborough County deputies placed Lennard High on lockdown Thursday as they tried to figure out what was going on following reports of a firearm on the campus.
Authorities said it all stemmed from a shooting in the parking lot after an 18-year-old former student got ahold of his friend’s gun.
According to the sheriff's office, the chaos was all caused by a 17-year-old student who brought a gun to school in his truck. The teen’s friend saw the gun in his truck, started messing with it, and ended up shooting himself in the leg.
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Accidental shooting outside Lennard High School
A man accidentally shot himself Thursday morning in the Lennard High School parking lot with a gun he found inside a student's car, deputies said. That student was arrested by deputies for having a weapon on school property.
Deputies placed the school on lockdown as they searched for the gun and the student. Once deputies arrested the teen in a classroom at the school, the 17-year-old told them that he’d been bringing the gun to school every day for a week after finding it at a party over the weekend. He was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm on school property.
The 18-year-old who shot himself was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. However, this latest incident isn’t the only accidental shooting involving a teen over the past few weeks.
Just last week, 15-year-old Trill Wright accidentally shot himself while handling a gun at his friend’s house in St. Pete. Wright later died at the hospital.
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15-year-old shot and killed
A 15-year-old, who was handling a gun, died after he was accidentally shot over the weekend in St. Petersburg, police said.
READ: Teen dies after accidental shooting in St. Pete over the weekend
Then back In July, in Manatee County, a 16-year-old was killed following another accidental shooting. Investigators said he was accidentally shot by a 15-year-old friend as they were reportedly playing with a gun.
MORE: 16-year-old accidentally shot in the head by friend dies, Manatee deputies say
Also last month, another shooting happened in St. Pete after a 9-year-old was killed in another accidental shooting.
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9-year-old accidentally shot and killed
The St. Petersburg Police Department is investigating after a 9-year-old boy was fatally shot Friday evening.
READ HERE: Child ‘accidentally’ shot, killed in St. Pete was once reported missing, police say
Authorities told FOX 13 that most of the time, kids have no idea whether the gun is loaded. They said these tragedies serve as an important reminder for parents to talk to their kids about the importance of reminding them that guns are not a toy and to leave them alone if they see one.