The Juneau Police Department is looking into a shooting that occurred Saturday afternoon near the Hank Harmon Rifle Range on Montana Creek Road.
A caller informed JPD of the shooting at about 3:30 Saturday afternoon, and informed police it was accidental, according to a release from the department. The caller said the shooting victim had been shot in the leg, and was being taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital. JPD and Capital City Fire and Rescue personnel met with the vehicle and the victim near Floyd Dryden Middle School, and took the victim by ambulance to the hospital.
An investigation revealed a passenger discharged a loaded pistol inside a vehicle while trying to unload it, hitting the driver in the leg. The driver was leaving the rifle range when the shooting occurred. The investigation is still ongoing.
Comments (37)
Add commentSpeedy Recovery
My thoughts are with you Joe and pray for your strength and healing powers.
Common Sense?
A little common sense can go a long way with a firearm. I just hope he didn't pull the trigger to make sure the gun was empty. That firing range scares me, a lot of people don't know what they're doing.
Bummer. I hope he is ok, but
Bummer. I hope he is ok, but yes i agree people shouldnt be out there unless they know what they are doing, and unlaoding in a car? hmmm. BTW Who is Joe?
doh!
doh!
Honestly, if you don't know
Honestly, if you don't know the whole story you shouldn't pass judgement. My heart goes out to all of his friends and family. Let's keep it clean since his family will likely see this.
Well, I think we can pass
Well, I think we can pass judgment on his choice to unload a weapon in a car and to do so while pointing the shooty-end at something he apparently didn't want to shoot.
Very stupid. Too many people think guns are toys.
Joe Who?
Bingham and he lost his right leg and is fighting for his life and yes, no passing judgment, he and his family needs your prayers at this time!
Persnickety...You are a very
Persnickety...You are a very negative person.
Accidents happen and lets be a little respectful of the friends and family that are going this horrible tragedy with Joe.
FYI he was not the one that was handling the gun, so therefore you should watch what you say about him. He and his family need positive thoughts to help him get through this, not your uninformed negativity.
I am a very realistic person,
I am a very realistic person, and it just so happens that reality is largely negative. Guns are not toys. You unload it before you get in the car, and then when you're in the car, you place the gun somewhere secure where it will not bounce around or fall, AND THEN YOU DON'T TOUCH IT until it's time to bring it inside and put it away.
It sucks to be the guy who got shot. Were I him, I'd probably never want to see the shooter again.
I
Persnickety, I feel like I've been shot every time I read one of your posts and I hope I never see one of them again!
It WAS pointed at the ground,
It WAS pointed at the ground, the vehicle wasn't moving, they were in it. It sucks that it happened and gun safety is important, I have taken the UAS course to learn about it. If you feel so strongly about it, maybe you should write an article about gun safety. There is a difference between discussing gun safety and talking poorly about someone that you don't know about a situation you don't have the full details about and being a disrespectful person.
Should never happen:
I’m backing PP on this one. Stories like this really strike a nerve with me. I have been handling firearms all my life and now at 50 plus can say I never have had an accident. Common sense does go along way on this issue. I do pray that Joe is doing O.K. I really do. As far as the shooter, what kind of ass unloads a firearm in a vehicle and points it in the direction of someone? We don’t need the whole story softballgirl, once the weapon was in the vehicle it should have been left alone; wait till you get to your destination. Not only that why wasn’t the firearm cleared at the range before they left? Banditrider I agree the people that go to that range scares me also. I am out there all the time and have chewed a few buts out when it comes to safety. It’s quit an experience when you are down range and someone starts shooting. Happened to me once and I made sure the shooter will never forget as I won’t.
Keep your nastiness to yourself...
This family is struggling at this time and doesn't need any of your opinions or sarcasm!
Thoughts and prayers are with you all!
???
"An investigation revealed a passenger discharged a loaded pistol inside a vehicle while trying to unload it, hitting the driver in the leg. The driver was leaving the rifle range when the shooting occurred."
Therefore, the driver was leaving the range, if they were in the same car, then the car sure sounds as if it was moving.
AS 11.61.220 Misconduct involving weapons in the first degree, which includes discharge of a firearm in a moving vehicle "under circumstances manifesting substantial and unjustifiable risk of physical injury to a person," is a Class A felony.
There are also variations on this of lesser degrees, but the fact that someone was shot sure seems to indicate that there was "substantial and unjustifiable risk of physical injury to a person."
So many times, we can do stupid things and get by without anything bad happening. It is horrible that this had to happen with a firearm and someone being horribly injured. ugh. I wish people would stop taking guns for granted and treat them with the respect and care they deserve.
Oh, yes and the Juneau Empire
Oh, yes and the Juneau Empire has never written anything wrong...give me a break. We can not definitively gather from the information provided in this article whether they were driving at the time of the accident.
El_Boorba -- I wish PEOPLE would treat other PEOPLE with respect and care they deserve.
Milspec -- if you are going to pass any sort of judgement on a person or a situation, you should want and have all the information before you open your negative mouth. It is irresposible of you to pass judgement or make conclusions without knowing anything other than what the Juneau Empire took from the Police Report. Which neither of them are very detailed because the situation is still being investigated and since Joe is currently FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE outside of Juneau, the investigation is going to go rather slowly. Have some respect.
Gotta Agree
There is no need to have a loaded gun in the car let alone messing with it in the car. Did they need to defend themselves with deadly force while driving? No loaded gun in the car no accident. There are a lot of nuts at the range because of no supervision. In contrast to the rifle range the Juneau Gun Club is run like a Swiss watch with regard to safety. You would never see a loaded gun anywhere near the club house or parking lot. Let alone in a moving car or truck.
Bottomline is proper gun safey woul have prevented an accident.
Sorry Softballgirl:
I’m sorry softballgirl you must have known this person. I do hope and pray this man comes through this. But the fact still remains, a person was shot and this sort of accident should never have happened. Never. No matter how you look at it. All the investigations put forth will not change that.
Agree with PP here.
Yup, I said it. But you're right. Gun control is keeping control of your gun. Guns hit what they're pointed at... Every time. This one was not pointed at the ground when it fired. Just like the one that got me wasn't pointed at the ground. Or the one that got my boy. No insensitivity intended. Hard cold facts of life have no feelings one way or the other.
An unfortunate accident. I
An unfortunate accident. I hope the injured person will make a full recovery and that all the parties involved will learn from this and be more careful in the future.
This saddens me
A large majority of people commenting on this article do not have the decency to remember those people who may be reading. It has been 2 days. The family does not need your 2 cents or lectures. PP in particular.. I feel horribly bad for you. Unfortunately, your criticism is not constructive and it never will be in the manner you express it. If you were as smart as you think you were, you would take it to different place at a different time. Perhaps writing an article about gun safety, as Softballgirl suggested. You are childish, only out to seek negative attention, and quite frankly, very inappropriate for a time like this. To the family of the victim: Chin up, people around Juneau are praying for you and Joe.
my family
First of all, everyone, thank you for giving this your attention. This family does need prayers and support through this very difficult time. I think, however, that bickering over things that can be changed makes more sense. We all have our opinions. I even have my own. Let’s all have good thoughts for my family, pray that he makes it through okay, and that someone can learn from this accident. This is a good reminder that no matter how often you take safety courses or how many times you fire a gun without an accident, it is never appropriate to relax your vigilance when it comes to guns. I would also like to say thank you to the people praying for him now and who will be supporting him through this long journey ahead. Since I am pretty close to this whole situation I would appreciate it if people would think before they judge another person. No one here knows what happened, none of us were there. And as for never wanting to see the person who accidentally shot him, Joe is a much bigger person than that. He knows what forgiveness is and thought s of hate or anger never crossed his mind. Our family appreciates your love and support, and also understands the criticism. This is a very difficult time for us.
To the insensitive and uninformed
As a rule, I try not to read these comments because they can often be self-righteous and sometimes just nasty. I created this account because I am a mother of one of the many people impacted by this terrible accident and we are grieving for these young men and their family. Many of these comments are terrible to read and I hope to keep other family members from reading them. If you feel a great need to be mean, pick on me and leave them alone. For decency sake, show some respect for the family and please stop these insensitive and uninformed comments. You are causing more pain and suffering to a wonderful family. But many, many thanks to those already showing support. I am so grateful to you.
Logic
There are two types of arguments here one is based on an appeal to emotions and the other is backed by law and accepted practices. It goes without saying that what happened was a horrible thing. We can learn from what happened to do so we must listen to both sides.
The individual who discharged the firearm should go to jail and never be allowed to handle a firearm. That is a lesson that we as a society should learn that he is not responsible enough to be trusted with a firearm.
Logic
There are two types of arguments here one is based on an appeal to emotions and the other is backed by law and accepted practices. It goes without saying that what happened was a horrible thing. We can learn from what happened to do so we must listen to both sides.
The individual who discharged the firearm should go to jail and never be allowed to handle a firearm. That is a lesson that we as a society should learn that he is not responsible enough to be trusted with a firearm.
Logic
There are two types of arguments here one is based on an appeal to emotions and the other is backed by law and accepted practices. It goes without saying that what happened was a horrible thing. We can learn from what happened to do so we must listen to both sides.
The individual who discharged the firearm should go to jail and never be allowed to handle a firearm. That is a lesson that we as a society should learn that he is not responsible enough to be trusted with a firearm.
stupidity and respect
Respect? I am just stating the facts and the law. Personally, I have done plenty of stupid things. Just never with a firearm. Something about the fact that you can kill someone else upped my "don't be stupid" level.
The facts, as we have them are direct from from the police dispatch "Investigation revealed the shooting occured inside of a vehicle. The victim had been driving from the rifle range, when the passenger, who was holding a loaded pistol, attempted to unload the weapon. The gun fired, striking the driver in the leg." http://www.juneaupolice.com/PSA-template.php?UID=1238
Obviously, people have a different version of the "facts" from the police.
Look at the definition of respect... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Respect+ ... and let me know if anyone in this TRAGIC story deserves it.
As for the privacy of the individuals, it is respected. Who they are is not stated in the article. I made no disparaging remarks, beyond saying this was a stupid act. I think we can all agree most accidental shootings stem from someone doing something stupid.
What a tragic event! My
What a tragic event! My thoughts go out to both the shooter and the shootee. Both must be going through absolute heck. I cant even begin to imagine...
I wish...
I wish some of you self-righteous commenters could be in this families shoes for just one day... then let's see what you have to say.
Oh Joe, i hope you pull
Oh Joe, i hope you pull through!
Is it really Joe B? I hope
Is it really Joe B? I hope and pray he is going to be ok and pull through.