accidental

Stockton mother starts foundation after son’s accidental shooting death

A Stockton mother is trying to turn a tragedy into triumph. She founded an organization to raise awareness for organ donation and gun safety after her son accidentally shot and killed himself.Silvia Van Steyn remembers her 13-year-old son Michael Balsey-Rodriguez as an upbeat athlete. “He was full of life, he was energetic,” Van Steyn said.Her son died in 2017. Michael was home alone and studying when he found his father’s gun while looking for his cellphone. Michael accidentally shot himself while he was on Instagram. “I dropped to my knees, everything went black and I couldn’t hear anything else after that,” Van Steyn said.Van Steyn said her husband was in the military and they had a gun in the home for protection. She said the couple taught their children not to play with it. She even had the key and the lock in separate drawers.Michael was able to help five people live through organ donations.A few months after Michael’s death, Van Steyn started Michael's Miracle Foundation. The nonprofit promotes organ donation and gun safety awareness.Van Steyn began attending speaking events with donor services to tell Michael’s story.Now, Michael’s Miracle Foundation is hoping to help student athletes.Van Steyn said Michael played for the Lodi Titans and was a Raiders fan. Because of his love of football, the foundation wants to fund youth sports scholarships.Michael’s Miracle Foundation will hold a fundraiser on April 20 at the Merlot in Lodi. Van Steyn said donor recipients will also be at the event to talk about their journey.

STOCKTON, Calif. (KCRA) —

A Stockton mother is trying to turn a tragedy into triumph. She founded an organization to raise awareness for organ donation and gun safety after her son accidentally shot and killed himself.

Silvia Van Steyn remembers her 13-year-old son Michael Balsey-Rodriguez as an upbeat athlete.

“He was full of life, he was energetic,” Van Steyn said.

Her son died in 2017. Michael was home alone and studying when he found his father’s gun while looking for his cellphone.

Courtesy photo

Michael Balsey-Rodriguez

Michael accidentally shot himself while he was on Instagram.

“I dropped to my knees, everything went black and I couldn’t hear anything else after that,” Van Steyn said.

Van Steyn said her husband was in the military and they had a gun in the home for protection. She said the couple taught their children not to play with it. She even had the key and the lock in separate drawers.

Michael was able to help five people live through organ donations.

A few months after Michael’s death, Van Steyn started Michael's Miracle Foundation. The nonprofit promotes organ donation and gun safety awareness.

Van Steyn began attending speaking events with donor services to tell Michael’s story.

Now, Michael’s Miracle Foundation is hoping to help student athletes.

Van Steyn said Michael played for the Lodi Titans and was a Raiders fan. Because of his love of football, the foundation wants to fund youth sports scholarships.

Michael’s Miracle Foundation will hold a fundraiser on April 20 at the Merlot in Lodi. Van Steyn said donor recipients will also be at the event to talk about their journey.

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Boy Faces Charges for Accidental Shooting of Teen Girl in the Face Inside Rhawnhurst Home

A 12-year-old boy has been charged as a juvenile in the shooting of a teenage girl who was hit in the face by a gunshot during a church group meeting in a home in northeast Philadelphia's Rhawnhurst neighborhood.

Investigators say the boy was showing off his family's gun collection to three girls inside the basement of a home on the 2000 block of Glendale Avenue Monday, shortly before 10:30 a.m. Monday. He then accidentally fired a gun he was holding and struck one of the girls in the face. Investigators say the boy didn't realize the gun was loaded.

The victim, a 14-year-old Lansdale resident, was taken to a hospital where she remained Tuesday in stable condition. No other injuries were reported in the shooting.

“She’s very, very lucky,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said. “This could have been a potentially tragic incident."

Navid Samuel, the boy's grandfather, was upstairs with two other adults, when the shooting took place. He went to the hospital with the girl.

“The bullet just gone through,” Samuel told NBC10. “She’s OK. She was talking. Her vital signs are OK.”

Investigators searched through the home and found four guns, including a pair of shotguns, as well as two bulletproof vests and a couple hundred rounds of ammunition, police said.

It's not yet clear how the boy got possession of the weapon that was used in the shooting.

Samuel told NBC10 he owns the guns as protection because someone recently broke into his home. He also said he’s unsure of how his grandson pulled a gun from the safe and loaded it.

The boy is charged with aggravated assault, firearms violations and related offenses. His name hasn't been released since he is charged as a minor.

Police are also investigating the family members who own the guns. They say they may also face charges but as of Tuesday morning, no adult charges are filed.

“I’m not anti-gun,” Ross said. “I’m pro-gun but for me, I’m about responsible gun ownership.”

Most accidental shootings occur when children play with guns in the home and 89 percent of those shootings end in death, according to researchers with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 

The Rhawnhurst shooting came only hours after another shooting involving a teen in Philadelphia. A 16-year-old girl was shot multiple times inside a house full of teens on Whitby Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia around 1 a.m. Monday. She was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition.

Investigators say the teens involved in the Whitby Avenue incident were unsupervised as well. 

On Friday, 17-year-old rapper Tauhid "Tata Chapo" Collins, was shot and killed on the 5800 block of Angora Terrace. Two days later, moments after the end of a Sunday night vigil in remembrance of Collins, more shots rang out. 

During that shooting, an 18-year-old was shot in the neck, ear and temple. He died at a hospital after his body was found on the 6000 block of Angora Terrace, just two blocks from where Collins died.

No arrests have been made in any of those shootings. 

Philadelphia police officers with the 12th and 18th district plan to hold an emergency meeting on the recent violence involving children Thursday at 6 p.m. on 846 S. 57th Street. 

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia

1-year-old girl, woman hurt in 'accidental shooting' at party, police say

OLYMPIA, WASH. — 

A woman and a child are recovering after they were shot during a party inside a home in rural Olympia, Washington, police say.

>> Watch the news report here

The shooting happened Saturday night on Boulder Lane Southeast near Old Highway 99.

A 21-year-old Lacey man was taken into custody, facing charges of reckless endangerment.

It was on this street in rural Olympia that Thurston County sheriff's detectives say the shooting happened just before 11 p.m. Saturday.

Six adults were drinking, smoking marijuana and, in at least one case, using ecstasy, authorities said. The adults started showing off tattoos, and that's when a man took off his holstered gun and handed it to another adult.

"He had one on his leg that he felt was a 'bad' tattoo that he wanted to show the rest of the group," said Thurston County Sheriff's Lt. Tim Rudloff, by telephone, "but he had to take his pants off in order to do that."

He says once the gun owner was done, he left the party for a moment. While he was gone, Stetson Michael Bird got the gun. 

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"And Stetson thought obviously it would be a good idea to take the gun out of his holster, start manipulating it," said Rudloff. "Showing the 20-year-old female how a firearm operates."

Rudloff says that is when Bird pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the woman and the 1-year-old girl she was babysitting.

"Nobody died as a result," said Rudloff. "And everybody seems to be like they will recover from their injuries."

He says the gun owner had the weapon legally but what he did was "dumb." He said it isn't illegal to hand a gun to someone with no license to have one.

"Washington is an open carry state," he said. "You don't need a concealed license. You only need a concealed license if you're carrying it concealed. But it's nonetheless tragic and horrific."

The victims were taken to different hospitals. The woman was shot in the pelvis, and the child's leg was injured. Both had surgery overnight and are expected to survive.

As for Bird, he could make a first court appearance on Tuesday.