Errant shotgun blast wounds Palm Bay woman...

[spin]

PALM BAY -- A convicted felon fired a shotgun blast through his bedroom wall Sunday morning, striking an unsuspecting 50-year-old woman in the head and face in the apartment next door, Palm Bay police said.

****snip***

Police arrested William L. Santana, 53, and charged him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He pulled the trigger of a newly purchased firearm, Detective Steve Hill said, sending a volley of lead pellets tearing through his apartment wall.

After the woman was shot, she staggered outside and collapsed on her patio, Officer C.J. Woronka said. In the building next door, Jack Washington was sleeping when his girlfriend, Caitlynn Trenor, heard the blast.

****snip***

The victim was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, Hill said, and her injuries do not appear life-threatening. He did not disclose her identity.

"From what we've seen so far, it's probably an accident -- though we're investigating," Hill said of the shooting.

****snip***

Santana was convicted of felony drug charges years ago in upstate New York, Hill said. Santana's girlfriend bought the shotgun Saturday, and he was forbidden by law from handling the weapon, Hill said. emphasis mine
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20091026/NEWS01/910260307/1006/Errant+shotgun+blast+wounds+Palm+Bay+woman

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. The perfect home defense weapon - for defense against the home.

Nothing better if you are being attacked by your living room wall.

[Euromutt]

8. Given the incidence of hurricanes in Florida...

..."being attacked by your living room wall" is not an entirely implausible scenario. Not that a shotgun will help in that situation, of course.

[spin]

10. All depends on where you live in Florida...

I've lived in Florida for almost 40 years and have seen a lot of strong tropical storms but I have only been on the outer edges of two hurricanes.

[AtheistCrusader]

2. I hope she enjoys becoming a felon now too.

*&#*(ing morons.

[slackmaster]

3. At least they got the part about convicted felons being prohibited from handling firearms right

A small miracle. I also give the writer kudos for using the word "errant".

[PavePusher]

4. Actually, I think the proper word in this case is...

"negligent". By an ass-hat illegal purchaser to boot.

Frickin' wonderful.

[JonQ]

5. So by law he should never have had a gun?

Clearly we need new laws to make sure he doesn't get a gun.

[spin]

6. We see to have a major problem with felons and firearms...

I'm sure confiscating all firearms owned by good citizens will resolve this problem.

:sarcasm:

[TheWraith]

7. What do you want to bet nobody will offer a solution?

I'd love to see one of the regular complainers that troll this forum explain exactly what sort of law would have prevented the straw purchase of that gun. The only one I can think of is denying firearms purchases to people associated with felons--and when you get that vague, how do you enforce it, and how do you know the woman isn't buying it for protection from her psycho felon ex-boyfriend?

[PavePusher]

9. I'm sure someone from another country will be along shortly...

to tell you how this doesn't happen, could never happen and only seems to occur in the USA.

"...and how do you know the woman isn't buying it for protection from her psycho felon ex-boyfriend?"