Woman struck by bullet while at Pennsylvania amusement park

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) — Police say a woman was shot while inside an amusement park in suburban Pittsburgh, and they're investigating whether the bullet came from someone nearby celebrating the Fourth of July.

Allegheny County Police say the 26-year-old woman was in stable condition following the shooting just after 10 p.m. Saturday at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin. She was struck in the upper chest near her shoulder.

Police believe the gunshot came from outside the park, possibly from someone firing a gun to celebrate the holiday. They say they interviewed numerous witnesses, and none said they heard the shot or saw anyone fire a gun. Police don't believe the woman or anyone near her at the time were targeted.

Investigators are viewing surveillance video from parking lots and surrounding businesses.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5a1ceec0d11f492989f2e7e7a8cf8d60/woman-struck-bullet-while-pennsylvania-amusement-park

[hlthe2b]

1. Another "responsible" gun-owner, no doubt...

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. They're all responsible...

right up until the moment they're not.

[riversedge]

8. #1

[daleanime]

9. +1

[-none]

14. Correction, they are all responsible right up until the moment they get caught.

Then they get disowned by the rest, as somehow being a head case.

[EL34x4]

7. I'd be willing to bet the guy who fired this bullet

Stopped being a responsible gun owner a long time ago.

[thesquanderer]

17. Or at least a handful of beers ago. (n/t)

[Sunlei]

3. "someone firing a gun to celebrate the holiday" a lot of gun shots last night SW houston area.

[Vinca]

4. What similarity to the Middle East. Scary.

[EL34x4]

16. I don't know if it is Idiocracy or what...

I'm 46-years old. Perhaps my memory is selective but I don't ever recall guns being fired into the air for celebration when I was growing up. These days, it seems to be commonplace.

Sure, we always read about this stuff happening in other countries but not here. Am I forgetting something or is this a relatively new phenomenon?

[Sunlei]

20. No this has always happened on the 4th. It was much worse, more shots fired back before about 2009.

This part of SW Houston used to have a lot of very wealthy gangbangers.

[PADemD]

25. It wasn't commonplace in rural PA, at least 55 years ago.

There were, however, rude people still setting off fireworks at 1:30 a.m.

[awoke_in_2003]

26. I don't think it was very common 30 years ago

But, back then, education was better and most realized what goes up must come down- hell, there was even a song with that lyric. Oh, and the NRA wasn't telling everyone how manly it is to own precious death machines (or at least weren't as vocal)

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

19. I measured the gentrification of Third Ward as it turned into the Museum District

by the amount of time I heard gun shots followed by ambulances on New Year's Eve. When I first moved there in 1987, there was 45 minutes of gun shots followed by 20 minutes of ambulance sirens. By the time I left, there was less than 5 minutes of gun shots and no ambulances. Of course, then I could no longer afford the property taxes and had to move. The neighborhood had gone from people living off welfare to people living off trust funds.

[Sunlei]

21. probably the police call those 'the good old days before cell phones'

[malthaussen]

5. 4th of July at Kennywood

A family tradition when I lived in Pittsburgh. I don't remember gunfire, though, but the fireworks over the lake were outstanding.

-- Mal

[montanacowboy]

18. When I was a kid we went to Kennywood

when I was a kid we went to Kennywood by train from Ohio - I can still remember that huge roller coaster

[awoke_in_2003]

28. I have an uncle in Pittsburgh

I've spent a 4th or two at Kennywood.

[malthaussen]

6. I shot a bullet into the air...

Whom it hit, I do not care.

-- Mal

[alphafemale]

10. Kennywood. Gotta be.

And Kennywood has gang issues.

[hollowdweller]

23. If we knew the caliber

If it was a stray round from a gang shooting or some concealed carry person who accidentally let their gun go off it would be a pistol round.

If it was a stray hunting round it would be a rifle round.

[Thor_MN]

24. Probably lots of hunting going on after dark...

[alphafemale]

29. lol. Yeah.

Kennywood has had active gang fights iand gunfiren the park previously.

[Ezlivin]

11. Why wasn't she armed?

If she had a gun this wouldn't have hap…..

[pocoloco]

12. "Deadeye Dick"

[skamaria]

30. I got it.

Good KV reference.

[samsingh]

13. no matter how many guns she had would not have helped her in this case

[Fred Sanders]

15. 340 million guns, billions and billions of bullets, millions of whacked out NRA lovers and racists on the run.

America, you do the math.

In a country where 80% of folks celebrate their Independence Day in utter ignorance about what nation their country declared independence from...do the math, if you can.

[hollowdweller]

22. This happens way too often. Google "hit by stray bullet"

People are even killed in their houses by bullets fired miles away.

When I was a kid 2 of the things I was taught was:

#1 never click a gun even if you know it's empty. (if you do this you will never have an accidental shooting)

#2 even when hunting never shoot at an animal or target if target shooting without a backstop like a hill being behind what you are shooting at because a bullet can go thru a target or an animal and go miles.

If the NRA would go back to making sure everyone knows gun safety vs making sure everybody can buy a gun impulsively without knowing anything bout them maybe we would be better off.

[valerief]

32. If the NRA would only dissolve, we might have a chance at gun control. nt

[PatrynXX]

27. CSI had an episode on this sort of thing

target practicing and he shot one up in the air... what goes up must come down

[valerief]

31. If she ONLY had a machine gun she was firing in all directions at all times,

she might have been spared. NRA logic.

[onehandle]

33. Every July 4th, gun owners shoot into the air to celebrate freedumb.

Every year, people are hit.