I get it. I keep a loaded gun where I can get to it quickly, but I have to get up and go to my desk so by time I have it in hand, I’m awake. This tragedy could have been avoided with a single word, but now wife and unborn child are dead. Words fail me.
That’s absolutely devastating… There are no words to describe how absolutely terrible this is.
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Cant over emphasize training.
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I thought it was Scott-Laci Peterson 2.0.
Sad ending.
Be sure of your target. 
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This is devastating, but shows how important “Low Light Condition” training is. We should be trained in everything what can occurs in real World.
Wow, this should never happen… I’ll be polite and just say that this was not very smart… confirm your targets, if you hear a bump in the night, it’s most likely someone you know (not saying don’t be ready, but mindset is important).
I use a quick access safe. The primary reason is to ensure the gun is locked away. The secondary reason is to ensure I’m coherent enough to operate a weapon safely.
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It should… but unfortunately this was not a single case when somebody shot another family member because of lack of training. 
During the night the flashlight is more important than firearm…
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Just horrible wow I can’t imagine.
But like we all have said on here and will keep saying cause it’s truth and fact. You have to know your target first. Be loud and expressive and know exactly who is there and who your pulling on.
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Hear some sad tales from time to time. Don’t know how you deal with something like that.
It seems that the unborn baby was saved - 6 months along, so very premature. Cops say that so far the story seems to match the facts. I had kinda wondered about that, to tell the truth. They had a 2 year old, so he already knew what a pregnant woman went through, what with needing to pee at all hours of the night, and all the other fun things she had to deal with. Also, there’s a 2 year old in the house! Put those two things into the mix, and I was really wondering about his story.
Who opens fire in the dark with a 2 year old child in the house, and a 6 month pregnant wife? Seems like a LOT of risk. I’m glad they saved the baby, that’s awesome. Still, I’d like to see an update in a few months, if possible, or a paternity test to see if he was really the father - nothing like a cuckold situation for a motive.
As horrible as it sounds, I hope it was ‘just another tragedy’. The alternative is so much worse.
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Basic stuff, but we’re all susceptible to it. Positive target ID is huge. What’s behind your target is huge. Hard to believe, but it could have been even worse with another child in the house.
I’m fortunate to wake quickly, plus I don’t have kids in the house. It is my hope that my four-legged alarm system would provide some early warning as well.
Prayers for all. I can’t imagine their suffering.
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“Florida man mistook a noise outside his bedroom door for an intruder”. I had a recall of that South African murder where Oscar Pistorius killed his girlfriend claiming he thought he heard an intruder in the bathroom, but did not verify before he shot through the door. But then I also recalled a deputy(?) in Virginia a couple years ago shooting his teenage daughter that was sneaking into the house through the garage late at night, also without verifying the target.
I, personally, cannot imagine doing that, that is what lights/flashlights are for, aside from verbal commands; horrific, whichever way it happened.
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Yeah, I can’t imagine how horrified I’d be were I to accidently shoot someone. While I don’t have a family, I do have a roommate, and of course our furry fuzzy masters, but this is also why my weapon is not under my pillow, or mattress. I’ll sacrifice the few seconds it takes to reach it for the knowledge I’ll be wide awake by time I do. Also, most of the bad guys of the world don’t go around picking locks under a floodlight, no they kick or shoulder the door open. Hard to miss that kind of noise, and I’m a fairly light sleeper to begin with.
While I do not feel that there is a ‘one size fits all’ precaution, I do feel that everyone that owns a firearm needs to have some sort of precaution to keep horrific tragedies like this from happening. Flashlight, yelling ‘stop or I’ll shoot’ or some variant of that, series of steps to ensure you’re awake, whatever. Everyone MUST have something, if we’re to be responsible gun owners.
Rule 1) Only shoot at an identifiable target
Rule 2) Have ways of identifying potential target, flashlight, or you know… ask who it is?
That idiot is going to drown in guilt for life because apparently he didn’t realize this isn’t suppose to be rocket science.
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It’s a tragedy. This happens more than we know. I believe that lack of training or simple complacency is the cause of most unintended firearm deaths. I am retired Military & I preach safety. That being said, I once after clearing my pistol, handed it to a friend’s wife so she could feel the difference of trigger pull opposed to a 38 revolver that she was dry firing. She was previously instructed to point the pistol in a safe direction (the trunk of an oak tree) and the gun fired. After calmly instructing her on what to do, I was shocked & totally baffled as to how the F*** I just handed her a loaded gun. Well, the extractor hadn’t worked & even though I looked at the barrel, I was convinced that a round wasn’t there. I was wrong. That could have become a tragedy. We were lucky & all learned a lesson that would be remembered forever. The lesson was this:
I SHOULD HAVE DOUBLE CHECKED THE BARREL BY SIGHT & FEEL!! TWICE.
I always check twice. ALWAYS!
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I will not sacrifice that, but I will verify my target, first, as we all need and should do.
And the rules of firearm safety prevailed. Very fortunate she followed them. I am quite sure we have all experienced an ND in our lives. I did while pointing a firearm down-range. Again, all, but one rule followed to the T. Learned a hard, but fortunate lesson from that.
Many years ago while deer hunting I heard of some clown shooting at noise in trhe brush ( more than once). & once when bow hunting; ____bow hunting jeez. I quit going after that
Firearm Safety Rules: Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
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