26-year old Becca Campbell had just purchased a gun for protection as tensions grew in Ferguson over the pending Grand Jury verdict. Unfortunately, that purchase ended in tragedy.
CNN:
The female victim, identified in a police report as Becca Campbell, 26, was a passenger in a car involved in an auto accident. Her 33-year-old boyfriend was driving, the sources told CNN.
The boyfriend, who wasn't identified, told police that the couple had bought a gun because of fears of unrest related to the pending grand jury decision on the shooting of Michael Brown, the sources said.
He told investigators that as they drove late Friday night, the victim waved a gun, jokingly saying the couple were ready for Ferguson, the sources said.
He ducked to get out of the way of the gun and accidentally rear-ended another car. He said the accident caused the gun to go off and she was struck by a bullet in the head, the sources said.
The victim was rushed to a hospital but died.
The investigation is continuing because police want to be sure the story as told by the boyfriend is correct, the sources said. Police are awaiting gun trace results, as part of the ongoing investigation.
From Twitter, this reaction from StackIzShort, the woman who lost her job thanks to Ferguson police intimidation:
https://twitter.com/stackizshort/status/536758821876547584
As she notes, the issue here is that without the proper safety measures, guns aren't safe, no matter what end of it you're on. What a tragic end to a young life. My heart goes out to her family.
[Photo credit: Paul Hampel]