Spokane7
50°
August 3, 2010 in City
Victim identified in fatal accidental shooting
A 19-year-old Chattaroy man who was declared dead today after being accidentally shot last weekend has been identified as Tom J. Grauberger.
Grauberger was brain dead but on life support after a pistol discharged when his 24-year-old friend tried to reassemble it, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooter called deputies to the home in the 37000 block of North Madison Road in Elk about 10:20 p.m. Saturday, where they found Grauberger with a gunshot to his head. He was airlifted to a downtown hospital and taken off life support today.
The shooter, whose name has not been released, told investigators he was trying to reassemble the pistol by forcing the cylinder rod into the cocked gun when it fired.
Sgt. Dave Reagan said he hasn’t “heard any mention of criminal charges.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Couple acquitted of caging 2 boys 
Pat O'Leary on August 03 at 4:31 p.m.
Just another responsible gun owner preparing to defend himself. Sounds like a real whiz-kid at gun repair.
spokanada on August 03 at 4:43 p.m.
Where is the investigation going?
Why is this considered an accident?
TWOSTROKE on August 03 at 5:25 p.m.
What is wrong with you two? Yes, spokanada & Pat OLeary you!!
I
JFRENCH on August 03 at 6:26 p.m.
These are the armchair cops/legal professionals of the media comment world. If either one (and a few others I frequently see) had enough sack to take the police test or become a lawyer, the world would be a better place….. Or so they lead you to believe.
Diana on August 03 at 7:46 p.m.
Do you mean it’s not against the law to be an idiot with a gun?
misjustice on August 03 at 9:01 p.m.
Apparently, No Diana - it’s not against the law to be an idiot with a gun, nor apparently is it illegal to be a drunken idiot with a gun that kills someone…
spokanada on August 03 at 9:55 p.m.
Correct me if I am wrong but guns are designed to shoot people. The victim was shot, how is that an accident? The gun did what it was supposed to do.
spokanada on August 03 at 10:11 p.m.
My comment about the investigation was regarding a typo in the story when it was first posted. It said “the investigation was going”.
kathryncadence on August 18 at 1:37 a.m.
i knew tom (the victim) very well and the person that accidentally shot him was his best friend, it was a complete accident and they call it that because he was trying to shove the fireing pin back in while cleaning his gun without realizing it was loaded, tom was bent down to take a shot at a ball on the pool tabl when the weapon accidentally discharged. his best friend meant no harm and is not an idiot…our whole family has forgiven him so for all of you who dont know ANYTHING about the incident or the people involved its wise to keep your opinion to yourself, i find your posts and comments offensive. dont believe everything you hear on the news or tv, their facts arent always 100% correct. it was a terrible freak accident, and i hope everyone who heard about the incident learns just how dangerous guns can be,
kathryncadence on August 18 at 1:39 a.m.
and neither of the boys were drunk for that matter, the 2 beers they drank were earlier that day at the bbq..so THANKS for slandering 2 innocent ppl on the internet that you know nothing about. you people are ignorant.
themom on September 09 at 9:51 p.m.
it braks my heart to see this on line,
i have lost my son and his best frien is dieing inside,
my son and his frien was so close and for you guys to comeon here and do this just opens up wonds,
have we not been through enough??
think about it my family is hurtting so bad, we loved are son and belive me it is killing us inside. and my son was a great person and this was his best friend and he is part of our family,
if i can forgive and it was my son that was taken.
and you dum asses do not even know my son , or his friend, so keep you mouth shut.
think about it what if it was your son?
so if you do not know what you are talking about then do not talk.
i have 2 other kids his brother and sister and for them to see the you are posting is hurting them.
please think about what you are doing to my family.
rest in pice my son we love you so much and miss you
meat me at the gares of heven when i get there.
love you son love mom
kimdawn9 on October 03 at 6:32 p.m.
To the mother, and the whole family
first off this is kimberly from SC
I’m so sorry to hear about this I’m still in shock
Tommy was a great person
and has changed many people including me
i hope you guys are all doing ok and I miss you guys
and to the other people who didn’t get to met this amazing person,
go f**k yourselfs cuz you don’t know the story or how much pain this family is going through I know this family loved their son and brother very much and I know this is killing them so please keep your mouths shut
hardwroc on November 15 at 11:25 a.m.
The shock will live on with the friends and family for quite some time.
That they have found it in their hearts to forgive is commendable, and probably will serve them well in the healing process.
This does illustrate the danger of firearms in the home, and the handling of them.
I would prefer that there were a licensing process that required a gun safety course prior to ownership, so people might remember to UNLOAD weapons before handling them. I will leave the area if someone is handling a firearm improplerly, as I do NOT want to be a victim or witness to an accident.
Forgive my attempt to share the skeletal basics of guns.
ALL GUNS ARE LOADED ! ALL of them ! Yours too ! Mine too !
And when you pick one up, the FIRST thing you should do is CHECK THE CHAMBER, and empty it, as well as clips or magazines, making sure YOU know it’s EMPTY.
ALWAYS point it where people are NOT, like , downrange.
NEVER hand a loaded weapon to someone else. Give it to them empty and let THEM load it, that way THEY KNOW it’s status.
And the very first thing they taught me was to “Always positively identify your target”. IF you do NOT KNOW what that is in the brush, you can’t shoot it until you DO KNOW. It may be your partner, or hunting dog, or a hiker. Until you KNOW, it’s just “something”, and unidentified.
Those that turned this into a drunken event should be banned from participating in the discussions when you insert nonfactual information into the subject, with ZERO knowledge, causing further pain by those impacted by this tragic accident.
God comfort the family and friends of the victim and his friend.