Teen accidentally shot, killed

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Ashley Anne Culp, 18, the granddaughter of Mountain Home City Hall receptionist Pam Culp, and her husband, Nelson, was killed in Boise last week, Oct. 30, following an accidental shooting.

Boise Police arrested Ernest J. Sullivan, 21, of Boise, and charged him with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting inside a home in the 5200 block of Morris Hill Rd.

Police say Sullivan was handling a firearm when it discharged and a bullet stuck Culp. After paramedics arrived she transported her to a Boise hospital, where she died from the wound to her head.

Funeral services were held Saturday Nov. 3, at Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, in Mountain Home.

She is survived by her father, Gregory Culp of Belfair, Wash., her mother, Danielle Bailey and brother Adam Culp of San Deigo, Calif.,her grandparents and great-grandmothers Arlene Fulton and Margaret Culp. She was preceded in death by her brother, Phillip Culp.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be sent to Chrysallis Home, 2501 W. State St. Boise, Idaho 83702 in memory of Ashley Culp.

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  • What a heartbreaking thing to happen!

    But, it's not a "solitary firearms accident" -- they happen too frequently. Am I against guns in private ownership? Of course not. I just wish, as with dog ownership, the owners use some care and common sense.

    And be trained. You need some kind of training to have a license to drive, don't you? And proof of insurance? Why can't we require gun owners similarly, to prove safety training and have a locking cabinet, to boot? What is wrong with that? It's common sense.

    If it only reduces the taking of lives by only a few youngsters a year coming across one in the bedroom and tragedy happening, well I think that's okay.

    I think most accidents are caused by ordinary good folks who are untrained and careless than the really bad guys.

    As for deliberate harmful use of guns, no amount of training or licensing is going to help that much, of course. But accidents? I would love those statistics to be reduced.

    -- Posted by senior lady on Wed, Nov 7, 2007, at 5:33 PM
  • Well said, bazookaman.

    -- Posted by senior lady on Wed, Nov 7, 2007, at 8:19 PM
  • My heart goes out to the family of both the boy and the girl. A similar incident happened when I was a junior in high school, a very very good friend of my group of friends was hanging out with about 5 friends, one of them being his 15yr old best friend and he was playing with his grandfathers gun, which he thought was unloaded, he pointed it at her head and pulled the trigger killing her. To this day he has been in and out of jail, screwing up his life and blaming himself. He was 16 when it all happened and 11/18/07 will be 13yrs. That was the darkest day for my friends and myself, it took us all a bit to get over it all. At the time I had lost someone I loved with all of my heart, and someone I cared for very much.

    We don't need more gun laws at all, what we need is responsible people. Parents teach your kids about guns make then respect them let them hold them, let them shoot them. Then they won't be so curious about them, show them that they are not toys and that they can hurt someone badly. Thats what my parents did when I was a little girl and I learned to respect guns. I plan on doing the same with my kids!!!!

    -- Posted by Missylynn on Thu, Nov 8, 2007, at 9:42 AM
  • Yep. I'm one of those liberals. And I own guns. One for hunting (yes, liberals do that, too) and one for protection (yes, we also know there are bad people in the world and believe in the right to bear arms). And this bleeding heart liberal is deeply saddened by this story and reminded to re-educate my two boys again about our guns. Perhaps we'll go shooting this weekend. Yes, liberals even do that. Right after church.

    -- Posted by ProudLiberal on Wed, Nov 21, 2007, at 12:03 PM
  • Bazooka my man...I thought that principle was reserved strictly for condoms? LOL.

    And remember to be careful when talking about liberals and democrats, they are not the same thing.

    FInally, please indulge us further on your random references to the U.N. and Hurricane Katrina...this I have to hear. :-)

    -- Posted by mrfresh28 on Tue, Nov 27, 2007, at 10:59 AM
  • Interesting point, bazookaman. But should we reflect on the fact that the Jews didn't use guns...or the fact that the Nazis did?

    If people learned some tolerance, owning a gun for protection would become obsolete. Maybe in the next life, eh?

    -- Posted by mrfresh28 on Wed, Dec 5, 2007, at 3:56 PM
  • My heart goes out to Pam and her family. Pam is a life long public servant here in Mountain Home.What a tragic loss. I can't even imagine the loss of Ashley to her family. May the Lord of Grace comfort Pam and her family. My heart and prayers go out to Pam.

    Chaplain Tom Westall, USAF (Retired)

    -- Posted by twestall on Thu, Dec 13, 2007, at 6:20 AM
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