Posted on 02/25/2009 6:55:13 PM PST by marktwain
A retired St. Paul police officer was wounded Saturday when a pistol belonging to an off-duty Minneapolis police officer accidentally discharged at a gun show.
Both men were working security at the Minneapolis Gun Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center when the accident happened about 1:15 p.m., said Minneapolis police spokesman Sgt. Jesse Garcia.
The semi-automatic pistol went off when the holster got caught on a chair that the Minneapolis officer was either leaning back on or getting off of, Garcia said.
One bullet hit the floor and fragmented pieces struck the retired officer in the leg and hand, Garcia said. He was treated for a small wound and released Saturday.
A bullet fragment also grazed the Minneapolis police officer's pant leg. The officer, who has been on the force for more than 20 years, was not injured.
Garcia called the incident a "freak accident."
"You could probably sit in the chair 10,000 times and it will never happen again," he said.
The retired officer was working for a private security firm hired by the gun show, while the off-duty officer was hired by the convention center, Garcia said. Both men were near a check-in table that was set up to make sure guns were inoperable, he said.
Minneapolis police will do an internal investigation, which will include an examination of the gun and holster, Garcia said. But because the incident is considered an accident, the department will not consider any discipline, he added.
Minneapolis officers keep the safety switch off when carrying guns in a holster, Garcia said.
"When you need it, you need it," he said. "Every split second counts."
Most people inside the convention center were unaware of the incident, Garcia said.
"There was a cheerleader show and a dog show going on there, too, and it was business as usual afterward," he said. "I'm sure 90 percent of those there didn't even know it happened."
I wonder if all these gun show oops stories are just an new tactic to portray guns OWNERS as fumble finger fools.
so far it is just police who have the issue.
this and the youtube video of the gun safety class cop shooting himself
/johnny
Yes, it is exactly like how “the SUV drove into the crowd.”
Regular readers both here and at my online journal, The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance, know that I have a collection of stories that grows just about every day, tales of official corruption, negligence, stupidity and arrogance I call The "Only Ones" Files.
As I explained a while back in this column, the term derives from a negligent discharge incident involving DEA agent Lee Paige:
"I'm the only one in this room professional enough that I know of to carry this Glock .40," he told a roomful of school kids in an anti-gun/drug lecture, then proceeded to shoot himself in the foot trying to holster the weapon...
Glock Alert!
I thought the title referred to the gun show as the unintended victim, when the pistol accidentally fired at the gun show. It could have fired at anyone or anything, but it fired at the gun show. It makes me wonder, did the cop train it that way?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.