Officer Shoots Self While Cleaning Gun Inside Court Building
A Michigan court officer accidentally shot himself in the hand while cleaning his gun inside the U.S. Bankruptcy Court building in Grand Rapids, according to WOOD TV.
[su_center_ad]The shooting happened at the court just before 12:30 p.m., according to police.
The court officer, whose name has not been released yet, did not suffer life-threatening injuries, according to police.
The US Marshals Service is investigating the incident.
After the shooting, a large presence of emergency responders gathered, including police and fire trucks at the scene on Friday afternoon.
FYI: He or she was doing it wrong. The firearm should be unloaded. The gun may still have a round ready to fire after removing the magazine, so that should always be checked and that round should be removed. The gun owner should then look through the barrel to be sure it is not loaded. Next time the officer could injure or kill an innocent person. Just sayin’…[su_csky_ad]
Guy Lauten October 3rd, 2014 at 5:05 pm
Mighty good job there, Mr. Peace Officer who is supposed to be fully checked out on the use and handling of your weapon. Mighty good job.
Oh where oh where was the “good guy with a gun” when we needed him? Oh, that’s right, he was cleaning a piece with a round in the chamber. Effing brilliant.
Anomaly 100 October 3rd, 2014 at 6:15 pm
For the life of me, I can’t figure out how this happens. The process of cleaning a gun is simple.
tiredoftea October 3rd, 2014 at 6:54 pm
Officer Krupke is proving it otherwise.
Anomaly 100 October 3rd, 2014 at 7:23 pm
IKR? It’s so hard to check twice.
tiredoftea October 3rd, 2014 at 7:56 pm
Even friggin’ Santa Clause checks twice!
whatthe46 October 3rd, 2014 at 8:26 pm
lol
M D Reese October 3rd, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Hell–I check my front door twice to make sure that it’s locked when I leave.
Larry Schmitt October 3rd, 2014 at 8:18 pm
I knew a woman who was o/c, and kept being late for work because she would walk back from the bus stop to check the door to her apartment again, and she kept missing the bus. Literally and figuratively.
Anomaly 100 October 3rd, 2014 at 8:48 pm
Heh. I do too. It’s a habit.
M D Reese October 3rd, 2014 at 8:14 pm
I’ll bet that step #1 is to unload it…
Guy Lauten October 3rd, 2014 at 8:22 pm
Actually step 1 is to assume the gun is loaded with the safety off. Every other safety consideration follows from that simple assumption.
M D Reese October 4th, 2014 at 1:38 pm
True–I always assume that a gun is loaded. They are not a part of my personal life–the first and last time I fired a gun was 1966.
neworleans878 October 3rd, 2014 at 6:19 pm
And some still want to arm teachers…how many kids will be hurt by accidental discharges?
Roctuna October 3rd, 2014 at 7:09 pm
There’s already been a half-dozen or so accidental shootings at schools by teachers/guards/licensed carriers. I’m sure Obe could give us the exact number. It’s not if, but when a teacher or student will be killed.
tiredoftea October 3rd, 2014 at 6:54 pm
On top of that, he’s a bad shot!
Larry Schmitt October 3rd, 2014 at 8:11 pm
Whaddya mean? He hit himself, didn’t he?
tiredoftea October 3rd, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Well, good point, but nothing worth hitting.
whatthe46 October 3rd, 2014 at 8:16 pm
he should lose his job. dummy.
Larry Schmitt October 3rd, 2014 at 8:16 pm
Would you stick a fork in the toaster to get the piece of charred bagel out without first making sure it was unplugged? When was the last time you heard of someone getting electrocuted by his toaster? But so-called professionals are always cleaning their guns without making sure it’s not loaded. That’s not an accident, that’s stupidity. After he gets out of the hospital, he should be fired for incompetence. If they’re going to be trusted with a gun, they should be expected to know how to handle it safely.
tiredoftea October 3rd, 2014 at 8:19 pm
You sure are asking a lot of a licensed and trained professional.
whatthe46 October 3rd, 2014 at 8:25 pm
because i don’t know. what’s the reason for cleaning a gun especially when you don’t even use it? and what’s the reason for cleaning a gun while at work?
rg9rts October 4th, 2014 at 11:45 am
Was quitting smoking and was bored
burqa October 4th, 2014 at 12:01 am
OP: “FYI: He or she was doing it wrong. The firearm should be unloaded. The gun may still have a round ready to fire after removing the magazine, so that should always be checked and that round should be removed. The gun owner should then look through the barrel to be sure it is not loaded. Next time the officer could injure or kill an innocent person.”
Indeed.
As someone said below, every firearm should be treated as if it were loaded. The magazine should be removed and the breech opened. One should not glance at it, but look and pause with one’s eyes on the inside of the breech before moving on.
A revolver should have the cylinder flipped to the side or removed.
This goes for handing a firearm to someone else, too, before handing it to them. That person should immediately check the breech for themselves, again, not with a glance but with a look that pauses for a second on the empty breech before moving on.
These things happen because of poor training and because some who were well trained have forgotten what they were taught.
Another reason they happen is because we have millions of people handling millions of guns, so there are going to always be this sort of accident.
While an accident like this is humorous, Anomaly100 is right on the money to bring it back to the seriousness of the issue at the end of the OP.
Dwendt44 October 4th, 2014 at 12:55 am
Why the heck was he messing with his gun while on the job? Why clean a gun in the courthouse? Sounds like a convenience excuse more than an explanation.
More likely he was playing cowboy.
rg9rts October 4th, 2014 at 11:45 am
Barney Fife LOL