Two Kings County Sheriff’s deputies suffered injuries in an accidental shooting caused by a third deputy, as reported by a spokesman for the sheriff’s office on Friday.
Fortunately, the injuries were not life-threatening, and both deputies were promptly treated and are now in the process of recovery, the spokesman confirmed. The deputy responsible for the stray round from a service handgun has been put on administrative leave while an investigation into the incident is underway.
The shooting occurred during a night training session in low light conditions, according to the sheriff’s office, and the weapon involved was a Glock semi-automatic pistol.
The spokesman explained that the shooting transpired after a qualification round, when the deputy attempted to disassemble the pistol in a designated area for weapons cleaning but encountered a jam.
For the disassembly of a Glock pistol, the magazine must first be removed and the gun racked to ensure there is no round in the chamber. Then the trigger is pulled to continue disassembly. It is evident from the explanation that a live round was present in the weapon when the trigger was pulled.
The spokesman revealed that the deputy was aiming the weapon downward at a table when he pulled the trigger, with the other deputies standing nearby. When the weapon discharged, the bullet pierced the wooden table, hit concrete, and ricocheted into the legs of the other two deputies.
Officials have assured that an investigation will determine the “root cause of the failure” and institute changes to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.
