[Yakko]

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2007/01/23/e1.cr.shoot.0123.p1.php?section=cityregion

Accidental shooting injures police officer
By Rebecca Nolan
The Register-Guard
Published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007

A Eugene police SWAT officer was shot in the foot Monday when another officer's gun accidentally discharged at the home of a suspected drug dealer, police officials said.

A bullet from a SWAT 9mm long gun went through the injured officer's foot shortly before 6 a.m., police Capt. Pete Kerns said.

"This is what I would classify as an industrial accident for law enforcement," Kerns said. "This was not a friendly fire incident, but a mechanical failure or an error on the part of the person carrying the gun."

The department's violent crimes unit was investigating.

The officers' names were not released.

The department's vice narcotics unit had asked SWAT to help serve a search warrant at a home on North Danebo Avenue near Barger Drive. Detectives suspected that a man with a history of weapon possession was dealing drugs from the home, Kerns said.

advertisement SWAT officers entered the house, rounded up the occupants and searched for any hazards, Kerns said. They were preparing to hand the scene over to detectives when the shooting occurred.

Apparently, three SWAT officers assigned to cover the backyard of the home were climbing a fence to get out. One of the officers' guns fired and hit the other officer.

Paramedics already were on scene and immediately came to the injured officer's aid, Kerns said. The officer was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Kerns said the department would not release the injured officer's name because he has a large family that needed to be notified of the accident. The officer has been with the department for nearly three years.

The officer whose gun discharged is a "veteran police officer," Kerns said. His name was withheld because he is the subject of an internal investigation, the captain said. Monday was that officer's regular day off, and he will be allowed to return to work as scheduled.

"It is not a standard of ours in cases of accidental discharges to place officers on administrative leave," Kerns said.

SWAT officers are among any police department's most highly trained and skilled officers, and as a result such accidental shootings are rare, Kerns said.

However, in Eugene, the last accidental shooting of one officer by another occurred in 2001, when a SWAT sniper mistook another SWAT officer, Sgt. Jay Shadwick, for an armed suspect and shot him once in the chest while responding to an attempted murder in Creswell.

Shadwick survived and returned to work six months later.

An investigation found no negligence on the part of the sniper, officer Ted Williams, or his spotter, officer Jud Warden.

Once investigators establish the facts of Monday's shooting, the department will evaluate whether additional training or weaponry changes are necessary, Kerns said.

[doubleg]

"I am the only one in this room qualified to handle this weapon, POP!.":D

[romma]

At least it wasn't pointed at the officers head!

[imprezagm4]

Mp5?

Well... At least he was following one of the basic rules of gun safety.

[Manedwolf]

"This is what I would classify as an industrial accident for law enforcement," Kerns said. "This was not a friendly fire incident, but a mechanical failure or an error on the part of the person carrying the gun."

I would like to see gunmakers releasing public statements and demanding that the departments qualify that it was the cop's error and NOT a "mechanical failure" on the part of their product.

This is asinine. Do they also blame Ford or GM when they drive a cruiser into a tree?

[XDKingslayer]

This is asinine. Do they also blame Ford or GM when they drive a cruiser into a tree?

No, they only blame Ford when they get hit in the rear and catch on fire.

[Kevlarman]

No, they only blame Ford when they get hit in the rear and catch on fire.

*rimshot*
:D

[MrTuffPaws]

Again????? :evil:

[carebear]

Apparently the basic hunter safety lesson on how to cross a fence needs to be added to the training program...

[Geronimo45]

High retention has problems, so does low retention. He should've done a tactical roll. :neener:

At least the gun wasn't on FA when it happened.

[Deaf Smith]

KYFFOTFT. Simple as that. If you have the time to raise the weapon, you have time to place your finger on the trigger.

[Standing Wolf]

See? This proves it. Only the police and military are qualified to have guns.

[modifiedbrowning]

Manedwolf, that line struck me as funny as well. If someone shoots one of their allies is that not friendly fire?

XDKingslayer said
No, they only blame Ford when they get hit in the rear and catch on fire.
Then they get POd when they sue Ford and Ford tells them to pound sand when the they try to order more cars.

[Ditchtiger]

This was only 2 blocks from my house! This is not the first industrial accident for Eugene's finest.

[GaryL]

This is not the first industrial accident for Eugene's finest.Industrial? Is that because of the amount of damage done?

[carebear]

Forget high or low ready. They were leaving the scene after it had been cleared, by the SWAT team, and turned over to the detectives.

They were climbing over a fence in the rear of a house to leave the scene, for whatever reason, instead of walking out the gate or through the house. Let's give em the benefit of the doubt and assume they were doing it for real "crime scene" reasons instead of just not wanting to take the long way out of laziness.

So, the threat was cleared and they still had holstered sidearms for defense. There's no reason they couldn't have unloaded or at least safed their long gun and had someone hold it (heck if there were three of them one guy could be providing cover) while they crossed the fence, just like 8 year old kids learn in hunter's ed.

[Ditchtiger]

Just a comment on the Red Guard's wording, ( read the article )

[Ditchtiger]

Carebear, from what I've heard, the shot happened going over the fence on the way in.

[carebear]

SWAT officers entered the house, rounded up the occupants and searched for any hazards, Kerns said. They were preparing to hand the scene over to detectives when the shooting occurred.

Apparently, three SWAT officers assigned to cover the backyard of the home were climbing a fence to get out. One of the officers' guns fired and hit the other officer.

Paramedics already were on scene and immediately came to the injured officer's aid, Kerns said. The officer was taken to the hospital for treatment.

I was just going off the posted story. It would be easier to understand if it had happened going in.

[Tigerseye]

There are no accidental shootings, only negligent shootings.

Perhaps this is a Workers' Compensation claim [U]and[U] a civil suit.

[MartinBrody]

In the PA hunter safety course they told us never to climb a fence with a rifle. You should hand it to someone to hold for you, or place it on the ground and slide it under the fence. I guess this is why.

I know SWAT probably wouldn't do this, but they must have some kind of protocol.

[Ditchtiger]

I don't hear so good anymore,(hoby related plus work as a mechanic) just heard the story on the TV. Who really cares but the guy shot in the foot and the shooter. The excuses and finger pointing to came will be interesting. Will post if it's of interest.

[10-Ring]

Usually hear about one or two stories like this every year. Even though they're suppose to be pro's, they're still human and mistakes do happen.

[ExtremeDooty]

In the PA hunter safety course they told us never to climb a fence with a rifle.

Same thing in NY, I took the course when I was 16. But I actually learned this when I was about 6.

Sure sounds like negligence, but maybe there's to this story.

[iiibdsiil]

You know how funny this must have been? I mean, it's a terrible situation, but come on. Just imagine the whole picture. You have SWAT, whom is supposed to be the bad boys, get the cool toys, wear the cool uniforms, etc, and BANG!

[carebear]

"Uh, we meant to do that." :D

[AmbulanceDriver]

As the LawDog says,

"Keep your booger hook off the bang switch."

[NukemJim]

SWAT officers are among any police department's most highly trained and skilled officers, and as a result such accidental shootings are rare, Kerns said.

Could I please some numerical data for the above? That does not agree with my understanding.

NukemJim

[Ditchtiger]

South of town a Swat sniper pegged one of their own last year, the guy lived. Before that, a couple years back, maybe 5, a flashbang was dropped during a raid. Officer picks it up and it goes off in his hand. His partner steps up to the door and tries to shoot the lock off. When the flashbang went off the homeowner is going to door to see what is happening and gets shot in the foot when a bullet goes through the door,( the foot sems to be a popular target in Eugene). After the sideshow is over it turns out to be, this is the good part, WRONG HOUSE.

[66912]

Maybe it would be easier to train for "Fence scaling" with the finger off of the trigger. However, with a three man team with the city of Eugene, One holds the target and waits on the other side of the fence , Two clicks of the safety on the hot weapon and gets ready to climb, and the Third looks to make sure there is no press around! Ready.........Go!, Oops, missed again.

[DRZinn]

Friendly fire, as I understand it, is when you shoot someone on your own side by mistake, i.e. you meant to shoot, but you thought it was someone else.
If you're as highly trained as these guys supposedly are, there is not necessarily (depends on the fence) a need to hand your weapon to anyone else to cross a fence. There is, however, a need to keep it on safe with your finger off the trigger and watch where it's pointed.

[carebear]

Doc,

I'd put it differently; if you're that highly trained, and the scene is secure, there's no reason NOT to cross a fence in the safest means available. They weren't in a hurry and doing it right (and most safely) doesn't really take any more time anyway.

Save the tactical stuff with loaded weapons for designated training or actual missions. Pop the sling, hand off the rifle, cross the fence that much less encumbered, retrieve weapon, repeat for rest of team.

Of course I'd love to hear why they thought it necessary to climb a fence rather than walk out a gate in the first place. My cynicism says it's laziness because their truck was on the street on the other side and they didn't want to have to walk around the block.

[Mal H]

I noticed this all happened on or near Barger Drive. Ditchtiger, was that street named for Sonny Barger? If so, that explains a lot. ;)

[win71]

Of course I'd love to hear why they thought it necessary to climb a fence rather than walk out a gate in the first place. My cynicism says it's laziness because their truck was on the street on the other side and they didn't want to have to walk around the block.

However I need a little more information. Unless I missed something I don't even know if there was a gate there. Or if there was a gate was it chained and locked? This is a fairly common bad guy practice. And what kind of fence was it anyway? Of course I wasn't there but it seems with all the crap a swat guy wears, ie vest, helmet, side arm,, ammo, gloves, boots ,rifles ,gas, knives, cuffs and God knows what else, looks like it would be a lot easier to walk around than try to climb a fence. Of course if there wasn't any other way out and the vice guys didn't want three more different guys walking around in the crime scene, the exit choices start to be quite limited.
Monday morning quarterbacking is pretty tough even when you have all the facts. It's almost useless when you don't know much of anything.

The bottom line is if the weapon didn't mal function, mal functions being extremely rare, then somebody goofed. A goof is a goof. The goofs seriousness does not decrease or increase based on the results.