Accidental Discharge by Soldier in hotel

[TheDisturbed1]

This guy is LUCKY
http://newsminer.com/2007/03/24/6115/

A soldier accidentally fired his .45-caliber handgun inside the Regency Fairbanks Hotel on Friday, injuring himself and sending the round through three adjoining hotel rooms.

Fairbanks police were called to the hotel at about 11 a.m. Friday to investigate and determined that a Fort Wainwright soldier living at the hotel had been handling his personal .45-caliber handgun when it fired.

The round grazed the soldier’s arm and traveled through seven walls. A man was sleeping in one of the adjoining rooms, and a hotel housekeeper was in another when the round passed through the walls. No one but the soldier was injured.

Police ruled the incident an accident.

The soldier, whose name police are not releasing, received a laceration to his arm and was transported to Bassett Army Community Hospital for treatment, according to police.

A few hundred Fort Wainwright soldiers are living at local hotels that have contracts with the Army until more housing units become available on post. A manager at the Regency said the hotel is housing about 50 soldiers. The manager, who did not want to be named, said the hotel has a policy against having loaded firearms in the hotel, but she said the soldier will likely be allowed to continue his stay.

The handgun was owned by the soldier and was not an Army-issued weapon, according to police. Soldiers are not allowed to have service weapons off post or in their personal vehicles or residences, according to Army regulations.

Fairbanks Police Sgt. Eric Jewkes said a .45-caliber is one of the larger kinds of handguns and that most are semiautomatic. The same kind of firearm is standard issue for Fairbanks Police officers.

A report was still being drawn up by officers, Jewkes said, and it had not yet been determined if the case would be forwarded to the district attorney on any charges. Jewkes said similar cases of accidental shootings have resulted in misdemeanor reckless endangerment charges for the gun owners.

 

[Geronimo45]

"The round grazed the soldier’s arm and traveled through seven walls."
Thus ends the 9mm vs .45 ACP debate.

 

[IdahoFarmer]

Whoops. Not a good situation. Perhaps a bit more four rules focus in basic training is in order. Also, having gone through multiple rooms this feels like FMJ rounds. There is a lot to be said for HP.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

"The round grazed the soldier’s arm and traveled through seven walls."
Thus ends the 9mm vs .45 ACP debate.

Couldn't have been a .45. It would have blown his arm clean off then vaporized into powdered sugar when it hit the first sheet of drywall

 

[DWARREN123]

Just goes to show how thin the walls are.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

Or goes to show heavier handgun ammo, despite lower velocity with respect to rifle rounds, will still penetrate fairly well through standard construction materials.

 

[TheDisturbed1]

The Regency is a fairly big hotel...

no telling what he had for a .45

the FPD carry Glocks

 

[glockman19]

Flimsy hotel walls. I an always hear the people in teh next room.

 

[stevelyn]

Maybe Jacoby was correct in barring them from carrying off-post.

 

[ScottsGT]

I find it interesting that in Alaska that a hotel could place restrictions on having a loaded handgun in your room. In SC, as long as you are paying for the room and a tax has been paid, it is considered your place of residence and you can keep what ever you want loaded in your room.

 

[TheDisturbed1]

well, the regency is owned by Springhill Suites i think, which is a national hotel chain... they probably set the restrictions.

 

[stevelyn]

The hotel likely doesn't prohibit firearms in the rooms. Jacoby is the CG of of the US Army in Alaska.

Last year he issued orders that troops under his command could not carry concealed weapons off post regardless of Alaska law after a couple or three soldiers were involved in an off-post (as it turned out in court) SD shooting.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

I find it interesting that in Alaska that a hotel could place restrictions on having a loaded handgun in your room.

Oh, he (un-named hotel manager) made that crap up on the fly I'm sure--besides, unless a contract was signed to that effect who cares. About as pointless as a rule against eating crackers in bed.

Hey, the soldier had an AD AND was failing to control the muzzle of the weapon. I think he needs a good skinning by his chain of command and I'll bet he'll get it. Moreover, his neighbors will no doubt remind him of his error.

AD's DO happen if you're around guns enough---but they should NEVER be combined with a lack of muzzle control. That round should have ended up in a safe(er) backstop.

 

[romma]

7 walls is impressive though for any handgun or rifle round IMO. 2 sheets of dry wall per wall = 14 barriers.

 

[TheDisturbed1]

Last year he issued orders that troops under his command could not carry concealed weapons off post regardless of Alaska law after a couple or three soldiers were involved in an off-post (as it turned out in court) SD shooting.

I remember that!
wasnt that at the sunset strip? got on the armed forces black list or whatever its called
totally killed its business... again

this is all a shame... even though he is allowed to stay there again...

whether he learns anything from this is resting on if his arm gets infected and/or if his CO reams him a new poop chute

 

[GeorgiaGlocker]

Why on earth did he have his finger on the trigger in a hotel room?

 

[DF357]

Why on earth did he have his finger on the trigger in a hotel room?

With a 1911, you need to pull the trigger to lower the hammer, either for shooting it or letting the hammer down easily, manually. His finger could have slipped as he was lowering the hammer on a live round.

Another reason to carry cocked and locked.

 

[Model 624]

Flimsy hotel walls. I an always hear the people in teh next room.

Especially with a .45 hole through the wall

 

[MechAg94]

9 mm goes through drywall pretty easily also. Just shows that drywall won't stop bullets at all.

 

[Leanwolf]

Went through 14 pieces of drywall? And perhaps a stud or two?


Being he was in Alaska where there are some pretty good sized bears, I'm kinda wondering if the soldier's "personal .45" might have been a Freedom Arms .454 Casull?????? That would explain the penetration.

L.W.

 

[Kali Endgame]

When I was stationed down in San Diego, we had a guy shoot his buddy in the barracks. Health and Comforts for quite a while afterwards. AD right into this guy's chest. Thankfuly it was a 9mm and not a .45. I mention this because the guy who got shot was from AK.

 

[pharmer]

14 layers of sheetrock? Even if it was only 1/2" without hitting any studs etc., that is most impressive. Remind me not to stay at THAT hotel. Joe

 

[Rem700]

Now remember your dealing with reporters in this case, 3 rooms and seven walls could it be there counting each side of the wall as a wall which would then be 7 sheets of sheet rock.

 

[Phaetos]

Fairbanks Police Sgt. Eric Jewkes said a .45-caliber is one of the larger kinds of handguns and that most are semiautomatic.

Really?! I never would have guessed they are large. And who has ever heard of a full auto .45 handgun?

 

[Stretchman]

Soldiers are not allowed to have service weapons off post or in their personal vehicles or residences, according to Army regulations.

Sodiers cannot take their duty weapons off base. Nothing about having their own personal weapons.

The manager, who did not want to be named, said the hotel has a policy against having loaded firearms in the hotel,

So, they have a policy. And they can enforce it, since it is private property.
It may be because in Alaska, there's a lot of people who come up there to hunt, and then the .45 that passed through all those walls would be very small in comparison. At least in comparison to a hunting rifle in an Alaska caliber.