(AR) Deputy's gun reportedly discharges at IHOP

[mica]

I am surprised nobody has mentioned the fact that the cop LIED about it when first asked. So much for LEO integrity........

 

[hankdatank1362]

"The toilet seat slammed down and that was the loud noise!"

Hell, I give him an "A" for effort, and being so creative in an excuse, right off the top of his head!

 

[zoom6zoom]

So who ordered the Rooty Tooty Kaboom and Kerblooey?

 

[sacp81170a]

If he had a proper holster that covers the trigger and guard there was no excuse for the ND. The usual procedure if you're wearing duty gear is to unhook all your belt keepers, take off the duty belt with the firearm still in it, and either hang it on a hook (if there is one) or simply hold it in you lap while you do your business. The big problem is getting the darn belt keepers off and back on. Lying about an ND is UNACCEPTABLE! The guy definitely needs to be disciplined. :banghead:

 

[SaxonPig]

Well, I have heard and read experts saying that a gun in a toilet stall is a problem unless wearing a shoulder holster because you have to drop your trousers. So there you are, trying to hold the gun while doing your business and stuff happens. Those saying "fire him" should have some compassion. It was a dumb mistake but the gun was pointed in a safe direction and nobody was hurt.

He should not have tried to lie about it. I know it's a bad thing and he feared for his job but the cover-up is worse. Admit you goofed and do what it takes to get past it.

I doubt that Sheriff Mask wants to make a big deal out of this since he had another gun scandal last year. He was found to be selling confiscated guns to a dealer in what looked like sweetheart deal against state law. It was news, he denied any wrongdoing, but nothing seems to to have come from it.

 

[Damien45]

Do you really want a LEO on the job who sits on the toilet and plays with his gun in public.

Oh that is just too funny.

Seriously tho, I agree that lieing about it was wrong. He should suffer some disceplanery action for the ND and lie. At the same time, it is a very good question as to why he was playing with his gun in the first place. How else would the round go into the ceiling and not the floor? It had to have been out of the holster and in his hands.

 

[Dorryn]

You never have a problem with an ankle holster while doing the #2 deed.

 

[average_shooter]

I have heard of this happening before.

In the past, the story goes that the person hangs the firearm on the coat hook by the trigger guard. Thus the muzzel is pointed, more or less, towards the cielling. The ND occurs upon retrieval; generally, when you take something off of a coat hook you grab it and pull up. Grabing a gun hanging by the trigger guard and pulling up results in the coat hook functioning in place of a trigger finger !!BANG!!

Another person I heard of doing this apparently ended up with a finger 45/100's of an inch shorter.

 

[heypete]

Not one of us is perfect, and all of us are prone to occasionally being inattentive and careless on occasion, and for certain, we all make mistakes.......but that Glock trigger makes it too damn easy to make a mistake of the most serious kind, IMHO.

Nonsense. The Glock's safety mechanisms make truly accidential discharges nearly impossible. Negligent discharges? I think it's pretty much common sense that if one has their finger on the trigger, they can expect the gun to fire, regardless of safety mechanisms in place. As such, one should keep their finger off the trigger and this situation could be avoided.

The only situation where I could concieve of the gun facing upwards would be if one was sitting down on the can and the gun somehow were to face upwards. My experience with answering the call of nature (both standing and sitting) suggests that my pistol will lie horizontally on the floor next to my foot if my pants are around my ankles. I've not been able to get it to point upwards at all.

This goober violated all four rules of gun safety:
Always treat firearms as if they are loaded, not safetied, and ready to fire.

This individual clearly did not treat the firearm as if it were loaded, else he wouldn't have been needlessly handling it.

Always point the muzzle away from anything and everything which you do not intend to fire upon.

Why was he pointing the gun at the ceiling? Why was the gun not in its holster? Shooting the floor would be much cheaper to fix and less dangerous to others than shooting the ceiling.

Always keep your fingers away from the trigger until you are ready to fire.

Clearly not done, as it's effectively impossible to fire a Glock pistol without pulling the trigger.

Always be sure of your target and its surroundings.

Also not done, as he was unsure of what lay beyond the ceiling, or where the bullet would land.

He's exceedingly fortunate that nobody was hurt during the incident, but he's still irresponsible and handled his firearm in a dangerous manner.

 

[DC3-CVN-72]

Post #28 HE LIED ABOUT IT

mica is exactly rite. HE LIED ABOUT IT!!! Had he got to his car and left it would have been a he said she said deal, if they could find the guy. way to go super cop! Not only do you discharge your duty wepon in a public place wich in most city limets is ilegal, your first responce is to LIE! I wonder what else in his carear he has LIED about, since it is second nature for him to LIE when he makes a mistake? I wonder what would happen if I fired my gun in a public rest room, fled the scene whiel lieing about it and was cought? I think I would be IN PRISON RITE NOW!!! He should be FIRED EMEDIETLY!!! He makes it harder for LAW ABIDING Poliece Officers to do their already hard job.

 

[TallPine]

The usual procedure if you're wearing duty gear is to unhook all your belt keepers, take off the duty belt with the firearm still in it

Pardon my ignorance and curiosity, but what are "belt keepers" ?

Do ya'll LEOs wear some sort of special slacks with removable belt loops or what

 

[Doggy Daddy]

Put a new hole in the ceiling, eh?

Musta had an immediate and pressing need for ventilation in that stall...

 

[heypete]

Pardon my ignorance and curiosity, but what are "belt keepers" ?

I believe, based on my knowledge speaking to a LEO friend of mine, that the officer wears a normal belt (his is leather) through the belt loops on his pants. This functions in the normal manner that belts do (holding up ones pants).

The larger, thicker "duty belt" (or, as I call it, the "bat belt") attaches to the regular belt using belt keepers, which have snaps or other fasteners to secure them. Otherwise, the duty belt is too large to fit through normal pants belt loops, and one would have to dismount all the equipment in order to put the duty belt through one's belt loops (assuming the loops were big enough).

Think of the duty belt like a clip-on tie.

 

[hoji]

Well, I have heard and read experts saying that a gun in a toilet stall is a problem unless wearing a shoulder holster because you have to drop your trousers. So there you are, trying to hold the gun while doing your business and stuff happens. Those saying "fire him" should have some compassion. It was a dumb mistake but the gun was pointed in a safe direction and nobody was hurt.

Just set the gun in your underwear whilst you sit upon the throne.Or just leave it holstered.

This **** needs to find another line of work.

 

[Autolycus]

I think all of us can understand that mistakes can be made. However part of it is that the anti-gunners tell us how cops are better trained when it comes to handling firearms.

My biggest concern is that his first response was to lie and flee the scene. He committed a crime. Plain and simple. He should be disciplined if not fired. It would be fine if he committed a negligient discharge but him lying about it and then trying to leave the scene is the problem.

Remember this is an isolated incident folks.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I realize that we are, first and foremost, a gun forum, but all the good gun-related comments seem to have been covered here. On a related note, am I the only person who found it a bit odd that the IHOP called a plumber to check out a hole in the roof?

 

[Spreadfire Arms]

I am surprised nobody has mentioned the fact that the cop LIED about it when first asked. So much for LEO integrity........

definitely in the wrong here. not only did he lie, but he didn't even hang around to make sure nobody got hurt. the story says he exited the restaurant and made a B-line to his car (obviously to leave) and got stopped.

irresponsible as a public servant and a gun-carrying adult. it's one thing to just mess up, quite another to lie about it and not worry about anyone else's safety.

those bullets, even when fired up through ceiling tiles, do have a tendency to land......

 

[TallPine]

The larger, thicker "duty belt" (or, as I call it, the "bat belt") attaches to the regular belt using belt keepers, which have snaps or other fasteners to secure them. Otherwise, the duty belt is too large to fit through normal pants belt loops, and one would have to dismount all the equipment in order to put the duty belt through one's belt loops (assuming the loops were big enough).

So the duty belt rides below the normal belt, sort of like a carpenters/electricians tool belt?

Not trying to pick nits here - I am just seriously curious about LEO equipment.

I typically wear jeans with a heavy leather belt threaded through the loops, with a whole bunch of stuff (holster, folding knife sheath, flashlight holder, belt slide cartridge holder) threaded on my belt. It's quite a process to put it all together when I put on clean jeans.

 

[ArmyCop119]

So the duty belt rides below the normal belt, sort of like a carpenters/electricians tool belt?

Not trying to pick nits here - I am just seriously curious about LEO equipment.

The duty belt rides on top of the normal belt. The "keepers" secure and align the duty belt to the pants belt.

They keep you looking neat and professional, and cut down on the "John Wayne" gunslinger look.

That said, they are no small pain in the backside. Luckily, your pants belt is covered in the BDU/ACU. We don't use keepers.

 

[sacp81170a]

Pardon my ignorance and curiosity, but what are "belt keepers" ?

Just what other have described, snaps that attach your duty belt to your regular belt or a velcro underbelt.

They keep you looking neat and professional, and cut down on the "John Wayne" gunslinger look.

Not only that, but they perform an important function in keeping everything on your belt in place. When you're in the dark dealing with people you can't take your eyes off of, you need to know exactly where all your equipment is. I can get to my OC, baton, flashlight, weapon, spare mags, etc. almost without conscious thought because I've arranged my duty belt and practiced, practiced, practiced getting to my equipment automatically. Placement of the gear on your duty belt is partly dictated by policy and partly dictated by personal preference. A department may say that magazines will be carried horizontally on the opposite side from the weapon, but exactly where on the belt is up to the individual officer.

 

[ECB]

I Hop noone was hurt.

 

[ilbob]

All this cop bashing must stop. Cops are perfect and can do no wrong so anything that appears otherwise is because mere civilians cannot possibly judge anything a cop does.