Rookie SF police officer shoots himself to death while fooling with "unloaded" gun!

[cuervo]

Does anyone know what type of pistol he used (or SF issues)?

I would have thought that a "California Legal" pistol would require a magazine disconnect, or are police exempt from this regulation?

 

[Cosmoline]

I suspect we'll be seeing more and more of these accidents as the recruit pool for military and police becomes less and less familiar with firearms. Having been told they're evil totems growing up, they switch from being overly fearful of them to being far too lax. Get an anti to pick up a firearm and you'll see what I mean. They go from being abjectly terrified to waving it around while pulling the trigger.

 

[CountGlockula]

cuervo - I would have thought that a "California Legal" pistol would require a magazine disconnect, or are police exempt from this regulation?

LEOs are exempt. They can have ANYTHING they want.

 

[Eyesac]

Speachless. That's a terrible way to go.

 

[Black Adder LXX]

SAD.

 

[redneckdan]

I'm with silverlance on this one. The people I party with all know that before the barley pops come out the keys and the sidearms go into the gun locker at whoevers house we're at. No one even thinks about opening that locker until after breakfast the next morning. The only clown that attempted it was never invited back.

 

[Hutch]

I'm sure his friends will miss him.

I'm sorry he was so stupid. Useful word, stupid. Too stupid for the challenges he faced. To compare what he did with driving a bit too fast, or failing to observe some other traffic law is like comparing lightning to a lightning bug. It (transcendent, invincible stupidity) at doesn't just happen. This guy had to WORK at it, and he succeeded. Unfortunately, his 15 minutes of fame only lasted about .15 seconds.

 

[hapuna]

I think we are all getting too quick to just call this kid stupid, a darwin candidate or just use it as another chance to slam police or california Democrats, but just take a step back for a moment.

I recall seeing a thread a little while back asking how many people on this board had ever had a negligent discharge and many of us have had at least one, it may not have been something that caused harm to another person, more often than not I believe the damage was done to a wall or floor and, in my case, just the dirt downrange a time or two.

It is an unfortunate, tragic event. Yes the kid DID SOMETHING stupid that cost him his life. That doesn't mean that this kid was stupid. We have all done something stupid before. Does that make us all stupid? No.

Red Dragon, I agree and it was what I was trying to express earlier. If all these guys on the board who are expertly trained don't think something like this could happen to them they are setting themselves up for exactly something like this, hopefully with a less lethal outcome.

 

[Wes Janson]

Certain actions can be written up as tragic accidents, and certain actions simply can't. Putting a weapon to your neck and pulling the trigger is an action committed only by people in one of two groups: suicidal individuals, or those who are really, truly, monumentally stupid. It's rather scary that this person managed to make it through the hiring and training process before auto-darwinating.

 

[Mannix]

Such a tragedy, this is why we should always follow the 4 rules...









I also took the liberty of submitting it to the Darwin awards

 

[.cheese.]

I really think it's horrible that some of you make such off-hand cold and callous remarks whenever these events occur.

Yes, he made a mistake that could have been avoided - I don't think anybody denies that.

It's just not cool though to mock the dead. Totally disrespectful, and definitely not the high road in my opinion.

 

[unrealtrip]

I really think it's horrible that some of you make such off-hand cold and callous remarks whenever these events occur.

This is why my friend.

edit: The man that shot himself was a good guy, he joined the police force with hopes to make a difference in the world. He made a very bad judgement call and it cost him his life. Perhaps his purpose in life was to serve as an example to others.

 

[Snowdiver]

SAD.

The sad thing is that idiots like this have more right than us. I guess I have to use MY pile of money to enforce my Second Amendment Rights.

 

[unrealtrip]

Do not forget that there is no distinction between a police officer and an average Joe. It is not cops and civilians like the military, cops *are* civilians and have to follow the same rules as everyone else, even on the job. If an officer fires his weapon in self defense it is the exact same as if you had to fire your weapon in self defense.

Now that's legally speaking, as far as reality is concerned we both know the cop can get away with a lot more than you can as far as firing a weapon.

 

[Peter Gun]

wow. thats really all i can think of
this has to be the worst gun handling NG i have ever heard of by a PO

 

[Lucky]

Lol unrealtrip. Yea his purpose is to serve as a lesson to others, and the way they'll learn is by seeing him mocked. Just like you don't pick your nose in public because you got mocked as a kid by cold, callous other kids.

And if your theory were correct, people wouldn't put guns at their heads and pull the triggers like Jon Hexum did. I think you'll see threads like this are quite fair, balanced, and predictable. Do stupid stuff that is beyond stupid, completely idiotic **** with a gun that injures only yourself, and people will laugh.

Especially if trying to pick up chicks at the time. Come on, Glock Fotay was funny, shooting himself while saying, "I'm the only one responsible enough to handle this." But a guy who shoots himself while saying, "Hey baby check this out." That's just a notch funnier. I'm sure his family is devastated, but come on. A standard joke is the 'hold my beer and watch this' line, it just is. And he took it up a notch.

CountGlockula, that's not a sure thing. They could just as easily walk away with a new-found respect for gov't and police.

 

[Deavis]

THIS IS WHY GUNS AND ALCOHOL DO NOT MIX

No, this is why stupid people and guns don't mix. There is no definite proof he had been drinking., For all you know, he was just showing off for his lady friend. Don't blame an inanimate object for the poor decision of its operator. That includes alcohol by the way. Stupid choice by a stupid person, no more and no less, don't get on the moral high horse too soon.

 

[Deavis]

That doesn't mean that this kid was stupid. We have all done something stupid before. Does that make us all stupid? No.

Yes it does make him stupid. Stupidity is the hallmark of a glaring mistake. I've discharged a firearm when I didn't mean to (decocking a Sig with off-hand thumb) but I had it pointed in a safe direction and no harm came of it. Was it negligent, not really, tt was unintentional but into a safe backstop. Negligent would mean I put it into someone's wall or their car. This rookie's shot, however, was not into a safe backstop, making it negligent and stupid because it took his life.

 

[Elza]

No one here is “mocking him”. All that has been done is to point out the colossal stupidity of his action.

Personally, I refuse to submit to the ‘PC’ line of thinking in general. In this case the “no one is responsible for their own actions” argument is a crock. He was, he is, and he paid the price. All that has been done here is to point out this irrefutable fact.

 

[TallPine]

To use your example of daydreaming and running a stop sign, If someone did that and ended up killing someone, whether it be a pedestrian walking across the street or a vehicle crossing the intersection, a car can be just as deadly as a firearm can be when used improperly or with some level of lapse in judgement and can have the same or worse results.

That was exactly the point I was trying to make: while doing something normal and proper like driving down the street, one might have an attention deficit and run a stop sign and kill somebody. Cars are dangerous - much more so that guns IMO.

What this fellow did was more like "playing chicken" with a car, or driving towards a cliff or a telephone pole at high speed, expecting to be able to swerve at the last minute.

The plain truth is that the fellow pulled a stupid stunt and it cost him dearly

 

[gunsmith]

I've made mistakes too...but...

I always point a gun in a safe direction.
Especially "unloaded" ones, as they seem to kill far more people ("by accident") then loaded ones do.
There were no other cops present, and given his age and location, no one else who has any clue on safe gun handling.
No one to tell him that it isn't a safe direction.
Complacency is deadly.

To answer a question, I believe SFPD are using Berreta 96 .40S&W
I don't know if they have a mag disconnect or not.
I do not like safeties or disconnects, I like my guns deadly and fast/easy to operate....SFPD feels differently, a perp got a gun away from the cop trying to arrest him but couldn't figure out how to operate it thus saving the cops life when the perp pointed it and pulled the trigger

It was a terrible mistake on the officers part, I am one of those whose first inclination was to say a prayer for his family.

I think it is peoples fear that causes them to laugh.

 

[hapuna]

ELZA!!!

No one here is “mocking him”.

You may need to go back and read all the posts. There are more than a few mocking him and his entire police force. Not very "highroad" IMO

 

[Werewolf]

He made a very bad judgement call and it cost him his life.

Bad judgement? Might as well describe the launch of a Saturn rocket as just another firework.

Bad judgement is drawing to an inside straight while playing 5 card stud, needing a King and 3 of 'em are showin'. That's bad judgement. You might draw that king but not likely.

Putting a gun to your neck and pulling the trigger without having previously checked the chamber to make sure there was no round in it and that there's no magazine in the gun so no round can get loaded into it is just - plain - STUPID. Heck there're those here who'll say putting a gun to your neck and pulling the trigger even though you HAVE verified with 100% efficacy that the weapon is unloaded is stupid.

To those who complain that calling the shooter stupid is disrespectful of the dearly departed - he's dead. He's got more important things to worry about (or maybe enjoy) than what a few folks on a web forum have to say about him.

And - if there is an afterlife - I'd bet a dollar to a doughnut that about a second after he realized he was dead that he was shakin' his head thinkin' to himself - :banghead: ...

 

[Harley Quinn]

This is a tragic event that happens at times.

I can tell you many stories that would just make you more aware of the dangers, becoming complacent, plus the simple and very dangerous outcome of this event. It is really something to be able to observe even with the ones who are trained and add vain and alcohol and it is bad news.

Why "Vice" is so dangerous

Shooting each other, shooting holes in the ceiling, shooting holes into a second story apt. shooting coffee machines. Shooting themselves

So it does happen and it is a very sad item, to be sure. They mention the first 5 years and the last couple are the most dangerous for officers.
One of the reasons I am not totally convinced the Glock is the gun for them. I am not sure what was the firearm for I have not read all the posts. But if it had a good safe, it would not have happened IMHO...

 

[mpmarty]

There is no such thing as foolproof or safe when dealing with fools. I don't care if this SF cop killed himself or just blew off his earlobe, what he did was STUPID, and fatally so. Some reference has been made to the threads here relating to NDs, ADs or whatever a surprise "BANG" is referred to. Yes, we have "all" had them but I can absolutely guarantee there is nobody on this list who has ever had one while the weapon was pointed at his head. Get the point? This cadaver candidate intentionally pointed the weapon at himself and pulled the trigger. Anyone else here ever done that? NO? Gee whiz, why not?