Tuesday, August 05, 2008

I Wonder...

...what the gun had against the courthouse?

From the El Paso Times:

By Stephanie Sanchez


Two law enforcement officials suffered gunshot wounds Monday after one of their weapons accidentally discharged at the El Paso Federal Courthouse, U.S. Marshals Service in El Paso officials said.
The weapon just "accidentally discharged" eh? I do wish reporters would stop it with the "accidentally discharged" crud.

To give the Marshals some credit, they tell it a bit differently.

A U.S. Marshals' deputy discharged his weapon, fired one bullet, and injured himself and a Border Patrol agent in the federal courthouse at about 10:45 a.m. Monday, said Gerry Payan, supervisory deputy for the U.S. Marshals Service in El Paso.
And now for the FBI.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were conducting an investigation Monday afternoon to determine how the shooting happened.

"We have been asked by Marshals to conduct a standard shooting review," said Special Agent Andrea Simmons, of the FBI. She said shooting review expert agents will help determine how the gun went off.

The shooting took place in the hallway of the 3rd floor inside the El Paso Federal Courthouse located at 511 E. San Antonio, Payan said.

"It is being treated as a shooting, even though it was an accidental shooting," he said.
That last quote is quite funny, but this is the one that disturbs me.

...the U.S. Marshals' deputy will be held responsible for firing the handgun, just as any other law enforcement official would in a similar situation.
How about we hold this deputy responsible to the same degree as any other citizen would be? If I mishandled my firearm in a public place and injured another, I am pretty sure my name would be in the paper and my rear would be sitting in a jail.

Update from the El Paso Times:

By Darren Meritz


EL PASO -- The deputy U.S. marshal who accidentally discharged his weapon in the U.S. Courthouse on Monday was trying to holster the weapon when it went off, officials said, based on an initial investigation.

A statement from the U.S. Marshals Service said the deputy, who suffered non- life-threatening injuries along with a U.S. Border Patrol agent as a result of the accidental discharge, removed his firearm from a locker and attempted to holster the weapon when it fired.
I guess it wasn't the courthouse the Glock didn't like, it just didn't want to be confined in that holster.

Remember Lt. Carolyn McClish? She is a good candidate for an "accident" like this to occur while re-holstering her firearm.

3 comments:

Fits said...

They are launching an investigation, when all they need do is tell the idiot not to draw a firearm and squeeze the trigger unless he MEANS to.

But most of the times such investigations are nothing more than a way to cover someone's ass, when they SHOULD be firing the guy for gross negligence.

TexasFred said...

Ya know, that's been an inherent problem with this pistol I keep here on the desk, it just jumps up and shoots a round off every now and then, scares the crap outta the wife, and the neighbors haven't been too happy either...

Unknown said...

I would like to be editor of the paper and where it says "accidental discharge" I would replace it with "US Marshal's booger hook was on the trigger".

I agree with you, had it been someone not wearing a badge we would be in jail, license to carry revoked, right to own a firearm permanently removed.

Hell even I know to keep my gun away if I am not going to use it, and if it is out to make sure it is not pointed at anything that I do not want to destroy and to keep my finger off the trigger....did this guy miss that class?