An officer was seriously hurt September 10 when he accidentally shot himself in the leg during advanced firearms training at the Police Academy shooting range in Paterson, New Jersey. Officials say he was transported to St. Joseph’s University Trauma Center and is being treated for severe injuries.
The unnamed officer, a firearms instructor with the Haledon Borough Police Department, was attending a week-long rifle course in Passaic County on Tuesday afternoon when authorities say he had an accidental discharge while conducting a drill, shooting himself in the leg at around 12:15 pm. While his injuries are said to be severe, they are not considered life-threatening according to officials. As of the last update from St. Joseph’s, the officer was listed in serious but stable condition.
“The sacrifices and dangers faced by law enforcement officers serve as constant reminders of the challenges inherent in their commitment to serve and protect our communities,” said Haledon Chief of Police, Angelo J. Daniele, recognizing that the risks associated with duty are persistent, even during training.
Although no crime or act of negligence has been indicated, the incident is considered an officer-involved shooting, all of which are referred to the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. In addition, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office has been assigned as the independent prosecutor on the case according to authorities.
“As the proud mayor of Haledon, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt support for one of our Haledon Police Department Firearms Instructors who sustained an accidental discharge injury during training… I join the Haledon Municipal Council in extending our thoughts and prayers to him as he receives treatment at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey,” said Haledon’s mayor Michael Johnson in a statement on Tuesday evening.
Training accidents such as this happen in the law enforcement community as well as the military. They are an unfortunate hazard of the occupation. The public has taken to Facebook to wish the officer a speedy recovery along with heartfelt thoughts and prayers, a level of community support for law enforcement that I find encouraging considering anti-police rhetoric over the last few years. I’d like to add my best wishes to the officer, his family and law enforcement personnel around the country who face dangerous situations daily, whether in training or out in the field protecting our communities. Thank you for your sacrifice, and stay safe.
Not an accident… A negligent discharge resulting in a self inflicted gunshot wound.
Not accidental, negligent.
If I worked in in New Jersey I’d want to shoot myself too.
😊
Training is never completely safe. There are a certain number of accidents.
Prayers for this officer.
I have a friend who was in 4.5 gunfights- four with other people and in another Pete shot himself in the leg, counting as .5 a gunfight.
Civilians do it too, Colonel Cooper has two legs shots in one year at Gunsite.
Boots
Only the police and military should have guns, they say.
Only they have the training to handle them safely, they say.
I’ve never shot myself (or anyone else, for that matter), I say.
I’d bet money he was handling a striker-fired side arm. Likely, the officer was re-holstering and had his finger still on the trigger instead of properly indexed. Not that shooting yourself with a DA/SA hammer fired weapon isn’t possible. If the weapon is in single action with the shooters finger on the trigger during re-holstering, it will surely fire. It’s just much easier to have a ND with strikers due to that consistent easy trigger pull.
It’s pretty damn hard to pull a 10lb trigger if you don’t plan to.
The article states it was a week-long rifle training class. Nowhere does it mention the use of a pistol.
The mayor says, “ …support for one of our Haledon Police Department Firearms Instructors who sustained an accidental discharge injury during training…”
Negligence. End of story. And worse because he’s an instructor for the department.
I say that as an instructor who’s had a ND, and owns it to this day. I talk about in almost every class as an example of what not to do.
Safety is not a destination, it is a constant journey.
The second you start thinking that you’re safe enough, Murphy wakes up and starts looking for you.
I wish the officer well.
But I must point out that the headline and first sentence of this story perpetuate the incorrect thinking in the media and amongst the general public.
With all due respect, I hope the author and editor take but a few moments to educate themselves on the difference between negligence and accidental.
To you both I would call on the sage wisdom from Uncle Ben Parker, “With great power, comes great responsibility.”