Police officer injured at gun range in Houston

[philip964]

http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2012/07 ... e-academy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Gun fired while being cleaned. Bullet hit floor and fragment hit officer in the forehead.

Not seriously injured, but a good lesson for everyone.

[Heartland Patriot]

I'm sorry that I have to ask the obvious but here goes: do they train the HPD officers to clear their weapon before cleaning? Or, if so, did this individual simply fail to heed that training? One or the other, and my guess would be the second of the two.

[AEA]

He definitely needs more trigger training.

[Keith B]

Just remember 'cleaning' may mean wiping the gun down with a rag, not a break-down cleaning.

[barstoolguru]

but chief, it went off all by it self

[Keith B]

but chief, it went off all by it self

When my Brother-In-Law was Cheif he had one of his officers experience a ND in the station. The round went through the wall into the detectives office area. Luckily no one was in there at the time. The officer was their certified armorer.

[E.Marquez]

" police academy gun range"

From the article,,,,, this may have been LEO in training... .. the title of "Police officer injured at gun range in Houston" is a little lacking in detail.. or at least a huge assumption..

This could have been a brand new recruit on his first day of range work, or a veteran officer firearms instructor. Or anywhere in-between. . Just no way to know from what has been told so far.

Not sure about the rest of you, but cleaning is cleaning. Wither it's a wipe down, field strip, or detail strip, the gun gets cleared before the job starts. So IMHO, that dog don’t hunt with excuses as to how this negligent discharge may have happened.
So I wonder if charges are to be brought….

§ 42.12. DISCHARGE OF FIREARM IN CERTAIN
MUNICIPALITIES. (a) A person commits an offense if the person
recklessly discharges a firearm inside the corporate limits of a
municipality having a population of 100,000 or more.
or
22.05. DEADLY CONDUCT.
(a) A person commits an offense if he recklessly engages in conduct that places another in imminent danger of serious bodily injury.
Or some other Texas PC violation..

[Songbird]

In my VERY limited experience I don't see how this can EVER happen. Complacency? "I've been doing this for years" syndrome? I'm almost paranoid in checking my weapon to make sure it's clear. I hope I never lose that fear/respect.

[CC Italian]

I am with Keith B on this. I have seen very experienced and qualified professionals have negligent discharges. Law enforcement and CHL holders handle firearms more then the average person even though most of us seem to have more experience with firearms it doesn't mean we are infallible. Check twice and never take someone’s word!

[barstoolguru]

Shooting guns is like handling snakes; lose concentration a minute and something will happen. The embarrassment last a lot longer than the injury

[AEA]

Shooting guns is like handling snakes; lose concentration a minute and something will happen. The embarrassment last a lot longer than the injury

HOPEFULLY!

[tonzofphun]

I like how the article says, "The pistol fired about 3:30 p.m.", making it sound like it has a mind of its own.

[stealthfightrf17]

The reporter most have been from california where the guns can load themselves and randomly fire when they see a person.

[alvins]

most of hpds officers cant hit the broad side of a barn. how did they manage this?

[THX]

most of hpds officers cant hit the broad side of a barn.

I was standing next to a guy at a gun counter the other day and he was excited about his initial HPD shooting test as a recruit. Honestly, I don't think he had ever fired a weapon before - complete ignorance of the entire subject. He was the sort of person that I will happily pack up and move away from at the range. So perhaps a few guys like Mr. A.D. here are slipping through the cracks.

But on the other hand I've shot with some HPD guys, and they were all truly excellent with their pistols; maybe it's not fair to generalize.