Man Struck In Accidental Shooting At Gun Show
A Minnesota man is OK after being hit by bullet fragments after an off-duty officer’s gun accidentally discharged.
The shooting has been ruled an accident, but it did involve an off-duty Minneapolis police officer. He was working as a security guard at the Minneapolis Gun Show, when police say his gun holster got caught and his semi-automatic handgun went off.
The bullet from his gun ricocheted off the floor and hit a retired St. Paul officer in the leg. Police say the 61-year-old retired officer was also working as a security officer at the show, which is being held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. He was treated at Hennepin County Medical Center for minor injuries and will be okay.
“Something like this, it’s purely an accident. We’ve got the — [we’re] checking the holster to see if there’s any malfunctions, checking the gun to see if there’s any other malfunctions,” said Sgt. Jesse Garcia with the Minneapolis Police Department.
“You know, with the amount of equipment we wear sitting in cars with seatbelts and things like that, we’re lucky this doesn’t happen more often,” he added.
The security guard will not be disciplined. Police say he was sitting down and leaning back in a chair when his holster got caught and the gun discharged. People at the show said they were surprised it happened.
“Accidents happen. Unfortunate that it happened here. It’s not the best timing,” said Eric Magee, who attended the show.
