DATELINE: LEMOORE, Calif. — The Kings County Sheriff’s Office says two deputies are recovering from shrapnel wounds they received when another deputy’s firearm accidentally discharged. It happened Thursday night at the Lemoore Sportsman Club outdoor gun range in Lemoore.
One deputy suffered a shrapnel wound to the lower leg and the other had a shrapnel wound to the upper rear leg area. Both were treated and released.
The sheriff’s office says deputies and peace officers of the Kings County Human Services Agency were at night range doing qualification shooting in low light settings. After a qualification round, one officer was in the process of dismantling the firearm and could not get the firearm apart. This was taking place in the area set aside for firearm cleaning, away from the downrange shooting area. Other deputies were standing nearby when the deputy attempting to clear the jammed firearm had it pointed down, at a table and it fired. The bullet went through the wood table and struck the concrete underneath it, ricocheting into the two deputies’ legs.
The Kings County Sheriff’s Office said:
“Our agencies carry Glock handguns and as part of the dismantling process for cleaning, the trigger does have to be pulled to remove the slide,” the release said. “We have protocols in place to ensure firearms are unloaded and pointed in a safe location before the disassembly process, which includes pulling the trigger. We will be conducting an investigation to determine where the failure occurred and implementing immediate changes to ensure the likelihood of this occurring again is dramatically reduced.
