# 7-yr-old fires Dad's pd weapon



## PBC FL Cop (Oct 22, 2003)

*LEOMINSTER- *The 7-year-old son of a city police officer fired his father's service weapon inside the police station, said Police Chief Peter F. Roddy.

The bullet went into a ceiling, but nobody works in the area above the ceiling, he said.

"We are very lucky nobody was injured," Chief Roddy said. 

The boy's father and three other police officers were in the room at the time of the accidental discharge, which happened Thursday, Chief Roddy said.

The officer, whom the chief would not identify, was off duty when he stopped by the station around 1:30 p.m. with his son on a school vacation day, the chief said.

While in an isolated, "non-public" portion of the building, the officer wanted to show someone a demonstration model of a holster for his service revolver, a semi-automatic SigSauer P226, the chief said.

As a safety precaution, the officer unloaded the gun, then handed it and the holster to another officer, Chief Roddy said.

When the officer took back the gun, he reloaded it by putting in the magazine, closing the chamber, and releasing one bullet into the chamber, the chief said. The officer then ejected the magazine, he said.

He placed the gun down, and while he was busy loading the magazine, his son picked up the gun and fired it, Chief Roddy said.

His father told him, "You know better than that," Chief Roddy said.

The boy responded that he did not know the gun was loaded, the chief said.

"The young boy touched the weapon when he shouldn't have and it went off," Chief Roddy said.

The incident scared the child, he said.

It is standard procedure for Leominster officers to have a bullet loaded into the chamber of their service weapons, Chief Roddy said.

An internal investigation is being done into the incident, the chief said, adding that the officer in question is very safety-conscious.

Mayor Dean J. Mazzarella said the important thing is that nobody was hurt.

"Obviously, they're looking into the matter, and that is standard procedure," the mayor said.


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## Irish Wampanoag (Apr 6, 2003)

negligent!!!


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## NorwichAlum (Nov 5, 2005)

I dont usually bring my weapon home, but my kids know that they are not to touch it under any circumstance. I always told my son that if he asked, I would show it to him. That satisfied his curiosity.


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## Pvt. Cowboy (Jan 26, 2005)

NorwichAlum said:


> I dont usually bring my weapon home, but my kids know that they are not to touch it under any circumstance. I always told my son that if he asked, I would show it to him. That satisfied his curiosity.


That works well too. My brother and I knew growing up, rule #1 was to never touch our fathers firearms. When we wanted to shoot... he'd take us shooting. We respected those rules...


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

> service revolver, a semi-automatic SigSauer P226, the chief said.


His semi-automatic service revolver? Nice editing on this story.


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## rg1283 (Sep 14, 2005)

Very common mistake with the news media and TV. Most of the time, if not all the time the media calls it a Service Revolver.


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## CampusOfficer (Dec 29, 2002)

Irish Wampanoag said:


> negligent!!!


Perfectly said!!!


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## j809 (Jul 5, 2002)

Wtf?!!!!!!!!!!


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## Goose (Dec 1, 2004)

rg1283 said:


> Very common mistake with the news media and TV. Most of the time, if not all the time the media calls it a Service Revolver.


Yeah, they said the same thing in regards to the Waltham officer a month or so back...


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## CJIS (Mar 12, 2005)

Vote now for: A. Suspension B. Dismissal from department.


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## irish937 (Sep 13, 2005)

npd_323 said:


> Vote now for: A. Suspension B. Dismissal from department.


How about neither.


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## daveh (Feb 6, 2003)

This reminds me of a story I heard once about an officer "_*cleaning"*_ his gun in the station, when all of a sudden...


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## copcop (Mar 17, 2006)

daveh said:


> This reminds me of a story I heard once about an officer "_*cleaning"*_ his gun in the station, when all of a sudden...


Jesus - ask around guys....every department has a handful of stories about accidental discharges within their walls.....very common....it happens alot more than people think.....


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## PBC FL Cop (Oct 22, 2003)

irish937 said:


> How about neither.


Thats my vote, its an _accident_, no one was hurt and I'm sure it will never happen again.


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## CJIS (Mar 12, 2005)

Neither does sound good but however you have to take into account public relations. You know when the media and public hear of these things they expect some sort of action to be taken right away. Falure to do so often puts the dapartment bind. I don't agree with the BS either I belive that what happened was an accident and what happens as a result should stay behind department walls. However we all know some pansy/s will make a big stink over it, giving the department a reputation. 

I forgot to vote so I would have said a simple Suspension with pay. ( I don't like it but you can't ignore the BS from the public)


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## lokiluvr (Dec 30, 2004)

I say "WRITE HIM UP" the public and the media will be happy that something was done,,, and it is just some bullshit piece of paper that does not have to go any where else. Every one is satisfied.


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2006)

Their is no excuse for letting a weapon capable of being fired out of the officers control and IMO he should be fired.


This incident would never have happened with an S&W 59 series weapon with a magazine disconnect.

It was my practice that once a service round came out of the chamber it was removed from service as a working round.


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2006)

I forgot to vote so I would have said a simple Suspension with pay. ( I don't like it but you can't ignore the BS from the public)[/QUOTE]

Why not throw in a Vegas Junket too.

Are you for real?


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

npd_323 said:


> Neither does sound good but however you have to take into account public relations. You know when the media and public hear of these things they expect some sort of action to be taken right away. Falure to do so often puts the dapartment bind. I don't agree with the BS either I belive that what happened was an accident and what happens as a result should stay behind department walls. However we all know some pansy/s will make a big stink over it, giving the department a reputation.
> 
> I forgot to vote so I would have said a simple Suspension with pay. ( I don't like it but you can't ignore the BS from the public)


so you suspend a guy because of what the media thinks?

glad I don't work in your department.


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## PBC FL Cop (Oct 22, 2003)

idgaf said:


> Their is no excuse for letting a weapon capable of being fired out of the officers control and IMO he should be fired.


Lose one's career over THIS, your nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## CJIS (Mar 12, 2005)

94c said:


> so you suspend a guy because of what the media thinks?
> 
> glad I don't work in your department.


I didn't say just what the media thinks I included the general public as well. We all know the public is often missimformed of any incidents. 9 out of 10 times things are blown out of proportion but sometimes the only way to shut up a bitching public is to do a little bit of disciplinary action. I don't think temp. *suspension with pay* is unreasonable and in fact I belive in many departments it is standard procedure for anycase of accidental disscharge/miss-use of a firearm for the officer in question to go on leave while the matter is being investigated.


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## screamineagle (Jul 11, 2005)

How about a public flogging? Or public stoning? 

I think the guy learned his lesson already.

nuff said.


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## pablo (Apr 15, 2005)

The Officer should be given remedial training in safe storgae/handeling of weapons, A copy of any Dept policies that are relevant and a letter in his file. If after 6 months the officer has no further issues,the letter should be removed form his folder. Doing this will show the dept addressed the problem and took steps to correct it. after 6 months asumming no issues the letter gets removed. Everybody walks out of the deal ok. I cant see dinging the guy if he has been a good officer,people make mistakes. On the other hand I also wouldnt just ignore the issue like it never happened.


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## PBC FL Cop (Oct 22, 2003)

pablo said:


> The Officer should be given remedial training in safe storgae/handeling of weapons


What would this training consist of, having him hold a gun in one hand and a rattle in the other. Leaving the rattle on a table=good, but leaving a gun=bad. Without any remedial training, he'll probably let his son sleep with a loaded gun tonight and this may happen again, but the rattle training would straighten him right out.

Would this be a 40 or 80 hour course????


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## PBC FL Cop (Oct 22, 2003)

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 *Officer disciplined over son's gun use*

Shot was fired inside station

*By Mary Jo Hill TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[email protected]
*









*LEOMINSTER- *A police officer whose 7-year-old son fired a service weapon inside the police station last month has been disciplined, said Police Chief Peter F. Roddy.

Chief Roddy would neither identify the officer nor go into details about the discipline. The investigation was "strictly internal" and involved the officer's failure to secure his weapon, he said.

The chief said he would not name the officer because he does not want to embarrass the child, "who is absolutely devastated" by what happened. 

On April 20, the boy went into the station with his father, who was off duty at the time and wanted to show someone a demonstration model of a holster for his service weapon, a semi-automatic pistol, the chief has said.

As a safety precaution, the officer unloaded the gun before showing the pistol and holster to another officer.

When the father took back the Sig Sauer P226, he chambered one round and ejected the magazine so he could complete the loading.

After the officer placed the weapon on a nearby desk in preparation for loading the magazine, the child picked up the gun and shot the chambered round into the ceiling and roof.

Other officers were with the father and son in the isolated, "non-public" part of the station at the time when the child shot the firearm, the chief has said. Nobody works in the area above the ceiling.

Nobody was injured.

The child told his father he did not know the weapon was loaded, the chief said.

When asked whether a similar occurrence in a private home would have been treated differently, Chief Roddy said if there had been an accidental shooting police might not have found out.

If police had learned of a shooting, there would have been an investigation, but the chief questioned what the crime would have been.

If the incident had been reported to the state Department of Social Services and police officers had witnessed what occurred, the agency probably would have screened out the complaint, he said.

"There's no neglect here of the child," Chief Roddy said.

"We deal with firearms on a daily basis. Mistakes happen," he said. "We try to minimize those."

The officer realizes he is responsible and knows where the error was made, Chief Roddy said.

The chief said the officer is the last person he would imagine this happening to because he is usually so safety conscious.

The incident will not happen again, and that is the purpose of discipline, Chief Roddy said.

*Well said and by a chief no less!!!*


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

Sounds like a good ending to me

:sl:


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