Police Trainee Accidentally Killed By Instructor

[erik the bold]

Link here: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/4970707/detail.html

Police Trainee Accidentally Killed By Instructor

POSTED: 7:46 am EDT September 14, 2005

AUSTELL, Ga. -- A trainee at a Georgia law enforcement academy has been accidentally shot and killed by her instructor during a classroom exercise.

No details have been released.

The police trainee was among about 30 students in the seventh week of a state-mandated, 10-week training course at the North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy.

A Cobb County police spokesman said the veteran instructor was "very traumatized" and had to seek medical attention.

The academy is one of 10 regional training centers for law enforcement officers in Georgia.

:banghead:

 

[pax]

The problem with that article is that there's not enough information given to enable us to intelligently discuss anything about this incident.

Accidents like this are a good opportunity for folks to review their own safety practices.

Meanwhile, it would be really, really good if people could refrain from jumping to conclusions, making inappropriate jokes, or griping about other members.

pax

 

[treeprof]

More details on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website (ajc.com) but you need to register for access. It was the 1st day of the firearms training sequence.

I think that this same trainer was in a firearms course I took a few yrs back. If so, he was a very capable shooter. This is the worst possible outcome for a ND, though, and I would guess that it'd be nigh on impossible to recover, mentally or professionally, from this.

 

[Optical Serenity]

Without knowing the full story or those involved, its ridiculous to make comments. This particular instructor is a very capable SWAT instructor... Very high speed, and has probably put more rounds down range than 99% of those even on here.

Either way, its a very bad situation. Prayers are needed for those involved.

 

[Tom Servo]

I live in Kennesaw, and I haven't heard anything beyond what's on the news. They're being very tight-lipped about what happened.

My knee-jerk reaction was, "what the #$&* was this instructor doing?," but from what I've heard, he's quite experienced, and this was, according to an officer, "a really freak thing."

This is just unbelievably sad, and it's a good time to reflect on the fact that it could happen to any of us, at any time, if we get even slighly careless.

 

[chris in va]

Wow, I feel really bad for the instructor. He's never going to outlive the grief. I couldn't live with that burden.

 

[El Tejon]

If anyone down there hears anything further, please let us know.

 

[Technosavant]

Remember:

Even the most highly trained and respected shooters and trainers can make tragic mistakes with fatal consequences.

The rules of firearms safety exist for a reason: there is a danger involved with firearms, and those rules are our means of mitigating that danger. Violate them, and people can be hurt or killed. Be careful out there.

My condolences to all involved.

 

[farscott]

Here is the latest AJC article.

A trainee at a Cobb County police academy was killed Tuesday when the instructor's gun accidentally went off during the first day of firearms training, authorities said.

The woman, a new recruit with the Kennesaw police department, was identified today as Tara Drummond, 23. She was among 30 rookie officers in the seventh week of a 10-week program at the North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy in Austell.

The trainees were in a classroom in the basement of the academy, located in a converted textile mill, when the gun discharged about 4 p.m., said Carol Morgan, the academy director.

County Sheriff Neil Warren, whose office administers the program for Cobb, declined to discuss details of the shooting.

Drummond was taken to a local hospital where she died a short time later.

She was the first Kennesaw police officer killed in the line of duty, said department spokesman Scott Luther.

Kennesaw police Chief Tim Callahan called the death "a tragic accident," and added: "For the next few days, we want to honor the life of this young officer who would have been a great officer one day."

The class instructor is an "experienced veteran" of the county sheriff's office who has been teaching at the academy for 10 years, Sheriff Warren said.

Shaken up by the shooting, the instructor was also taken to a hospital but later released, Warren said.

The instructor, who was not named, has been placed on administrative leave until an internal investigation by the sheriff's office, the county police department and Austell police.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

Scary stuff. A good reminder to always remember our rules. There but for the grace of God go I...

Reminds me of a while back when two students to Thunder Ranch or Gunsite, I believe, were practicing in their hotels one night and one shot the other. I'd say traumatizing would be an understatement.

 

[Henry Bowman]

when the instructor's gun accidentally went off

:banghead:

when the gun discharged about 4 p.m.,

:banghead:

County Sheriff Neil Warren, whose office administers the program for Cobb, declined to discuss details of the shooting.

In all fairness, the otherwise unknowledgeable "journalist" is probably using what he/she believes to be "neutral" language to avoid assignment of blame when we really don't know what happened. There are such things as "accidental dischages" even though they are very, very rare.

 

[oh blanky]

The freaky thing was there's this here hole in this pipe thingy in the gun and noise and light and stuff comes out of it. Things it front of it seem to git kilt.

 

[Janitor]

I keep on trying to write something, but coming up empty.

I continually end up in a place where I cannot possibly imagine how horrible the instructor must feel in this. My heart goes out to him as much as to the trainee's family.

This is simply awful (he says, once again stating the obvious).

 

[Zrex]

A Cobb County police spokesman said the veteran instructor was "very traumatized" and had to seek medical attention.

If you think this guy is "traumatized", think of the poor girl he killed.... er.... I mean - think of the poor girl accidentally killed by his gun. Then think of her family. My prayers are with them.

 

[CAS700850]

My prayers are with all of them.

Come on, who among us has not had an accident? I can tell you I damn near shot out the t.v. when I went to take down my Glock, only to hesitate an instant before pulling the trigger, just because I hadn't shot the gun last before it was cased up. Jack the slide, and there's a round in the chamber. I also may have put one over the backstop one time, with a friend's Smith Model 15, trying his style of one hand target shooting (lower the barrel to the target, don't raise it). Bumped the trigger with my finger and it fired. Single action trigger weight was unbelievably low.

Sorry, it just makes me a little mad to hear everyone indict the instructor in this situation, when we have no idea what the facts were, much less to know if he deserves our contempt for his actions.

 

[Janitor]

Sorry, it just makes me a little mad to hear everyone indict the instructor in this situation

Who has indicted the instructor?

 

[Buck Snort]

I don't believe there is any such thing as an "accidental discharge", there is only negligent gun handling. The instructor is probably traumatized because he screwed up big time and he knows it. I'd be too under those circumstances.

 

[buzz_knox]

Reminds me of a while back when two students to Thunder Ranch or Gunsite, I believe, were practicing in their hotels one night and one shot the other.

It was Gunsite. I had a course this weekend with someone who was in that class.

 

[Black Majik]

Well thats too sad to hear. She died so young...

But, isn't one of the 4 rules, dont point at anything or ANYONE you do not intend to destroy?

Seems like, although an AD/ND, whichever it may be, the instructor sweep the student causing her to get hit.

 

[c_yeager]

Who has indicted the instructor?

I havent seen anyone do it yet, so here you go.

The ONLY way this could possibly have happened is if the instructor pointed a loaded weapon at the cadet, period. And I am giving the guy credit and not assuming that he actually pulled the trigger. Even if this was some kind of bizzare one-in-a-million case of a mechanical failure causing a weapon to discharge, the bullet still only goes in the direction that the weapon was pointed. How can the instructor possibly NOT be responsible if a person that he pointed a weapon at wound up getting shot with that weapon?

 

[buzz_knox]

Well, it's in the realm of possibility that the weapon was dropped and discharged (as in the case of the SWAT officer killed in LA when he dropped his 220).

However, unless live fire was going on in the basement classroom, it would be a struggle to come up with an explanation as to why a loaded weapon was out of a holster and thus able to shoot anyone.

 

[Zrex]

Well, it's in the realm of possibility that the weapon was dropped and discharged (as in the case of the SWAT officer killed in LA when he dropped his 220).

Maybe he was the only one in the room professional enough to handle that Glock 40......

 

[jdkelly]

The ONLY way this could possibly have happened is if the instructor pointed a loaded weapon at the cadet, period.

I don't know any facts about the shooting, and while I would guess that the gun was pointed at the trainee, it is possible it was a ricochet.


Respectfully,

jdkelly

 

[Correia]

All worthless conjecture at this point anyway. My first guess when I heard it was that a real gun got mixed into retention training. But still, all just conjecture.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

All worthless conjecture at this point anyway. My first guess when I heard it was that a real gun got mixed into retention training. But still, all just conjecture.

I'll hope that we get more info ASAP. This suggestion is a possibility, but ... isn't that what blue guns are made for?