Fla. Deputy Shoots Self Showing Off Gun

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http://www.fox30online.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=918C8B91-AD9F-468C-A042-23F12FB74F47
Deputy Dies
10/1/2006 4:25:26 AM
Assignment Desk
The shooting happened last night in his home as he was celebrating his 27th birthday. Now his family and co-workers are coming to grips with his death. In front of the St Johns County Sheriff's Office, a flag at half staff flutters in the wind as a department tries to heal after losing one of their own.

"At the end of the day you have a 27 year old deputy who could of went on to do a lot of wonderful things in his life and he's not going to have the opportunity", says St Johns County Sheriff David Shoar.

Investigators say Deputy Matt Barnes was supposed to work last night, but took the night off to celebrate his birthday with his fiancé and several friends. Witnesses at the party say they were drinking and at some point, Barnes picked up what he thought was an unloaded handgun.

Shoar says, "he was pulling the trigger on it, kind of showing it to some guys…” But the gun was loaded and fired, hitting barnes in the face. He died instantly. Investigators don't plan to file any charges and are calling the shooting accidental.

Sheriff Shoar says his staff goes through extensive weapons training and says there's a lesson to be learned from what happened. He just wishes the price wasn't so high. "Sure we can Monday morning quarterback and I wish we could turn the clocks back but we can't and Matt was a wonderful young man and a wonderful public servant."

Serving the public runs in Barnes’ family. His father works with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and his fiancé works with St Johns County Fire and Rescue.

Grief counselors have been called in to help deputies deal with the loss.

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Drugs and guns don't mix :banghead:

Matt

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It will "serve the public" if suchexamples of individual stupidity are not used to justify further infringements on the peoples' rights.

I, too, was at a birthday party yesterday (btw I survived my 27th birthday a LONG time ago). Alcohol was present. Toy guns were also present. Playing with real guns did not seem appropriate. You do not need to be much of an expert to tell the difference between toy guns and real guns.Rules of safety were violated wheneveryone deferred to this so-called expertwho should have known better.

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Grief counsellors for police officers? Heavens above!

I may seem insensitive, but this was surely a case of a foolish accident, nothing more.

A man died. Stuff happens. Get over it, get some backbone, and go on.

Has it really come to this, that the cops need counsellors when one of their own bites the dust? I could maybe understand it if an officer died in the line of duty, facing fearful odds, but for a mishap such as this? Give me a break here!



TrueBrit

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Shame maybe I shouldn't look at it like I do but the Government by its actions say this is the only group that is qualified enough to carry in every state to protect theirself and their famlies.(bill 218) The rest of us our SOL.

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Good, pertinent points from the two gentlemen above.

Far too much touchy feely, happy clappy stuff going around, and when feelings and emotions are allowed to over-ride reason, then we, as a society, are in deep snooker!

But, as our new comrade lostone opines,only policemen posess the Jedi-like powers needed to master the intricacies of these dragon-slaying pieces of engineering! The DEA Bob Marley lookalike springs to my mind!

Perhaps I mis-speak here, but one KNOWS that the press would have a field day should non-policemen do the kind of stuff that the police tend to sweep under the carpet!

Maybe I am just becoming a grouchy old fart! I did hit the double nickel last month, after all!

TrueBrit.

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Another LEO shooting caused by negligence and/or reckless actions.:banghead: Recently, my hometown Sheriff's Office had one deputy shoot another in a 'training accident'. Luckily, the injured deputy is recovering. (The guilty deputy did not double check to make sure that his weapon was unloaded.)

Where is the accountability ? :cuss: Apologies to the responsible LEO's.

TrueBrit: I'm ok with that as long as you're ok with whipper snappers.

ProguninTN

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I, too, was a whipper-snapper many moons ago, old feller!

Fear not, you, too, after serving a long apprenticeship, will eventually join the aged flatulators ! It is an honourable guild to belong to, and it is quite a delight to be able to get by with curmudgeonly behaviour occasionally,on account of ones age!

Best wishes,you truly have an old head on young shoulders!

TrueBrit.

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Alcohol and guns do not mix. How sad. And this was a trained officer. Even sadder. Guns are not toys.

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That really sucks. I am glad I wasn't at that party. What a terrible thing.

Alcohol and guns don't mix, that is for sure. Careless gun handling is a killer, too. I always was taught that all guns should be treated as"loaded" even when it is sure they are not, and they should be pointed accordingly.

A year ago, I was checking the action ofan "empty" shotgun (which had a"trigger-lock") when it fired, blowinga hole in my ceiling. My two year old son was by my side. Though he was in nodanger, the blastsurprised him, and itgave me a severe shudderat thethought of what could have happened if I had pointed thegun more carelessly. (Thanks Dad-lesson learned.)