Scranton cop shoots self in hand

HyDef · Feb 9, 2009

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http://www.scrantontimes.com/articles/2009/02/09/news/doc4990423ae761e762490199.txt

Gun discharges accidentally, wounding officer
BY KIMM R. MONTONE
STAFF WRITER Published: Monday, February 09, 2009

Updated: Monday, February 9, 2009 11:52 AM EST SCRANTON -- A city police officer received stitches to his left hand after his gun accidentally discharged inside a West Scranton grocery store Sunday afternoon, according to Chief David Elliott.

Lt. Leonard Namiotka, an 18-year-department veteran and head of the city's crime prevention unit, was allegedly showing his weapon to someone in the freezer section at the rear of Brunetti's Shur-Save Super Market, 441 N. Main Ave., at 4:20 p.m. when the gun accidentally discharged, striking the off-duty officer in the hand with a.40-caliber round.

Scranton police are conducting an internal investigation into the incident, and until it is finished, Lt. Namiotka will be placed on desk duty, according to the chief. The officer was out of the office Monday on sick leave, Chief Elliott said.

Statkowski · Feb 9, 2009

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Guns don't discharge accidentally.

Rule No. 1 - Always assume the firearm is loaded until you are certain it isn't.

Rule No. 2 (and this is the one he violated) - Keep the trigger finger off of the trigger unless you intend to pull the trigger.

Dumb shit!

tdyoung58 · Feb 9, 2009

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Statkowski wrote:

Guns don't discharge accidentally.

Rule No. 1 - Always assume the firearm is loaded until you are certain it isn't.

Rule No. 2 (and this is the one he violated) - Keep the trigger finger off of the trigger unless you intend to pull the trigger.

Dumb @#$%!

:what: wonder if it'll be on YouTube, wouldn't you like to get that security tape....

Bet they make him keep his bullet in his pocket from now on....

nepawolf · Feb 9, 2009

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First and most important question: why was it out of it's holster in a public area? I'm pretty sure if a cop saw me doing that there, I'd be arrested. I'd at least be drawn on. Incidents like this never make a department look very good. It also makes anyone who owns guns look bad, for that matter. Stupid mistake, but I hope it heals well. At least it was likely to be his support hand and not his writing hand that got shot. With any luck, it will make a few more officers be more careful with their sidearm.

SlackwareRobert · Feb 10, 2009

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I feel safer knowing only police will have guns.:cuss::cuss:

Lets see now, brandishing, unlawful discharge inside city limits, reckless
endagerment, missuse of government property, and attempted murder.
Did he pick up his brass? If so add cover up, if it's good enough for the border patrol,
it should be good enough for the boys in blue.

And the worse crime of all, spraying a BIOHAZARD in a grocery store.
This man should be shot, oh yea he was......:lol:

Sonora Rebel · Feb 10, 2009

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'Showing his weapon..'?

'Shoots himself?

Wow... a real pro. :banghead:

IDIOT!

Mike M. · Feb 11, 2009

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There was another similar incident in PA this week where an Officer was cleaning his weapon when it fired, injuring his hand. Dont remember where, Ill try and find the article.

marshaul · Feb 11, 2009

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Mike M. wrote:

There was another similar incident in PA this week where an Officer was cleaning his weapon when it fired, injuring his hand. Dont remember where, Ill try and find the article.

Exactly what sort of cleaning can be accomplished with a round still in the chamber?

Feather dusting?

SlackwareRobert · Feb 12, 2009

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Maybe he was useing a hammer and chisel to get some soot out of the primer?
I know I just hate dirty brass.

Step 0 : The gun is loaded.....
Step 1: Unload weapon....

I hate the press for these stories.
So there is no way for one to go off being cleaned,
since the first step renders it inoperative.

So the story should be about the inept police training procedures that lead to this
moron shooting his gun.

Sonora Rebel · Feb 12, 2009

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The GUN went OFF! Evil gun... dangerous... insidious... Just waiting to 'go off' at any time.

The CAR started 'ITSELF'!

The DISHWASHER... 'WASHED'!

The TV went 'ON'!

Y'all know what I'm talkin' about. The people who report this kind'a thing are also morons.

YllwFvr · Feb 15, 2009

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Ok my brother is going to the Lackawanna Police academy and his instructor talked about this, personally knowing the man. He said the guy is old enough to be more used to revolvers than auto pistols. He said the officer grabbed the barrel, which he is used to doing so he can pop the cylinder and unload it, and the gun went off hitting the edge of his hand where it hung over the barrel. He said its not uncommon among older LEOs as its the habit when removing the rounds from a revolver.

The instructor judged it an unfortunate accident but nothing to be overly worried about.

Sonora Rebel · Feb 15, 2009

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Must be a Pennsylvania dump. :uhoh:

I have NEVER (and nobody I ever knew of) dumped a cylinder holding the barrel. Ya hold the gun inleft hand... 'n a couple fingers hold the open cylinder while extracting the rounds that you've just shoved the extracter rod to dislodge...while rotating the cylinder as needed for the round to clear the pistol grip.

With an SAA,,, you hold the pistol up and rotate the cylinder on half cock as the rounds drop from the loading gate. At any rate... what was his booger picker doin' on the bang switch? You gotta be a dolt to drop a magazine hangin' onto the barrel. (Push da button... or push da grip latch... ) No way you'd have that muzzle pointin' at any part of you.

jahwarrior · Feb 16, 2009

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YllwFvr wrote:

Ok my brother is going to the Lackawanna Police academy and his instructor talked about this, personally knowing the man. He said the guy is old enough to be more used to revolvers than auto pistols. He said the officer grabbed the barrel, which he is used to doing so he can pop the cylinder and unload it, and the gun went off hitting the edge of his hand where it hung over the barrel. He said its not uncommon among older LEOs as its the habit when removing the rounds from a revolver.

The instructor judged it an unfortunate accident but nothing to be overly worried about.

uh, right.

Glocks have been standard issue for long enough that any cop on the force in Scranton for the past 20 years should be used to them. the moron in question is an 18 year veteran. stop giving stupid cops excuses for being stupid.

"notihn to be overly worried about." because being an asshole witha badge, and putting people's lives in danger is no big deal, right?

YllwFvr · Feb 16, 2009

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jahwarrior72 wrote:

YllwFvr wrote:

Ok my brother is going to the Lackawanna Police academy and his instructor talked about this, personally knowing the man. He said the guy is old enough to be more used to revolvers than auto pistols. He said the officer grabbed the barrel, which he is used to doing so he can pop the cylinder and unload it, and the gun went off hitting the edge of his hand where it hung over the barrel. He said its not uncommon among older LEOs as its the habit when removing the rounds from a revolver.

The instructor judged it an unfortunate accident but nothing to be overly worried about.

Click to expand...

uh, right.

Glocks have been standard issue for long enough that any cop on the force in Scranton for the past 20 years should be used to them. the moron in question is an 18 year veteran. stop giving stupid cops excuses for being stupid.

"notihn to be overly worried about." because being an @#$% witha badge, and putting people's lives in danger is no big deal, right?

I am not excusing him for anything, or I would have spoken up in his defense personally. I was just adding information from the the man who knew him and worked with him.

I certainly think what he did was a mistake. They should at least make him get re-certified and take a firearms safety course. Probably quite embarrassing for someone with his experience but apparently necessary. They shouldn't think of it in terms of it was an AD resulting in a minor injury. It should be thought of as a possible civilian death. They were in a back room? So what? The bullet could go right through the wall i'm sure.

I have no idea when Scranton went over to auto pistols, or maybe they switched by allowed officers to carry what they wished for a time. Or perhaps he carries off duty with a wheel gun and he is used to that. I have no clue. Again, just repeating what was told to me. Second hand I might add.

Grapeshot · Feb 16, 2009

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Perfect example of why some of us say that 99.9% of so called ADs are in fact not that at all. This qualifies (as do most) as a ND = negligent discharge = operator induced error.

NDs are the culmination of poor discipline not some excusable accident.

Yata hey

PaulBlart · Feb 16, 2009

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racists, stop inciting violence

uncle jed · Feb 16, 2009

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still if he doesn't know procedures maybe he shouldn't use that kind of handgun

Sonora Rebel · Feb 17, 2009

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If he can't figure out a Glock... He's too stupid to hold that job.

Scranton cop shoots self in hand

HyDef

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Statkowski

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tdyoung58

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nepawolf

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SlackwareRobert

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Sonora Rebel

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Mike M.

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marshaul

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SlackwareRobert

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Sonora Rebel

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YllwFvr

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jahwarrior

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YllwFvr

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Grapeshot

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