Probation Officer Killed During Training

BarryLee

New member
There was an accident at a Department of Corrections training center in Georgia yesterday that resulted in the death of a 24 year old rookie Probation Officer. They are not really releasing many details, but I have linked to the article anyway hopefully they will add to it later.

One of the points they make in the article and also on TV is that the training was routine. I wonder if the perceived “routine” nature of the training contributed to this incident. A good lesson to all of us not to allow the various everyday tasks that we perform with and around guns to become too casual.


http://www.ajc.com/news/probation-officer-fatally-shot-1152963.html
 

Brit

New member
Every time I see one of these training "Accidents" I go cold, so preventable, of course if he shot himself, it could have been "Not" an accident also.
 

BarryLee

New member
Yes, it often seems to boil down to someone not following proper procedure or the fact that the proper procedures were not in place. The reality is that only under the most unusual situations would something like this not be preventable. However, based on the limited information that they have released it is difficult to really make any definitive statement related to this incident.
 
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Deaf Smith

New member
I bet they used unload guns for FOF and pointed them at each other and after lunch or such someone 'forgot' they had loaded their gun at lunch time.

Near Dallas about 8 years ago they had a swat exercise at a highschool in the summer. One of the trainers during lunch loaded his gun with real ammo (they had been using simulation rounds during practice.) Well he demo'ed with a shotgun at another trainer and when he missed his shot he went to his handgun and shot the other trainer dead.

And that is why I do not like using real guns for ANY FOF training, no matter how many times they are checked to make sure they are empty.

People forget, including me, so at home I have dummy guns for all my training.

Deaf
 

Doc TH

New member
accidental shooting

True. Jim Cirillo stated in his book that accidental discharges will happen. He said that they happened to him although by that time he was very experienced, and he warned readers that the only way to avoid that was to treat all firearms as if they were loaded even - and especially - if you had just checked and were sure they were unloaded. It is a good thing to be subjected to criticism for being too careful; much better than shooting a friend or family member.
 

sliponby

New member
One way to help insure no accidents during training is if you are not on the range, or firing line, NO AMMO SHOULD BE PRESENT. One class I recently took went as far as having everyone stand up and frisk themselves for ammo, at the start and each and every time we came back from breaks or lunch. Not even the old Barney Fife "one bullet in the front shirt pocket" is allowed.
 

jhenry

New member
We use dummy guns for ALL of our weapons retention and force on force training. No exceptions at all. You can not accidentally shoot someone with a solid piece of plastic.

We did recently have someone negligently shoot their self in the leg while reholstering during qualifications. It turned out to be a matter of leaving the finger on the trigger and trying to stuff the pistol back into the holster. Bang. Luckily not a crippling wound. It did blast some goo onto the gravel.
 

NWGlocker

New member
real shame. it's too easy to become complacent with safety and seeing these stories are a good reminder. The first step to being part of a ND is to think it can never happen to you.
 

Glenn E. Meyer

New member
Not uncommon. The human factor / training books are full of such.

Somebody will get accidentally disintegrated when we carry ray guns in the future. Just a risk of human foilbles - sadly. :eek:
 

C0untZer0

Moderator
+ 1 "not using real guns for ANY FOF training, no matter how many times they are checked to make sure they are empty."

Duty guns and training guns should not be mixed for those types of things.

Training at the line with your duty gun and live ammo is different.

But doing other training exercises should be done with dummy guns or inert firearms.

+1 on restricing live ammo completely from those locations and making sure that there is no live ammo brought into the area.

The live firing on the range should be done in a separate location from the training that involves training with blanks.
 

jimbob86

Moderator
"Stuff Happens: Just make sure it does not happento YOU."

There are Blue Guns, and Blue Barrels for real guns ...... Air Soft for Force On Force....... no reason this guy had to die.
 

Deaf Smith

New member
We use dummy guns for ALL of our weapons retention and force on force training. No exceptions at all.

Good job jhenry!

That is the ONLY way I train at home or gym.

Then I go to the range for live fire.

Deaf
 

TheGoldenState

New member
real shame. it's too easy to become complacent with safety and seeing these stories are a good reminder. The first step to being part of a ND is to think it can never happen to you.

Took the words out of my mou……..Keyboard (and signature) :cool:
 

shootniron

New member
no reason this guy had to die.

Not a guy according to the accounts that I read.

Also, where did y'all read that it was a FOF training accident?

None of the articles that I have read conveyed that fact.
 

ClydeFrog

Moderator
live rounds, "kill houses" & training aids...

To me, in 2011 most professional ranges, LE agencies(large & small) and well run private security/PSC schools can use training devices or simulated weapons(ASP, Simmution, FATS, etc).
The safety & well being of the students/cadets or sworn LE agents should be the main concern.
A few and I mean less than handful of high speed SWAT or spec ops units could make a valid point for live fire drills but new/entry level staff DO NOT fall into that catagory.
Former US Navy SEAL officer & counter-terrorism expert Richard Marcinko wrote about a AD/training accident when a joint training op with SEALs & some D-Boys(US Army SFOD-Delta). A Delta Force trooper drill Marcinko up through his torso and out his neck with 1 230gr .45acp round.
 

youngunz4life

New member
at school we had to point guns at each other due to "not enough room in the class".

in my CCW class it was illegal to have any live ammo in the class, so everyone was given one opportunity to bring any ammo of any kind out to their car and/or out of the classroom.
 

TylerD45ACP

New member
Poor guy though this could have been easily avoided. FIREARM SAFTEY cannot be stressed enough honestly.

1. Dont point the pistol at anything you dont want to destroy
2. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are going to shoot
There are also many other saftey measures but these are the two most important, imo. What is so hard to understand about these two.:eek::(
 

Dwight55

New member
As a pastor, I often use the phrase: "People, . . . caught in the act of being people".

They are, by and large, mistake prone, often disinterested or easily distracted, and in many cases, . . . so famiar with the scenario/drill, that the "safety edge" is dulled.

After 60 or so years of proudly stating that I had NEVER had an AD or an ND, . . . there is a hole in the living room floor, . . . it only took one infinitesimally small lapse of continuous thought, . . .

These events happen the same way. Those of you who use blue guns or similar tools, . . . keep it up, . . . I enjoyed and appreciated reading about that.

May God bless,
Dwight
 

FrankenMauser

New member
What's with all this talk of "Accidental"?

Anywhere else on these forums, when some one gets shot, or carelessly discharges a firearm, it is immediately labeled correctly: NEGLIGENT discharge.

Accidental... You guys are losing your focus. ;)
 
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