Christina sends me this story. She calls bullshit, I’m of a mind to agree:
A woman celebrating the weekend before her 25th birthday was fatally shot Sunday when she hugged an off-duty police officer while dancing at a party, causing the officer’s service weapon to fire, according to police and her mother….According to Stephens, the woman “embraced the officer from behind, causing the holstered weapon to accidently discharge.” The bullet punctured Miller’s lung and hit her heart, and she died at a hospital.
So for this to go down the way it was claimed, the holster had to carry the gun so the muzzle faced backwards in such a way that the shot could line up. That’s not too much of a stretch, as that’s how I carry most days.
But that’s a Glaco Miami Classic II holding a 1911 Commander. The trigger is fully enclosed, and for added safety the retention strap crosses between the hammer and firing pin. On DA hammer-fired guns it would cross behind the hammer, also keeping the gun from firing. With a striker or concealed-hammer gun the strap just holds the gun in place. Still with that trigger surrounded by hard leather it isn’t getting pulled (and that’s ignoring the thumb safety).
Even in a cheaper nylon holster, generally the holster body is thick enough to prevent this (tho not always).
Could it have been a gun carried loose in a coat pocket? No matter what this is PURE negligence. Carry guns get abused. They bump against walls, chairs and doors. People hug and bump you. NEVER should ANY of these occurrences cause the gun to discharge.
Of course we’ll see what the investigation turns up…or is covered up by the “Thin Blue Line”…
**UPDATE** G.A. Heath links this story in the comments:
“The story keeps changing,” McNair said. “There’s no logical reason.”….The weapon, a department-issued, 40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol, was in a holster worn inside the officer’s waistband and was covered by his shirt, Goldpaugh said.
Goldpaugh said the physical evidence from the incident corroborated the officer’s account of the shooting. The officer did not know the woman, who attended the party with other guests, Goldpaugh said.
Ok this REALLY stinks. An IWB holster and it shot the woman in the chest? Not buying it at all. Mom’s account that the story keeps changing seems to support my cynical thoughts that the cops are doing damage control for something VERY stupid happening.
My thoughts go out to the family and I hope justice is served.
I agree – this does not pass the smell test. He was probably carrying “Plaxico Burress” style.
Just to complicate matters, here’s an article that claims the gun was a S&W M&P40 in an IWB holster. I’m still trying to figure out how an IWB holstered weapon can result in lung-heart shot.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120708/NEWS01/120708029/Woman-killed-party-after-off-duty-Detroit-police-officer-s-gun-discharges
I can think of a way it could happen.
and he doesn’t want his wife to know about!!! ( I assuming there’s a wife)
if the gun was on his hip and
she was kneeling in front of him
pulling at his pants
not saying a gun should go off in that type of situation, just saying it makes it physically possible to have a waistband gun hit a person in the lung
Or he was grinding his ass against her crotch with a forward-canted holster.
Still the tricky part is how the gun went off.
I muzzle people all the time with my shoulder rig, and when I’m sitting with my pocket holster the gun is probably muzzling people….but this isn’t a rule 2 violation because the gun is protected by the holster, and therefore is incapable of firing.
Now if Lissa is right and the “Holster” part is fabricated, and he’s doing some nasty bumping-and-grinding, and as things get frisky he clutches at his gun to keep it from dropping out of his pants…well that’s possible.
Or he was liquored up and said, “Hey! It’s your birthday! Wanna see my gun? Here, hold mah beer…..”