Crime & Safety
HB SWAT Officer Recovering from Accidental Shooting
Another cop's weapon discharged and wounded the unidentified officer's leg following a training exercise, authorities say.
A police SWAT officer underwent surgery Thursday for a gunshot wound to the leg that he suffered in the accidental discharge of a weapon at Huntington Beach Police Department headquarters, authorities said.
The officer was wounded about 10 p.m. Wednesday and taken by paramedics
from the station at 2000 Main Street to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange,
according to Huntington Beach Capt. Russell Reinhart. His name, age and rank
were not immediately disclosed.
He underwent successful surgery and was recuperating this morning "with
his family and friends at his side,'' Reinhart said.
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The officer was struck by a round accidentally fired from another
officer's firearm as officers cleaned their weapons during a debriefing
following a training exercise, Reinhart said. The round struck the floor and
ricocheted into the officer's leg, he added.
The officer's wound was not considered life-threatening, and he is
expected to make a full recovery, Reinhart said.
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The Orange County Sheriff's Department was investigating the shooting.
An internal Huntington police investigation also will be carried out, Reinhart
said.
--City News Service
