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Quote:

03/02/2009

Ill. deputy accidentally shoots self

Editor's note: Law Enforcement Firearms columnist Richard Fairburn says, "If you handle guns long enough, you will probably get a bang when you didn’t expect one. Good, stressful training can eliminate most of your officer’s negligent discharge problems, but not all of them." Read his article Causes and cures for the negligent discharge for more information on gun safety.

By Nicholas P. Alajakis
Chicago Sun Times

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — A Lake County sheriff's deputy was airlifted to a hospital Friday morning after accidentally shooting herself at the County Building parking garage.

Karen Harris, a 22-year veteran of the sheriff's office, was recovering from surgery Friday afternoon at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. She is expected to make a full recovery, authorities said.

At 8 a.m. Friday, Harris was removing her service weapon from the trunk of her car on the third floor of the parking garage when the gun fired, sending a .40-caliber bullet through her right hand and into her abdomen.

Waukegan police determined the trigger was pulled by a hanger stuck in the trigger guard, said Waukegan police Cmdr. Wayne Walles.

"It's an accident. It could absolutely happen to anyone," Sheriff Mark Curran said. "We pray for her, and we feel terrible for her."

Harris, 46, of Gurnee, was taken first to Vista Medical Center East and later flown to Lutheran General. She was conscious and alert after surgery, police said.

The Waukegan Fire Department and other court security deputies responded to the scene almost immediately, said sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Thompson.

There is no protocol on where deputies keep their weapon, but some put them in their car trunk, Curran said.

Harris is the daughter of former Waukegan Ald. Frank Harris. Attempts to reach the family Friday were unsuccessful.

Copyright 2009 Chicago Sun Times

tman065 wrote:

My greatest Glock fear, and why I try to be extra careful.

Quote:

through her right hand and into her abdomen

joelr wrote:

tman065 wrote:

My greatest Glock fear, and why I try to be extra careful.

That's not because you're smart -- although you are -- but because you're not stupid.

I really, really like the grip safety on the XD series, as it prevents -- to the extent that the proper use of a safety device can prevent, which is not quite 100% -- that sort of problem.

J. R. wrote:

Quote:

through her right hand and into her abdomen

Umm, just a guess here, but, maybe not pickup your gun by the barrel?

tman065 wrote:

Quote:

Law Enforcement Firearms columnist Richard Fairburn says, "If you handle guns long enough, you will probably get a bang when you didn’t expect one. Good, stressful training can eliminate most of your officer’s negligent discharge problems, but not all of them."

Quote:

At 8 a.m. Friday, Harris was removing her service weapon from the trunk of her car on the third floor of the parking garage when the gun fired, sending a .40-caliber bullet through her right hand and into her abdomen.

Smurf wrote:

Seems to me that if the weapon had been properly cased/holstered while in the trunk of the car, the trigger would have been covered and this whole situation could have been avoided....

joelr wrote:

tman065 wrote:

My greatest Glock fear, and why I try to be extra careful.

That's not because you're smart -- although you are -- but because you're not stupid.

I really, really like the grip safety on the XD series, as it prevents -- to the extent that the proper use of a safety device can prevent, which is not quite 100% -- that sort of problem.

Author:	tman065 [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:16 am ]
Post subject:	Deputy wounded
This is from police one, but it looks as though the original source is The Chicago Sun Times My greatest Glock fear, and why I try to be extra careful. Ill. deputy accidentally shoots self Quote: 03/02/2009 Ill. deputy accidentally shoots self Editor's note: Law Enforcement Firearms columnist Richard Fairburn says, "If you handle guns long enough, you will probably get a bang when you didn’t expect one. Good, stressful training can eliminate most of your officer’s negligent discharge problems, but not all of them." Read his article Causes and cures for the negligent discharge for more information on gun safety. By Nicholas P. Alajakis Chicago Sun Times WAUKEGAN, Ill. — A Lake County sheriff's deputy was airlifted to a hospital Friday morning after accidentally shooting herself at the County Building parking garage. Karen Harris, a 22-year veteran of the sheriff's office, was recovering from surgery Friday afternoon at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. She is expected to make a full recovery, authorities said. At 8 a.m. Friday, Harris was removing her service weapon from the trunk of her car on the third floor of the parking garage when the gun fired, sending a .40-caliber bullet through her right hand and into her abdomen. Waukegan police determined the trigger was pulled by a hanger stuck in the trigger guard, said Waukegan police Cmdr. Wayne Walles. "It's an accident. It could absolutely happen to anyone," Sheriff Mark Curran said. "We pray for her, and we feel terrible for her." Harris, 46, of Gurnee, was taken first to Vista Medical Center East and later flown to Lutheran General. She was conscious and alert after surgery, police said. The Waukegan Fire Department and other court security deputies responded to the scene almost immediately, said sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Thompson. There is no protocol on where deputies keep their weapon, but some put them in their car trunk, Curran said. Harris is the daughter of former Waukegan Ald. Frank Harris. Attempts to reach the family Friday were unsuccessful. Copyright 2009 Chicago Sun Times (bold added)

Author:	joelr [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:13 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Deputy wounded
tman065 wrote: My greatest Glock fear, and why I try to be extra careful. That's not because you're smart -- although you are -- but because you're not stupid. I really, really like the grip safety on the XD series, as it prevents -- to the extent that the proper use of a safety device can prevent, which is not quite 100% -- that sort of problem.

Author:	Smurf [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:29 pm ]
Post subject:
Seems to me that if the weapon had been properly cased/holstered while in the trunk of the car, the trigger would have been covered and this whole situation could have been avoided....

Author:	J. R. [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:12 pm ]
Post subject:
Quote: through her right hand and into her abdomen Umm, just a guess here, but, maybe not pickup your gun by the barrel?

Author:	a911scanner [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:12 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Deputy wounded
joelr wrote: tman065 wrote: My greatest Glock fear, and why I try to be extra careful. That's not because you're smart -- although you are -- but because you're not stupid. I really, really like the grip safety on the XD series, as it prevents -- to the extent that the proper use of a safety device can prevent, which is not quite 100% -- that sort of problem. I agree with you Joel. That's why I currently own 2 of them. MM

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Author:	DeanC [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:18 pm ]
Post subject:
The XD's grip safety probably would have helped in this case. So would have proper gun handling. I have caught myself a couple times turning my XD into a Glock by engaging the grip safety by pushing on it while I holster the gun. The #1 safety still looks like this:

Author:	dmr-22 [ Tue Mar 03, 2009 5:00 pm ]
Post subject:
I’m trying to imagine this and I cant seem to figure out if she did anything right. Can you imagin picking up a gun and not noticing there is a hanger attached… What? And arnt people supose to get into trouble for this crap? I don’t think anything happened to the cop at the gun show either.

Author:	340PD [ Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:05 am ]
Post subject:
As stated, the first issue seems to be improper storage of a loaded gun with the trigger exposed. Major mistake. But my biggest concern is that the few times I've shot a glock I remember the trigger pull being pretty heavy. My questions are: How was she gripping the gun in the first place? How hard and how long did she have to pull on it before it fired that she DIDN'T notice a coat hanger attached to the gun? I suppose she probably just reached in the trunk and yanked the gun out. I'm still confused on how she shot her hand and her abdomen. As someone said, did she grab it barrel first? Inquiring minds want to know.

Author:	cobb [ Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:53 am ]
Post subject:
J. R. wrote: Quote: through her right hand and into her abdomen Umm, just a guess here, but, maybe not pickup your gun by the barrel? Yep, makes perfect sense to me.

Author:	PocketProtector642 [ Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:03 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Deputy wounded
tman065 wrote: Quote: Law Enforcement Firearms columnist Richard Fairburn says, "If you handle guns long enough, you will probably get a bang when you didn’t expect one. Good, stressful training can eliminate most of your officer’s negligent discharge problems, but not all of them." Quote: At 8 a.m. Friday, Harris was removing her service weapon from the trunk of her car on the third floor of the parking garage when the gun fired, sending a .40-caliber bullet through her right hand and into her abdomen. Should read: when she accidently fired her gun using a coat hanger.

Author:	Erik_Pakieser [ Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:35 pm ]
Post subject:
Smurf wrote: Seems to me that if the weapon had been properly cased/holstered while in the trunk of the car, the trigger would have been covered and this whole situation could have been avoided.... Agreed. This could NOT "happen to anyone" who followed good storage and safety procedures. NO mechanical device is a substitute for good safety procedures. She has my sympathies for her injuries, but not her judgement. I hope she recovers and learns from this.

Author:	chuckw [ Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:23 pm ]
Post subject:
That's one of the reasons that I'm so fond of paddle holsters - I can transfer gun from hip to trunk and back without the trigger ever being exposed.

Author:	DTDK [ Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:38 am ]
Post subject:
who on earth would leave a gun to rattle around loose in a trunk full of crap? further more who on earth would do that with a loaded gun? wow, really wow and apperently the answers are her

Author:	tullibee [ Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:09 am ]
Post subject:
I can't believe no one beat me to this: BAN HANGERS! (and foolish judgement by people that should know better...) looks like a combination of poor decisions at work on this one. muzzle control being the most blatant in my mind, followed closely by "what the heck were you thinking" to put the loaded gun in your trunk in such a way that a hanger could get into the trigger guard? Glocks are pretty darn simple - keep things OFF the trigger and it won't go BOOM! That's not necessarily a bad thing either - if/when you NEED it to go boom, all you have to do is point it at the danger and put your booger-hook on the trigger and pull gently until it goes boom. It's a pretty simple concept if you engage safety #1 (brain).

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Author:	mrokern [ Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:27 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Deputy wounded
joelr wrote: tman065 wrote: My greatest Glock fear, and why I try to be extra careful. That's not because you're smart -- although you are -- but because you're not stupid. I really, really like the grip safety on the XD series, as it prevents -- to the extent that the proper use of a safety device can prevent, which is not quite 100% -- that sort of problem. A grip safety may stop stupid by sheer coincidence, but it can't prevent it.