Inquiry: Port Orange cop shot while putting gun up By LYDA LONGA
April 25, 2009
story link A veteran Port Orange policeman in the training division who accidentally shot himself in the stomach after examining a firearm, had just finished loading the gun and was attempting to put it into a drawer when he was injured, an internal affairs report shows.
Now, Gerald Zito, a 14-year veteran whose duties included training his colleagues on how to use various firearms, will be suspended without pay for a month and will go back on the street as a patrolman, Port Orange Assistant Police Chief Wayne Miller said.
Initially, Zito, 58, told his supervisors he was attempting to dismantle the .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol the morning of March 11.
But after realizing he couldn't take the firearm apart, Zito said he loaded it and was about to store it, when one of his fingers accidentally hit the trigger, he told internal affairs investigators.
Zito was going to test-fire the pistol at the firing range March 12. He was thinking of buying the weapon from another officer but wanted to shoot with it first, the investigation shows.
The bullet entered Zito's abdomen, traveled downward and perforated the officer's colon, the investigation says. The slug was not removed when Zito had surgery at Halifax Health Medical Center.
The investigation determined that Zito violated departmental policy for the use and handling of weapons; that was sustained by Police Chief Gerald Monahan, Miller said.
Zito has since recovered from his injuries. He could not be reached for comment.