Detectives investigate how deputy shot himself
Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht said his office is “relying heavily” on county detectives to determine what happened.
READING >> Berks County Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht said Tuesday his office is “relying heavily” on county detectives to determine precisely what went wrong when one of his deputies accidentally shot himself with a service weapon.
The deputy, whose name Weaknecht didn’t disclose, suffered a graze wound to a leg while returning his service pistol to its holster late Monday afternoon in the basement of the county courthouse.
The deputy was transported by a sheriff’s office vehicle to Reading Hospital after receiving immediate treatment by fellow deputies. A large contingent of law-enforcement officers, including Reading police, swarmed to the courthouse for the reported gunfire.
In a phone interview Tuesday morning, the sheriff said the injured deputy was to be released from the hospital Tuesday.
Weaknecht said the deputy had just brought prisoners into the cellblock in the basement of the county courthouse at about 5 p.m. Deputies are not allowed to carry guns into the cellblock for safety reasons, so they are placed in a cabinet of lockboxes at the entrance to the cellblock.
Immediately after the gunshot, deputies began treating the injured deputy, using their tactical medical training.
It was the second time in less than five months that a deputy was injured by an accidental shooting.
On March 27, a captain was struck in the abdomen — but not seriously injured — by a bullet fired from her service weapon when she accidentally dropped it on the floor in the cellblock area.
After that incident, Weaknecht said deputies were given additional firearms safety training, and were also given advanced training in tactical medical response.
One of the things that was stressed was that personnel who lose grip of their Glock pistol should let it drop. The captain who shot herself caught the gun by the handle on its way down, with her thumb ending up in the trigger mechanism housing, Weaknecht said.
It’s a maneuver she probably wouldn’t be able to perform once in a thousand attempts, he said. As she closed her grip, her thumb pressed the trigger.
Weaknecht explained that Glock pistols, which are commonly used by law enforcement agencies, are designed with the safety feature built into the trigger pull, as opposed to a manually manipulated locking lever.
According to the company’s website, Glock’s trademark Safe Action System consists of three automatic independently operating mechanical safeties built into the fire control system of the pistol. This feature “provides a consistent trigger pull from the first to the last round.”
Weaknecht said District Attorney John T. Adams is overseeing the investigation.
Detectives are trying to determine if the deputy in Monday’s incident also pulled the trigger while trying to catch the weapon, or whether there was a mechanical malfunction.
They’ll look at surveillance camera footage as part of the investigation.
“Obviously there’s a lot we have to look into,” Weaknecht said, “and we have to decide whether we need different ongoing training.”
If it’s determined that the deputy didn’t follow the department’s safety training, he will face disciplinary action, the sheriff said.
“We’re relying heavily on the district attorney’s office” to make any such determination, he said.