Police Chief Shoots own Ankle


mom of 3 angels

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Seems even experienced firearms owners can mess up sometimes . . . Safety first, always.

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RIVERDALE, Utah (AP) The police chief in Riverdale accidentally shot himself in an ankle while demonstrating how to dislodge a jammed handgun.

Chief Dave Hansen was taken to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden for surgery.

The 54-year-old chief accidentally fired a gun during a training exercise inside a conference room at Riverdale police headquarters.

A fire captain and Riverdale Mayor Bruce Burrows confirmed the chief shot himself Saturday in an ankle bone. They said he was trying to fix a gun with a jammed round when the bullet fired.

Riverdale police officers carry .40-caliber pistols.

Hospital supervisor Rohn Larsen said Hansen was in stable condition Sunday. Larsen said he couldn't reveal which ankle, left or right, the chief shot.

A Weber County dispatcher said nobody from the Riverdale police department was available Sunday to release any information on the accident. A patrol officer on duty Sunday said he didn't know anything about it.

The chief's brother, a state lawmaker, said Hansen is a 23-year veteran and chief of the Riverdale police force since 2006.

Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, said he regularly goes target practicing with his brother and described him as safety-conscious.

``I've never seen him do anything reckless,'' Neil Hansen told the Standard-Examiner of Ogden.
 

Larsen said he couldn't reveal which ankle, left or right, the chief shot.

What is it some kind of secret



I guess he forgot the rule about never pointing the business end of the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. I wonder if he is related to the DEA agent? Oh well I guess I can not be to hard on him as I did something stupid like that many years ago. I learned my lesson. I hope he learned his.
 
Shame. Must'a hurt like hell! But it just goes to show, "poop happens" -- the fact that this unfortunate bit o' poop happened to this particluar Professional doesn't minimize his professionalism nor diminish his expertise at weapons handling. He erred, pure and simple...same as could happen with any of us.
 
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The secret is we all could learn from a neglagent dischage.Tell us how,and thank God nobody was killed.Remindes me of the woman policeofficer that was providing cover for a sert team with an ar15 that had the magazine in backwards. pratice pratice pratice.
 
A Weber County dispatcher said nobody from the Riverdale police department was available Sunday to release any information on the accident.

They were all too busy laughing...
 
UPDATE

Police chief recovering after accidentally shooting himself

May 5, 2008

Gene Kennedy reporting

Riverdale's police chief will be out of the hospital tonight after accidentally shooting himself over the weekend. Riverdale Police Chief Dave Hansen will likely be on crutches for weeks.

On Saturday morning, the police chief was teaching a class on concealed weapons permits. His gun accidentally went off, and the bullet went through his ankle. He was using his Glock as a display. He was teaching gun safety to about a dozen citizens at the Riverdale Police Department.

Utah Rep. Neil Hansen, chief's brother He pulled the clip out of the gun, and then he was making sure the chamber was clear. Neil Hansen, the police chief's brother, said, "He pointed it down, pulled the trigger because he didn't want to give it to a classmate not knowing for sure whether a shell was in there. And at that point, the gun discharged and [the bullet] had gone through his ankle."

It's not the first time a gun training session has gone bad. On the popular site, YouTube, there is a video of a drug enforcement officer who accidentally shot himself in the leg while teaching a class. In the video, the officer is heard saying, "I'm the only one in this room professional enough, that I know of, to carry this Glock 40." The officer continued his presentation as if nothing happened.

That's not what happened for the Riverdale police chief. Neil Hansen said, "After it have gone off, he tried to stand up, and that's when he realized his ankle was so damaged."

The chief's brother, Utah Rep. Neil Hansen, said paramedics were next door. They rushed the chief to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden where he spent the weekend recovering. Neil Hansen said, "It looks like he may have to have a surgery or two. Right now, they have a rod on the outside of his ankle to kinda hold it together."

The police chief and his officers have been told to not make public comment because the incident is an open investigation. But Steve Brooks, the Ogden City attorney, told Eyewitness News there's been an obvious mistake in procedure. He said, "We're not admitting that Chief Hansen did everything correct here. Obviously, something wasn't done correctly, and unfortunately, he's the one who paid the price for it."

The investigation on this incident will last about two weeks. The city attorney said the chief won't be able to return to work for at least a month.
 
UPDATE

Police chief recovering after accidentally shooting himself

May 5, 2008

Gene Kennedy reporting

Riverdale's police chief will be out of the hospital tonight after accidentally shooting himself over the weekend. Riverdale Police Chief Dave Hansen will likely be on crutches for weeks.

On Saturday morning, the police chief was teaching a class on concealed weapons permits. His gun accidentally went off, and the bullet went through his ankle. He was using his Glock as a display. He was teaching gun safety to about a dozen citizens at the Riverdale Police Department.

Utah Rep. Neil Hansen, chief's brother He pulled the clip out of the gun, and then he was making sure the chamber was clear. Neil Hansen, the police chief's brother, said, "He pointed it down, pulled the trigger because he didn't want to give it to a classmate not knowing for sure whether a shell was in there. And at that point, the gun discharged and [the bullet] had gone through his ankle."

It's not the first time a gun training session has gone bad. On the popular site, YouTube, there is a video of a drug enforcement officer who accidentally shot himself in the leg while teaching a class. In the video, the officer is heard saying, "I'm the only one in this room professional enough, that I know of, to carry this Glock 40." The officer continued his presentation as if nothing happened.

That's not what happened for the Riverdale police chief. Neil Hansen said, "After it have gone off, he tried to stand up, and that's when he realized his ankle was so damaged."

The chief's brother, Utah Rep. Neil Hansen, said paramedics were next door. They rushed the chief to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden where he spent the weekend recovering. Neil Hansen said, "It looks like he may have to have a surgery or two. Right now, they have a rod on the outside of his ankle to kinda hold it together."

The police chief and his officers have been told to not make public comment because the incident is an open investigation. But Steve Brooks, the Ogden City attorney, told Eyewitness News there's been an obvious mistake in procedure. He said, "We're not admitting that Chief Hansen did everything correct here. Obviously, something wasn't done correctly, and unfortunately, he's the one who paid the price for it."

The investigation on this incident will last about two weeks. The city attorney said the chief won't be able to return to work for at least a month.


First of all, as far as I know, all current production semi-auto pistols (like the Glock) use MAGAZINES, not clips.

Second, part of the function check and safe handling of a Glock pistol is to squeeze the trigger AFTER racking the slide SEVERAL TIMES to ensure that the chamber is empty.

Sounds like the Police Chief needs some "re-training" on his duty gun, and his brother needs to familiarize himself on proper firearms terminology. Some folks think that calling a "magazine" a "clip" is a minor thing, but as far as I'm concerned, once you make a "little exception" and do one thing improperly, it all goes down hill from there.

I'm far from perfect, as I do make minor mistakes from time to time. My goal is to minimize my errors and avoid HUGE errors like putting extra holes in myself, my students or colleagues. :wink:





gf
 
It just goes to show those Glocks are evil. Just kidding. All of this time I apparently have been doing it wrong. I rack the slide, then I position it to visually see if there is a round in the chamber. It seems the correct way is to point it at your foot and pull the trigger.

I am truly sorry this happened to the officer. I hope he makes a full recovery.
 
Training Session huh???? Yeah everyone knows you check to see if a gun is loaded by pulling the trigger. OMG!!!!!!!!!!! This comforts my respect of the law enforcment training around here. Training session and he did not use dummunition. I'm not an instructor myself, but if I ever show anyone anything about a gun and I am not at a range, the mag is filled with dummunition and live rounds are not even allowed in the same room. Not to mention the the hugely common knowledge that checking a chamber requires "LOOKING INTO THAT CHAMBER". If there are problems with the gun, aka a jam. The last thing you would do is pull the trigger. ARG. Absolutely amazing!!!! Hope he learned a lesson. Bet they'll blame it on the gun!!! I'm tired of being told by Utah LEO that they are the only people trained enough to carry a gun when its obvious atleast a few need to actually learn what a gun is.
 
yes accidents do happen. that's why when I unload I pull the slide back a half a dozen times or so.. then check and recheck and check again before I start dry firing. must have done a number on his ego...
 
Looks like he's still "Chief"

Despite several safety violations, it looks like he's keeping his job. :eek:


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Can't belive that they call this an "accident".




gf
 
Larsen said he couldn't reveal which ankle, left or right, the chief shot.

What is it some kind of secret



I guess he forgot the rule about never pointing the business end of the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. I wonder if he is related to the DEA agent? Oh well I guess I can not be to hard on him as I did something stupid like that many years ago. I learned my lesson. I hope he learned his.[/QUOTE

For me, it's not so much that he pointed it where he shouldn't have; the biggest no no here was that he touched the trigger.
 
Larsen said he couldn't reveal which ankle, left or right, the chief shot.

What is it some kind of secret



I guess he forgot the rule about never pointing the business end of the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. I wonder if he is related to the DEA agent? Oh well I guess I can not be to hard on him as I did something stupid like that many years ago. I learned my lesson. I hope he learned his.[/QUOTE

For me, it's not so much that he pointed it where he shouldn't have; the biggest no no here was that he touched the trigger.


Larsen said he couldn't reveal which ankle, left or right, the chief shot.

What is it some kind of secret

Perhaps he does not know the difference between left and right.:icon_cheesygrin:
 

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