On TV now, sounds like a negligent discharge.

Class room training, about to go out to the range.

Hey, wonder if the DEA was there putting on a class with a Glock .40?

 UPDATE--HORRRIBLE NEWS    

From the AJC--I hate the AJC....

Kennesaw police trainee dies after accidental shooting

By DON PLUMMER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/13/05
A trainee at a Cobb County police academy was killed Tuesday when the instructor's gun accidentally went off during the first day of firearms training, authorities said.

The woman, a new recruit with the Kennesaw police department, was among 30 rookie officers in the seventh week of a 10-week program at the North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy in Austell.

The trainees were in a classroom in the basement of the academy, located in a converted textile mill, when the gun discharged about 4 p.m., said Carol Morgan, the academy director.

County Sheriff Neil Warren, whose office administers the program for Cobb, declined to discuss details of the shooting.

The officer, whose name was withheld until family members were notified, was taken to a local hospital where she died a short time later.

She was the first Kennesaw police officer killed in the line of duty, said department spokesman Scott Luther.

Kennesaw police Chief Tim Callahan called the death "a tragic accident," and added: "For the next few days, we want to honor the life of this young officer who would have been a great officer one day."

The class instructor is an "experienced veteran" of the county sheriff's office who has been teaching at the academy for 10 years, Sheriff Warren said.

Shaken up by the shooting, the instructor was also taken to a hospital but later released, Warren said.

The instructor, who was also not named, has been placed on administrative leave until an internal investigation by the sheriff's office, the county police department and Austell police.

"Anytime you deal in law enforcement, it's dangerous," Warren said. "Whether it's learning to drive, do defensive driving, or any other kind of training, it's very, very dangerous."

The Austell academy, which serves 10 counties in the northeast Georgia area, offers courses to would-be officers in issues such as identity theft, hostage negotiations and hate crimes. Since it held its first training class in 1978, the academy has graduated more than 6,000 students.


— Staff writer Saeed Ahmed contributed to this report.

btt for an update........

The instructor is an idiot. He should be charged with at least a manslaughter. The family of the victim should sue the pants of the P.D.

Truly a tragic loss of someone who was going to go out and do good.  My condolences to her family.

As to the instructor, well, this should be a reminder of one critical fact.  No matter what else you do wrong, if the weapon is pointed in a safe direction at all times, injury is unlikely.  

As to criminal charges or a big civil suit, I guess that's likely, but won't benefit anybody.

This sucks.  Everyone loses, the trainee, her family and the instructor and his family.  

Say what you will about the Glock 40 guy.  At least had the sense to point his gun at the floor before pulling the trigger.  

Sounds like it could have been weapons retention training.

Our SOP at the academy (Clayton) was to check our pistol, then have your partner check it and check it again, and again, and again. After the tenth time, we would start feeling a little obsessive, but at least we knew they weren't loaded. We were also taught to never be shy about asking the instructor for his or her pistol to check too.

FYI, this was before "blue" and "red" guns came into general usage. At one officer survival class I attended, we were issued a chamber blocker that had an orange chamber flag attached to a small, orange muzzle plug with a plastic rod. It wouldn't let you chamber a round when installed and you could instantly tell if the pistol was safe from the breech or muzzle. Cost about $2.00 and worth every penny of it.  

It's a terrible shame about the officer. Especially since it was 100% preventable.  

Quoted: The update  heard this morning (on WSB) was that the instructor was demonstrating how to properly draw the pistol from the holster.   Also heard no real firearms and no ammo is allowed in that part of the building.  Sounds like the experienced instructor screwed up in a major way.

yes .. sheriff neal warren i think said in an interview that no ammo or loaded weapons were allowed in that area.

in other words if someone had a loaded firearm, or even rounds in that room it was against regs...

and you see why.....

and also you see why a firearm is 'always loaded' and you should act accordingly.