Friday, May 09, 2008

No Charges Filed In Officer's Accidental Shooting Of Toddler

"No criminal charges will be filed against two police officers who accidental shot a South Jersey toddler after a gun went off in his home.

The shooting happened when his father, a Deptford Township police officer, and another officer were cleaning their firearms.

No criminal charges will be filed against either man, officials said.An investigation determined the other officer was negligent in handling his weapon. He was suspended without pay.The boy's father, however, is back on duty.The 2-year-old was shot in the jaw but he will be OK, officials said."

Once again we find different interpretations of the law depending upon how 'special' a negligent individual is.

Day after day we harp on how cops should at long last be taught how to handle firearms, and day after day they shoot one another or wound the innocent. It simply isn't all that hard to clean a gun or holster a gun safely. But contact your local law enforcement agency and ask how often gun safety courses are made available to their personnel. Go ahead, I dare ya. Odds are you'll get a chuckle and a "All our officers are highly proficient with firearms" brush off, depending of course on WHO you happen to be.

One of the sad things about all of this is the Yellowstream Media's refusal to hold cops accountable. When was the last time you heard of an accredited journalist asking tough questions? Using this story as an example, do you think that the reporter wanted to know what sort of training is given to the cops, or did he just assume that accidents will happen and move on. I'd ask all that as well as wanting to know if the cop who did the shooting felt he DESERVED a second chance. Me? I'd find another line of work and pronto.

Thanks to The War on Guns.

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