Hazards of police firearm:
Accidental and mistaken discharges
By Rick Parent, Ph.D.
recent stu~y analyzed 843 incidents
:where police personnel within the
United States and Canada discharged their
firearms, .typically while facing a lethal
threat (Parent, 2004). 1n 417 of these incidents, police personnel killed a total of
419 people. The remaining cases that were
examined reflect firearm discharges that
resulted in the wounding or non-injury of
an individual. One of the interesting findings of this study is that. in roughly eight
percent of the cases examined (69 incidents) police personnel either accidentallv
or mistakenly discharged their firearm. '
This number is believed to be higher as
some of the police agencies likely did nor
disclose all of their accidental and mistaken discharges within their reporting.

A

In many of these instances, innocent
individuals died. In a smaller number of
cases the individual survived the shooting
incident. In five incidents, an innocent
bystander was either killed or wounded as a
result of the wrongful police firearm discharge. In four cases, the police officer was
convicted of a criminal offense; in three others, the officers were convicted of lesser,
non-criminal firearms offenses for their
actions. In some instances, police personnel
became involved in sicuati0 ns in which it .
would later be determined that they should
not have discharged their firearm. However,
based upon the known facts and circumstances at the time of the shooting, police
personnel often responded to the perceived
lethal threat with the best of intentions.

Accidental firearm
discharges at motor vehicles
This study noted that during three separate instances, police personnel "accidentally" discharged their firearms while
checking the occupants of motor vehicles,
resulting in the tragic and unnecessary
death of the occupant. In the first incident,
two police officers were involved in the
pursuit of a motor vehicle. Upon conclusion of the high-speed chase the officers
cautiously approached the motor vehicle
with their firearms drawn. For unknown
reasons, the revolver of one officer accidentally discharged and shot the passenger in
the face, killing him instantly.

In another incident, a ream of undercover officers was checking a suspected
drug dealer who was seated in his car. As
one officer went to open the car door he
placed his finger upon the trigger of his
semi-automatic handgun, causing it to discharge and kill the occupant of the car. It
was believed that the reaching for and
squeezing of the car door handle acted as
an involuntary catalyst for the officer's
other hand that precariously had a finger
placed upon the trigger of the pistol.
In the third case, two police officers were
on routine patrol when they observed a
vehicle stopped at a red light. When the
officers ran a computer check of the license
plate they discovered that the vehicle was
reported as scolen. In an attempt to ensure
that the vehicle could not flee from its position, the police suddenly maneuvered their
police vehicle in front of the stopped vehicle. As this occurred, one of the police officers quickly exited the vehicle and
approached the driver with his gun drawn.
During his rapid approach, the officer accidentally discharged his firearm, causing a
bullet to enter into the neck area of the seated driver. The injuries resulted in the driver
being a quadriplegic for life. It was later
learned that the vehicle was not stolen and
that the driver had permission to use the
vehicle. At a subsequent civil trial, the judge
ruled that the police officers were jointly
liable for the injuries that resulted due to
their bungled take-down maneuver.

Mistaken flreann discharges
resuHlng In death
In several incidents, police personnd
"mistakenly" discharged their weapons,
resulting in death or serious injury. In one
case, police personnel were attempting to
locate a suicidal male who was in possession
of a 12-gauge shocgun and believed to be
hiding out in the area adjacent to his home.
As the night-time search was going on, a
neighbor overheard the activity and went
out to investigate the diswrbance carrying a
shorgun. Police personnel mistakenly perceived the approaching neighbor to be the
despondent male whom they were attempting to locate.
Police commanded the individual to
drop his weapon, while referring to him by
the name of the suicidal male they were
looking for. The ~pproaching neighbor did
not obey the police commands to disarm,
possibly because they used the incorrect
54

THE TACTICAL EDGE • SPRING 2006

name. In response, police personnel discharged their weapons and killed the
approaching neighbor. As the neighbor was
being shot he exchanged gunfire with the
police, wounding one of the tactical officers.
It was only upon conclusion of the gun battle that police realized that they had shot
and killed the wrong individual.

This study noted that in
several instances, police
personnel failed to keep
their trigger finger outside
of the trigger guard of
their weapon until they
intended to fire.
Tragically, this resulted
in the accidental deaths
of several individuals
as well as the serious
injury of many others.
In another instance, a male was shot and
killed by a police officer during a drug raid
at a residence. The male was visiting the
house where the raid took place, sitting in a
dimly lit room, playing a bass guitar. When
the entering officer shouted "Police," the
seated male turned towards the voice while
pointing the guitar towards the officer. The
police offic.er mistook the guitar for a double-barrelled shotgun and shot the male. He
was rushed to hospital where he larer succumbed to his injuries and died.
In another case, a 38-year-old
Aboriginal male died as a result of a single
gunshot wound during a skirmish with
police officers. The deceased was unarmed
and part of a protest group contesting government control of land having Aboriginal
significance. During the heated protest dispute, one of the attending police officers
perceived that he saw a muzzle flash from
the area where the male was standing.
Believing that a shot had been fired, the
Caucasian police officer discharged his
weapon and killed the Aboriginal male. A
weapon was never found and controversy
surrounded the incident due to the racial
over.tones. A subsequent investigation
resulted in the police officer being charged

and later convicted of criminal negligence
for causing a death in the shooting.

Rreann discharges resulting in
the death of police personnel
This study also revealed two cases where
police personnel have been accidentally shot
and killed by their colleagues. In both of
these incidents, the accidents occurred during routine training sessions conducted by
Emergency Response Team personnel. In a
third instance, a member of an Emergency
Response Team accidentally killed a prison
guard during a hostage rescue at a federal
penitentiary.
In the first case, during a training session of Emergency Response Team personnel, police officers attended a firearms
range for the purpose of practicing the
shooting of their newly-issued weapons.
Two ERT officers were practicing quickdraw methods. One of the two officers left
the immediate area after finishing his session. The first officer remained and continued to practice quick-draw methods alone.
As this was occurring, the second officer
suddenly came up from behind with a
baseball bat over his head and surprised the
first officer. This action starded the first
officer as he was quick-drawing, causing
him to discharge his firearm. His partner
was wounded in the abdominal area and
later died from his injuries.
In the second case, a police officer accidentaily shor and killed his police partner
during an Emergency Response Team
firearms training exercise. The team of officers were training with simulated ammunition and rhen stopped for a luncheon
break, loading their weapons with live
ammunition. Upon returning from lunch,
one of the officers failed to eliminate a live
round from his pistol. When training
resumed, the officer discharged his firearm
at his partner, believing rhat his pistol contained simulated ammunition. His mistake
had fatal consequences.
In rhe final case, police personnel
responded to a federal penitentiary quring
a prison riot where two guards were taken
hostage. The hostage-taking incident
occurred over two intense days involving a
negotiation process. During the second
day, the police Emergency Response Team
heard screams for help from one of the
hostages. A decision was made to forcibly
enter the contained area for the purpose of

a rescue. One of the police officers discharged his firearm as a diversionary technique, while another officer discharged gas
into the cellblock area. Unfortunately, one
of the hostages, a prison guard, was accidentally struck in the groin area by one of
the police firearm rounds. The prison
guard later died as a result of his injurie.~.

Failure to adhere to
strict firearms safety
and informed decisionmaking has resulted
in the unnecessary
deaths and injuries of

Police firearm discharges at
motor vehicles
This study also noted that in roughly a
third of the 843 cases that were examined,
the suspect utilized a motor vehicle sometime during the incident. In many of these
cases, the suspect had initiated a police pursuit. In some instances, a fleeing suspect
used the motor vehicle in a threatening
manner, attempting to kill or injure police
personnel.
In response to the lethal threat, police
personnel would typically discharge their
firearm at the driver's side of the vehicle's
windshield in an attempt to prevent the
vehicle from striking the officer(s) who were
typically on foot at the time. In most of
these instances, the suspect driver and occu-

innocent individuals,
including fellow
police officers.
pants of che charging motor vehicle did not
receive any injuries as a direct result of the
police firearms discharge.
Interestingly, it was more common for
police personnel to be wounded or injured
during these instances. This srudy noted ten
separate cases where a police firearm error
occurred when a misdirected bullet struck
an unintentional target. During these ind~
dents, the police officer either wounded him
or herself, other police personnel or an innocent victim. Typically, the projectile would
ricochet away from the intended target,

resulting in a stray bullet.
One of the more frequent police
injuries appears to be caused when officers
attempt to shoot out the tires of suspect
vehicles. The automobile, and the wheels
that it rests upon, are largely made of steel.
The concrete or asphalt roadway that the
vehicle rests upon serves to furcher compound the situation. When a high-speed
lead bullet is discharged in the general area
of a vehicle, ricochets and metal fragments
abound. Unlike scenes depicted in movies,
rhe shooting out of a tire can be a precarious and dangerous event.

In one of the more unusual cases, a
police officer discharged his firearm at the
driver of a motor vehicle as his partner was
in imminent danger when. their police vehicle was being rammed. The bullet struck the
driver and then ricocheted off, killing the
passenger of the motor vehicle. ln a startling
twist, the driver suffered minor injuries and
was later criminally charged with directly
causing the death of the passenger.
Finally, this study also noted the frequency of firearm discharges at moving
vehicles by police personnel. This often
occurred in an attempt to prevent the motor

THE TACTICAL EDGE • SPRING 2006 55

vehicle from striking the officer(s) who were
typically on foot at the time. In most of
these instances, the suspect driver of the
charging motor vehicle would not receive
any injuries as a direct result of che police
firearms discharge. It was more common for
police personnel ro be wounded or injured
during chese instances or for a ricochet to
occur, resulting in the wounding or death of
unintended individuals.
In this regard, police training and
departmental policies should narrowly
restrict the practice of discharging a firearm
ar a moving vehicle since it is dangerous and
generally ineffective. If at all possible, the
officer should direct his effort to getting out
of the path of the moving vehicle rather
than attempting ro stop it with a firearm
discharge. Deparcmental policy and training
should emphasize officer safety issues that
include the following:
• Police officers should not place themselves, nor remain, in the path of a moving
vehicle.
• Police officers should only discharge
their firearm at a moving vehicle as a means
of last resort, when no other means of
avoiding or eliminating the danger exists.
• Police officers must take into account the

risks co vehicle occupants, bystanders, pedestrians and other vehicular traffic before discharging their firearm at a moving vehicle.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the frequency of accidental and mistaken incidents emphasizes the
need for safe and competent handling of
firearms at all rimes and in all situations.
This study noted that in several instances,
police personnel failed to keep their trigger
finger outside of the trigger guard of their
weapon until they intended to fire.
Tragically, this resulted in the accidental
deaths of several individuals as well as the
serious injury of many others. In other
instances, police officers mistakenly discharged their firearm unaware or illinformed of the intended target.
These findings emphasize rhe need for
police personnel to be sufficiently trained
and to possess sufficient competency in the
practice of safe firearm handling. When
confronted with a perceived lethal threat it
is essential that officers accurately and intentionally discharge their fireaJ"m at the target
for the safety of all concerned. Misdirected
firearm discharges also increase the likelihood that assailants will be successful in

their lethal threat before they are neutralized
by the officer, further emphasizing the need
for well-placed shots.
Although the police firearm is intended
to be a lifesaving piece of equipment for
the operational street police officer, it is
equally a hazardous item chat must be handled with extreme care and precise judgement. Failure to adhere co strict firearms
safety and informed decision-making has
resulted in the unnecessary deaths and
injuries of innocent individuals, including
fellow police officers. •

Resources
Parent, Richard B. (2004) Aspetts ofPo/iu l 11 of D•ad/y Forct
In North Amtrica: The Pbenomrnon ofViaim-Pr.,ipit41td
Homidtk. Doctoral Ois>cmtion. Simon Fraser Uni~rsiry.

About the author
Sgt. Rick Parent. Ph.D. is the Manager of Research and
Academic Development at the Justice Institute of British
Columbia Police Academy. He is a serving police offic:er,
seconded to the Justice Institute of British Columbia
Police Academy. He is also one of twelve crisis negotiators assigned to the Municipal Integrated Emergency
Response Team (M.l.E.R.T.) representing the cities of
Abbotsford, Delta, New Westminster and Port Moody
located in the Greater Vancouver area.

THE TACTICAL EDGE • SPRJNG 2006 57