Winnipeg police are trying to piece together how an officer was shot with his own gun while the weapon was in its holster.
The accidental discharge took place Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a local Sobeys grocery store. The unidentified officer is said to be in stable condition. No bystanders were hurt.
Const. Jay Murray told reporters that the officer was on-duty at the time. He added that he does not believe the officer was responding to a call or threat at the supermarket, or otherwise in distress.
“There's an investigation that has to take place to determine why this firearm discharged from within a holster, and that's something that's going to take some time," Const. Murray said.
Winnipeg police-issue firearms are equipped with safety mechanisms to stop them from going off if they are bumped or dropped. The holsters are also designed to safeguard against unintended firings.
“There are safeties on firearms and we do have our holsters. Why it failed in this situation, that's something we'll have to look into,” said Const. Murray.
The incident comes on the heels of an accidental discharge last week.
Winnipeg police were responding to a report of a man with a gun in the city’s north end on Aug. 2, when a weapon fired after being withdrawn from its holster as officers approached the scene. Police did not specify if the shot occurred inside or outside the police vehicle.
“I think they're completely different situations, the first one, the one on Wednesday, that was responding to a high priority call. A male armed with a firearm,” said Const. Murray.
No one was hurt in that incident.
The Winnipeg Police Service homicide unit is investigating both events, which is said to be standard practice.
CORRECTION: CTVNews.ca mistakenly reported that the police officer who accidentally discharged his weapon was a “rookie.” This is not the case and the story has been updated to reflect that fact.
