Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning July 2006 » Detroit cop's personal error results in death of 4 year old « Previous Next »
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Bvos
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Username: Bvos

Post Number: 1806
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 134.215.223.211
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 8:29 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

A DPD cop was watching some kids at his house and thought storing his department issued gun under a bed was a safe and good idea. One of the kids he was watching, 4 years old, found it like any 4 year old would and shot himself in the head.

I hope they can this guy imediately. There's no excuse for anyone, especially a cop, leaving a loaded gun under a bed in a house with kids. This makes me sick...

http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=2006608110318
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Paulmcall
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Username: Paulmcall

Post Number: 860
Registered: 05-2004
Posted From: 68.40.119.216
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 8:35 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Let's get this straight..the guy is babysitting and asleep and the kid is up at 12:30 am, gets the gun from under the bed and kills himself.
Nice babysitter.
I can't decide who takes the cake...this guy or the gal who left her kid to fry in her hot car while she got her hair done a few years ago.
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Kiplinger
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Username: Kiplinger

Post Number: 21
Registered: 06-2006
Posted From: 69.246.52.24
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 9:04 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

unbelievable! The cop was 60 years old!
I have to assume the safety was off because I have a hard time believing a 4 year old could figure out how to take it off and load a bullet in the chamber?

There is no limit to people's stupidity.
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Thejesus
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Username: Thejesus

Post Number: 173
Registered: 06-2006
Posted From: 68.62.6.138
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 9:32 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Completely irresposnible! It's carelessness like this that gives gun ownership a bad name. This guy needs to do some serious time.
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Jfried
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Username: Jfried

Post Number: 873
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 209.131.7.190
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 9:37 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

------------------------------ -
I hope they can this guy imediately. There's no excuse for anyone, especially a cop, leaving a loaded gun under a bed in a house with kids. This makes me sick...
------------------------------ ---

how can you call for this guys job when you really don't know all the details? how old were the other kids? were they up at the time? was the gun loaded? did one of the other kids find the bullets, or even pull the trigger?

knowing how often the freep misses very important details in their stories, I think it's ridiculous to call for this mans jobs....
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Jt1
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Username: Jt1

Post Number: 7694
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 198.208.159.19
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 9:39 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Look at Mr. logical here. :-)

I agree with JFried but my heart goes out to the family regardless what happended. Sad situation all around.
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Bvos
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Username: Bvos

Post Number: 1809
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 134.215.223.211
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 10:43 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Jfried, what difference do the details you ask for make? The bottom line is that this cop broke every rule of gun safety, especially when kids are around. There should have been no way that any kid should have been able to get to this gun or the ammo. Both should have been locked up even if there were no kids in the house. That's part of gun safety 101.

My father is a hunter who has a few guns. He always keeps the guns in a locked case and has trigger locks on the guns in addition to this. The ammo is locked in a separate case. The cop should have his gun locked away when he's not on duty, regardless of whether kids are present or not. There is no excuse on the cops part for anything that happened here, period.
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Motorcitymayor2026
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Username: Motorcitymayor2026

Post Number: 1126
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 24.231.189.137
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 10:46 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

About the safety---- the police department said that those guns handed out to officers have a hair safety in the trigger itself, so it is very easy to switch on and off...obviously their reasoning is so the officer can easily use the weapon when needed
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Bvos
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Username: Bvos

Post Number: 1810
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 134.215.223.211
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 10:54 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The safety on a Glock is integrated into the trigger. If you're not touching the trigger, the gun is nearly impossible to accidentally shoot. If you're touching the trigger, there essentially is no safety. It's not like the safeties where you push a button to one side or the other.

The safety mechanism was meant for cops. Cops are supposed to keep the safety on at all times. However there were several incidents around the country (and likely the world) where the cop got into a situation where the gun was needed, drew the gun, forgot to turn off the safety and the gun didn't fire when needed. The Glock prevents this from ever happening.
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Jfried
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Username: Jfried

Post Number: 874
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 209.131.7.190
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 10:59 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My father is a police officer, and I've also been around guns my entire life. I agree that proper security, and safety measures should always be taken - that was always the case in my home. Regardless, from the time I was about 8 years old, I knew if I really wanted to get to my fathers guns I could. I also knew that if I ever did, the punishment I would receive would be unbelievable.

The fact is, one, two, or all of the other "three kids" he was babysitting could have been older teenagers, and no matter how secure the gun and bullets were, they would have figured out how to get to them. If the officer did take all precautions he could, then it is hard to blame him. The fact is, we don't know. To call for this guys job, just seems like an irresponsible, knee jerk reaction.

However, if it is proved to be the officer's carelessness that caused this horrible accident, then I completely agree with you. We just don't have the details to know that, yet.

Regardless, this is a horrible accident, and my sympathy also goes out to the family.
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Thejesus
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Username: Thejesus

Post Number: 179
Registered: 06-2006
Posted From: 68.62.6.138
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 11:12 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Jfried:

I agree with you that proper safety measures should always be taken...however, I disagree that a determined kid can always get to a gun.

My Glock is always kept in a locked, fireproof safe with an electronic keypad that only I know the combination to. And the combination is not a meaningful number to me in anyway...just something I picked at random.

There is no excuse for this guy's carelessness as this is something that could have EASILY been avoided.
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Jfried
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Username: Jfried

Post Number: 875
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 209.131.7.190
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 11:20 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I hope you're right, but I've heard many stories of kids getting into those lockboxes.
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Ray1936
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Username: Ray1936

Post Number: 744
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 207.200.116.139
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 11:37 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Don't knock the Freep story. It was written by Jack Kresnak, who has been the police beat reporter for over 25 years. He is a thorough and accurate reporter. Whatever he wrote at the time would be as accurate as possible.

That said, yeah, this story shows there is no limit to human stupidity.
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Gary
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Username: Gary

Post Number: 178
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 71.144.94.85
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 11:47 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My brother is a cop and his weapons are always kept in a secure, locked place where NOBODY can get access to them. His kids are older now, but when they were the same age as this child, there never would have been loaded guns laying around the house.

This is a real tragedy all around and it could have easily been prevented.
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Supersport
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Username: Supersport

Post Number: 10468
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 64.118.137.228
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 11:57 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

About the safety---- the police department said that those guns handed out to officers have a hair safety in the trigger itself, so it is very easy to switch on and off.




It's not exactly a hair safety. Glock's have 3 integrated safety mechanisms. One is in the trigger itself, another is a drop safety, the last being a striker safety. They do not have a traditional safety like most guns. That being said, to assume a 4 year old couldn't figure out how to unlock a traditional safety is a stretch. Kids at this age naturally like to twist, pull, and push on everything out of curiousity.

The fact is, the officer NEVER should have had the gun loaded if he was babysitting. If he did, then it should have been on him at all times and not on the floor for a kid to play with. If he was lying down to go to sleep at the very least it should have been unloaded and locked. With kids around, it should have even been in a lock box. Seriously, he placed the weapon in the very easiest place for a child to get to.

Once again a child dies because the gun owner was irresponsible. While it may have been accidental, the officer's negligence was not. I'm not sure how long would be sufficient, but he deserves to serve time for costing this 4 year old his life.
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Morena
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Username: Morena

Post Number: 474
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 216.45.2.138
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 12:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

FIRE THE COP FOR BEING CARELESS!
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Livedog2
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Username: Livedog2

Post Number: 882
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 24.223.133.177
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 3:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'm surprised that evreyone is so surprised!

Livedog2
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Frank_c
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Username: Frank_c

Post Number: 730
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 207.200.116.139
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 3:30 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Because most folks just catch their fish, they don't shoot them, even if they are big ole scary Tiger Muskies. Shit, my six yearold catches them and thinks nothing of it.
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Super_d
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Username: Super_d

Post Number: 964
Registered: 08-2005
Posted From: 70.88.106.173
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 4:06 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Boy found gun at 12:00AM__ under the bed???

That sounds very suspicious!

If it was actually an 'accident' (giving the officer the 'benefit of the doubt') __ I truely believe the officers punishment will be living with the fact that the incident occured!

super d(motordetroit)
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Detroitnerd
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Username: Detroitnerd

Post Number: 634
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 209.69.221.253
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 4:34 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

What? The boy didn't have it coming to him?
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Rossco
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Username: Rossco

Post Number: 21
Registered: 07-2006
Posted From: 69.210.30.48
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 9:10 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Pray
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Detroitej72
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Username: Detroitej72

Post Number: 83
Registered: 05-2006
Posted From: 66.184.3.44
Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 9:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

quote:
If it was actually an 'accident' (giving the officer the 'benefit of the doubt') __ I truely believe the officers punishment will be living with the fact that the incident occured!

______________________________ ___________________

Acording to the Snews, the officer had never been in trouble. If thats the case, and he's a decent guy, then I'm sure it WILL bother him for the rest of his life.

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