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Sometimes it’s hard to tell where a threat will come from when you’re a cop. Just when you think you have a good bead on things, something – or someone – can sneak up on you from behind. Which is why lots of peace officers like to keep their heaters in retention holsters. In the case of an off-duty Detroit cop who was tripping the light fantastic early Sunday morning, “(t)he weapon, a department-issued, 40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol, was in a holster worn inside the officer’s waistband and was covered by his shirt, (Detroit Police Officer’s Association lawyer John) Goldpaugh said.” Which makes it kinda hard to figure out how his dancing partner ended up dead, based on the story that’s being told . . .

As freep.com reports, Adaisha Miller’s family is wondering why they’re planning her funeral this week instead of celebrating her 25th birthday. Right now, they just want to know what really happened.

“The story keeps changing,” (her monther, Yolanda) McNair said. “There’s no logical reason.”

Miller and an unidentified member of the DPD (who she apparently didn’t know before the incident) were dancing at a party early Sunday when she was overcome by the moment and moved in for an embrace.

Police said that Miller hugged the officer — whose name has not been released — from behind as he was dancing, and the gun discharged.

However, McNair said she also was told her daughter “was being a little flirty” with the officer and the gun fired as they were in a face-to-face hug.

Not that it really matters. If you’ve ever carried a gun (this one was apparently an M&P) it’s hard to reconcile the media report – or the info they’ve been fed by the Police Department – with what they say happened. It’s damned near impossible to “hug” a holstered gun and make it go bang.

“(T)he gun went off,” Goldpaugh said. “It’s a fluke accidental shooting.”

Talk about things that make you say, “hmmmmm.” The report doesn’t mention some of the most important information; where (on her body) Miller was shot and at what angle the bullet traveled.

DPD internal affairs is on the case which probably won’t give Miller’s family much of a warm fuzzy feeling. The Wayne County prosecutor’s office will do their own independent investigation, too, which may be their best chance of determining what went down.

In any case, our unidentified officer was responsible for his gun and, by extension, the death of Adaisha Miller. So being named our IGOTD probably isn’t the first thing on his mind right now.

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44 COMMENTS

  3. Hmmm…
    IWB carry accidentally discharges and the round does not hit him, but punctures her lung and heart.

    For that to even be remotely possible, she would have had to have been embracing his legs.

  4. This goes on the ‘things to teach my daughter’ list.

    Don’t just go hugging random guys you meet at a party. I don’t care if it’s your birthday.

  5. There is just sooooooo much that is NOT being told about this story that it already reeks of police cover-up in progress.

    Unless of course Ms. miller comes from a muslim family and she was honor killed for being too close to a non-muslim man and un-escorted by a male family member.

    It’s not like that never happens in little mecca, I mean…er….Michigan.

  6. If the officer was using a vertical shoulder rig, it would be conceivable that someone grabbing him from behind could get shot. But carrying an M&P at the waist in a holster? It doesn’t seem possible. And if I read “the gun just went off” one more time, my eyeballs are going to explode right out of my head.

    Since the IGOTD is an officer of the law, I’m sure that the consequences of the shooting will be strong and swift. He’ll be praised for his bravery and promoted as an ideal representative of the breed.

    • Another article contained the nuggets that a) it was a IWB rig, b) the piece was a S&W .40.

      OK, so now we can dispose of any Glock theory, ie, that there was a gun with only one safety that could have discharged if (insert magic “somehow” in here) if the trigger were properly activated by prying fingers.

      If the IWB report is accurate, then we can dispose also of the “hug from behind/front/above” theory as well, because no one, and I mean no one, is stupid enough to carry IWB with the muzzle pointed *up*. Not even cops.

      Since S&W semi-auto pistols are designed with cops in mind (ie, multiple safeties), the weapon clearly did not “just go off.”

  9. “Punctured her lung and hit her heart?”

    The answer is quite obvious..it involves his zipper, some privacy and her hands on his hips….

    • OMG!

      BLAKE has hit the nail right on the “head” now didnt he!?!?

      I “wood” have to say that an IWH weapon must of had a “premature” ejacluation from said “minute-man” cop.

  10. Mr. Kraft should do a breakdown for us comparing the amount of CCers to LEO and the accidental shooting involving each. My guess is that the percentage is a bit heavier on the LEO side, yet We the sheeple of the United States of America should not only believe that they are the only people responsible and trained enough to be trusted with firearms, but they also need to have militarized units.

  12. every time i’ve carried in or on the belt the muzzle was pointed nearly straight down. don’t see how a hug induced ad could get her in the heart-lungs. the only remotely plausible explanation is that during the hug she felt his pistol and made a grab for it. i’m assuming alcahol was involved in this party. realizing she had grabbed his piece he grabbed gor it and it went off. just one scenario that could have happened. once again,booze and guns is a bad mix.

  13. “Miller hugged the officer… and the gun discharged.””…the gun fired as they were in a face-to-face hug.””“(T)he gun went off,” Goldpaugh said. “It’s a fluke accidental shooting.””

    *clears throat* BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLSSHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!

    At no point do they explain how the trigger was pulled. At no point do they explain how she was shot in the chest.

    I get so fed up with reeking b.s. “news” pieces like this. I mean seriously, why won’t they challenge the police on stuff like this? A trained police officer has a negligent discharge and kills a woman. Is that not a juicy story? I’m no expert but I was led to believe that scandal meant ratings.

    Also, I’d like to see firearm and holster manufacturers start suing people for slander or libel for claiming their products malfunctioned and up and killed people.

    I’m going with Chris on this one. I say he was gangsta carrying and she was smoking his cigar. He went to adjust the piece and negligently pulled the trigger hitting her in the chest. Until they release some evidence, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

    ETA: The linked article has three different versions of events with three different explanations. WTF!? She hugged him from behind and was shot in the chest. They hugged face to face and was shot in the chest. He was dancing with his wife and she “tugged at his waist” and was shot in the chest.

  15. Talk about a weak cover story.Ive been hugged at multiple social gatherings by many women whilst carrying IWB and shoulder carry, and at no time did the pistol discharge itself.

  16. Damn flukes…

    When a cop shoots someone “accidentally” its a fluke.
    When a plebe shoots someone “accidentally” its manslaughter/negligent homocide.

    Funny how that works.

    • Man, is the DPD stupid here.

      If they are *truly* saying that a) it is a department-issued weapon, b) and it has NO safety…

      they’ve just admitted joint liability and departmental negligence in one press release. The M&P has an optional safety… so the DPD would have had to make the choice when purchasing the M&P’s to not get their issue weapons with the optional safety.

      In law offices all over Detroit, I’m sure lawyers ears just pricked up and they’re saying “Whaaaaa? Reaaaallllly? Oh, we’ll just have to see about this…”

      • Keep in mind that this is the same department that at one time (still?) mandated that its officers carried FMJ ammo for their duty .40 S&Ws. If there is a more overpenetration-prone combination extant for handguns, I’m not aware of it.

  18. As usual, The po-po is falling back on its brotherhood fraternity to protect themselves. It can be a good thing, when lies are made up about them, BUT quite the opposite when you got a dirty, prejudice, or careless LEO who will hide behind it. And… po-po don’t like incriminating their own.

    Sadly, those LEOs who are trying to do the job they’re supposed to do have to put up and submit (or quit) in cases where a dirty LEO breaks the law. I just wish there were more honest cops then there are (one dirty LEO is too many!!!)

  19. I read this story on Yahoo and immediately said it was BS. I’ve investigated so many shootings I can’t even count ’em…this Never Happened the way they say it did. It will be interesting when and if the truth comes out.

  20. “During the news conference, Godbee did not answer a question about whether Parrish, a 16-year veteran of the department, was given a Breathalyzer test.”

    I’m guessing the answer is “no” he was not. Now if it were you or me, you better believe a test for impairment woulda been conducted.

    Every single detail about this story as reported is fishy as heck.

  22. Here’s the latest:

    http://www.freep.com/article/20120709/NEWS01/120709035/Trigger-officer-s-gun-party-shooting-could-reached-through-holster-police-say?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

    sounds like he was carrying in a cross-draw and the dirty dancing got a little too dirty if we’re to believe it happened like they say…

    “….this gun’s for hire….even if we’re just dancing in the dark….” don’t think that’s what The Boss had in mind….

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