Stupid human tricks on the part of law enforcement officers are not solely confined to state and local cops, of course. No, the feds are equally susceptible to the temptation of playing with their heaters when they shouldn’t. This time, the lucky contestant was one of the Secret Service’s uniformed officers (not pictured above). And he just happened to be parked outside the Russian embassy in his patrol car when his gun went bang…
The Service, pretty much as you’d expect, isn’t saying much about what happened. cnn.com reports. You decide.
The incident occurred around 4 a.m. in the 2600 block of Tunlaw Road in northwest Washington, said spokesman James Mackin.
Mackin declined to give the exact circumstances of the shooting, saying it is under investigation. Officers were scouring the area at daylight looking for the round.
Nor would he give the assignment of the officer, except to say that he was assigned to the Foreign Missions Branch of the Secret Service. That branch provides security to the embassies and consulates of countries that give reciprocal protection to U.S. missions overseas.
OK, I’m not totally unsympathetic here. The dude’s sitting in his car at oh-my-God-thirty in the A.M. with very little to do but watch a building. He’s bored out of his gourd and because no one else he knows is awake at that hour, texting his buddies about how bad the Redskins are is out. So he starts playing with the most interesting thing immediately available to him.
Only he forgot one thing – every time you handle your carry piece, you increase the chances of a negligent discharge. Leave the damned thing in its holster and nothing goes bang. I’m guessing next time he’s looking for something to occupy the hours on the graveyard shift he chooses to put a better edge his his EDC knife rather than fingering his pistol. That way, the worst thing that can happen is he cuts himself and doesn’t run the risk of creating an international incident.