Plan B Forum

Is the study of safety a waste of time?
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http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-woman-dea ... ories.html

..Detroit Woman Dead After Hugging Off-Duty Cop, Discharging Gun
By COLLEEN CURRY | ABC News – 6 hrs ago....Email
Share3Print......A friendly hug at a Detroit house party proved fatal for a woman after she accidentally discharged an off-duty cop's handgun.

Adaisha Miller, 24, attended a fish fry at the home of an off-duty Detroit police officer on Saturday and, at around midnight, began to hug or dance with the officer from behind and accidentally set off his gun, according to Detroit police chief Ralph Godbee, Jr.

The police department didn't release the name of the officer but said that he has been cooperative with an internal investigation launched in the wake of the shooting and is shocked at what happened.

Godbee said that the officer had been concealing his department-issued .40 caliber Smith and Wesson semiautomatic hand gun in a holster in his waistband when Miller placed her hands on his waist. Godbee indicated that Miller had seemingly touched the gun in some way, causing it to fire. There is no safety switch on the weapon, he said.

"I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying this but for the sake of transparency, it is possible for the trigger to be manipulated with that type of holster," Godbee said. "Typically the barrel is facing down, but the preliminary investigation indicates that there was some manipulation along the officer's waistline that he did not control and subsequently the weapon discharged."

Godbee said that there was no indication from evidence or witnesses that the officer had placed his hand on the weapon. The investigation will include forensic analysis by the Detroit State Police and a medical examiner's report.

"He is very remorseful of the incident and the tragic nature of this young lady losing her life in the manner she did," Godbee said.

Miller's mother, Yolanda McNair, told the Detroit Free Press that she has been told different versions of the events leading up to her daughter's death and can't udnerstand why the officer was armed at his own party.

"The story keeps changing. There's no logical reason," she said. "Why do you need a weapon with a round in the chamber?"

Police department spokeswoman Cassandra Lewis said that the prosecutor's office would decide whether any charges would be pressed in the case.

Amy Driver, a gun safety expert, said that it was "entirely possible" that if someone was placing their hands on the officer's waistband that the weapon could become loose from the holster and then discharge if it were pressed back down toward the holster.

"It sounds like she pulled on his waistband, and if that shifted his waistband, the gun could have come up out of the holster a little bit, and his instinct could be to push the gun back in holster. If something got caught on trigger, it could have fired," she said.

Driver said that investigators would likely find a hole in the side of the officer's pants, where the bullet left the gun and traveled to Miller.

The story keeps changing. There's no logical reason," she said. "Why do you need a weapon with a round in the chamber?"

Because it's damned difficult to use, otherwise!

Combat carry - I'm guessing this officer was former military, and many of them with PTSD issues, feel the need to always be armed.

Off-duty Detroit Police Officer Isaac Parrish was carrying his department-issued pistol in a soft holster on the right side of his waist while hosting a fish fry at his house on Detroit's west side during the weekend, police said.

Adaisha Miller was dancing behind the officer and touched his waist.

His gun fired.

Miller was struck once in the chest and died.

That is the account provided Monday by Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr.

http://www.freep.com/article/20120710/N ... ghter-die-

What sort of dancing was she doing that enabled her to position her chest underneath his holstered gun when she was behind him?

Or is he 8 foot tall?

The firearm wasn't properly holstered is my guess.

dales wrote:The firearm wasn't properly holstered is my guess.

Why would someone manufacture a modern hand gun without a safety? I can understand why one would have a round in the chamber after all the couple seconds it would take to place round in chamber could make a difference. But the safety can be switch on in fraction of a second. I can’t imagine a force that would allow its officers to carry guns without a safety switch.

If only we all carried guns. Then all our problems would disappear in a puff of smoke.

yrs,
rubato

Personally, I think society would be a lot safer if we could just get the guns out of the hands of snotty Santa Cruz pseudo-scientists.....

This may have been just a tragic accident, but if you believe in the study of safety you will agree it should never have happened. I knew a person once that said if you talk about accidents you make them happen. How does that affect safety?

I think I need to concealed carry a Glock .40 to be safe.

Really.

I need to be able to fuck your shit up!

Then, and only then, peace and love will reign supreme.

yrs,
rubato

You will NEVER get a CCW in Sta. Cruz County or any place else in CA.

Unless you're Dianne Feinstein.

Not that I really care, I pack when I need to.

liberty wrote:

dales wrote:The firearm wasn't properly holstered is my guess.

Why would someone manufacture a modern hand gun without a safety? I can understand why one would have a round in the chamber after all the couple seconds it would take to place round in chamber could make a difference. But the safety can be switch on in fraction of a second. I can’t imagine a force that would allow its officers to carry guns without a safety switch.

Lots of handguns have no safety...I have never seen a revolver WITH a safety.

I used to work with San Jose POA and quite a few carried off duty due to retaliation. There were very strict rules about officer's names, addresses, etc and how they were handled when publishing their newspaper. We had to 'escort' the mailing labels to the printers and the mailing house. I really don't blame them. But I have to say, If it was his party and there were plenty of friends there, maybe he should have put it away. Especially if there was alcohol involved.

Strict rules? It's the law in CA, as if you didn't know.

What I figure is: he was getting the 'dry hump' dance from behind, bent over, while she grabbed at his waist, discharging his gun.

Wow. Lots of guns have no safety?

You're welcome to them. I hope that works out for you.

Again: I have NEVER seen a revolver with a safety. A revolver has, if not cocked manually, a very long, heavy trigger pull.

Then wanting to walk around with one just sounds really idiotic and insecure IMO.

Different cultural views, I expect.

Didn't Deputy Barney Fife carry just one round (Usually in his shirt pocket, but sometimes in his revolver)?

If only we all lived in Mayberry.