The report says that the officer was hosting a party, dancing with his wife, when the woman, Adaisha Miller, hugged him from behind and the weapon fired.
According to the report, the officer didn't know the woman, who was 24 years old.
There's something unexplained here.
Report says the piece was a .40 S&W M&P. Like the Glock, the M&P is striker-fired, and in theory, can't go off unless the trigger is pulled. Supposedly worn in a waistband holster under a shirt. Doesn't say what the carry position was, strong-side, weak-side, muzzle down or cross-draw.
There is some controversy about the possibility of an accidental discharge with Glocks in holsters, some back and forth on the net about whether this happens or not. Haven't seen this with the S&W. Supposedly you can drop the M&P all day long and never get an AD.
If the only way for this weapon to fire is by pulling the trigger, then somehow she must have gotten a finger inside the guard. but the only way I can see a hip-holstered duty weapon killing somebody behind you with a heart-shot is a ricochet. Or if it was cross-draw and the the woman was squatting, or on her knees hugging him around the waist.
Be interesting to hear what the investigation finds.
I'd assume, without further data, that she surprised him and he killed her reflexively. You should give this as much weight as anonymous internet opinion deserves, of course; just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI called shenanigans as soon as I saw the story - for many of the reasons you've mentioned. Quite simply, modern duty firearms (such as both the Glock and the M&P series) CANNOT fire without the trigger being pulled or otherwise manipulated baring A) - a catastrophic internal failure (I've not heard of this in 20+ years but anything can happen) or B) - end-user modification to the gun removing one of the safeties.
ReplyDeleteNow - should the gun have been carried outside the holster, where the trigger could then be hit - yes, it's possible. Or someone was messing around. Or something else. But NO a "hug" did not in any feasible way make the gun fire.
It is a very strange story.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120710/METRO01/207100359/A-hug-dance-fatal-shot-raise-doubts?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
I call bullshit. There is absolutely no way the officer's weapon could have discharged in the circumstances described.
ReplyDeleteAfter perusing the gunblogs, the most recent things that have come out seem to be that the woman was dirty dancing below his waste and we she went to pull herself up she hooked the trigger and the gun fired. Apparently it was a new weapon and the officer didn't have a correct fitting holster in that it did not cover the trigger.
ReplyDeleteBrass