By Ralph Bartholdt
Lewiston Tribune
LEWISTON, Idaho — A gunshot Wednesday afternoon in the basement of the Lewiston Police Department resulted in the injury of two police officers.
The two Lewiston officers, whose names were not released, were transported to the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center emergency room after the accidental firearms discharge, according to the department.
Police Chief Chris Ankeny said the accidental discharge occurred at the conclusion of a training event and resulted in injuries to the hands of the two officers.
The injuries initially appeared minor, Ankeny said.
The incident happened about 4:30 p.m. in the department’s Special Weapons and Tactics room in the lower level of the department. The department’s SWAT team members train regularly to deal with high-risk situations that are beyond the scope of regular police work.
The officers were treated for their wounds, and Ankeny said Wednesday evening that he did not anticipate the injuries would require formal admission to the medical center.
“Right now it doesn’t look like anyone will be admitted,” Ankeny said.
Although it first appeared that the shot occurred while a firearm was being cleaned, the chief said the firearm may have been in the process of being cleared when it discharged. Clearing a semi-automatic weapon refers to removing the bullets by ejecting them from the chamber.
“We don’t know at this point if the weapon was being cleared or cleaned,” he said.
The police department has initiated an internal investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.
“We’re going to conduct an investigation to determine what else happened, but that’s all the details we have now,” he said. “Right now we’re concerned for the officers’ health and well-being and making sure they get back to work as soon as they can.”
Copyright 2015 the Lewiston Tribune