Inside Bay Area
TRACY, Calif. — A ricocheting bullet fragment struck a member of the Tracy Police Department’s SWAT team Friday afternoon, causing a minor injury, police said.
The special weapons and tactics team was practicing shooting into a vehicle when the accident occurred, said Detective Sgt. Ivan Pineo, who supervises training for the team.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the city-owned weapons range on South Tracy Boulevard around 4:15 p.m. after the bullet fragment struck the unidentified team member in the right leg, Pineo said. The fragment apparently bounced off the car, he said.
“It didn’t break the skin but did result in a minor bruise,” Pineo said. “Sometimes these things happen. That’s why we wear protective gear, long sleeves and gloves.”
The 13-member team spent the past three days training at the range with retired Los Angeles Police Department SWAT veteran Bob Gallegos.
They fired live ammunition, and practiced sweeping and clearing rooms, moving and shooting with handguns and automatic rifles, and mobile assaults.
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