Jo Goode and Ken Paiva
A Fall River police officer was injured after an incident Thursday morning during training.
At approximately 8:00 a.m., a call came into dispatch for an officer injured at the gun range in Westport.
According to Acting Chief J.T. Hoar, the department is currently conducting their annual firearms requalification training. As part of the training, officers are required to demonstrate their ability to safely and properly disassemble their issued firearms.
Hoar stated that during the exercise, an officer had inadvertently inserted a loaded magazine into his firearm and subsequently attempted to disassemble it. During the process, the firearm was discharged, resulting in a minor injury to the officer’s hand. The officer was transported to the hospital for medical evaluation and treatment and was subsequently cleared.
Following the incident, the training session was immediately suspended pending an investigation by the Fall River Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards.
Hoar noted that he has also scheduled an after-action review to thoroughly evaluate the circumstances surrounding the incident, identify any potential deficiencies in their existing firearms safety protocols and training procedures, and determine what corrective measures may be necessary. This review will also address appropriate remedial training for the officer involved.
“Our priority is to ensure that our training environment maintains the highest standards of safety and that we use this incident as an opportunity to identify areas for improvement.”
