http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/ ... ed_Deputy/
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County sheriff has allowed a jailer to remain with the department despite the accidental shooting of a friend.
Sheriff Jimmy Jones said Lake Lowry, 23, returned to duty Wednesday, but will not be allowed to carry a gun, reported The Knoxville News Sentinel.
Lowry has an excellent work record in his two years with the department, Jones said.
"That's why he was afforded the opportunity to stay on," Jones said. "It's discipline with a little compassion."
The incident that brought about the decision occurred Oct. 8.
Investigations by a sheriff's detective and the department's Office of Professional Standards concluded Lowry and his wife were with another couple with whom they were friends when the deputy was asked not to get into their vehicle with a loaded pistol.
The newspaper quoted the OPS investigation file, which said Lowry began to unload his pistol, which was in a holster.
The pistol discharged and the bullet passed through the front passenger seat, striking Beverly Nicole Bradley, 26, in the left hip. She was treated at University of Tennessee Medical Center and released the same night, according to the report.
Lowry told an investigator that it is "his belief that somehow he inadvertently pulled the trigger of the weapon while he was attempting to remove the ammunition."
Lowry's service pistol and his bonded deputy card were confiscated the night of the shooting, Jones said.
Lowry was one of about 10 jailers who completed firearms training and were bonded so they could guard inmates being taken for medical care outside the jail. The plan lets the department keep certified officers on patrol, rather than guarding jail inmates, Jones said.
The sheriff acknowledges the accident occurred while Lowry was off duty and did not involve a department weapon, but said the issue is his level of comfort with arming an officer.
"There are mistakes that can't be made," Jones said.
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Guess he really doesn't like anti-carry people
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County sheriff has allowed a jailer to remain with the department despite the accidental shooting of a friend.
Sheriff Jimmy Jones said Lake Lowry, 23, returned to duty Wednesday, but will not be allowed to carry a gun, reported The Knoxville News Sentinel.
Lowry has an excellent work record in his two years with the department, Jones said.
"That's why he was afforded the opportunity to stay on," Jones said. "It's discipline with a little compassion."
The incident that brought about the decision occurred Oct. 8.
Investigations by a sheriff's detective and the department's Office of Professional Standards concluded Lowry and his wife were with another couple with whom they were friends when the deputy was asked not to get into their vehicle with a loaded pistol.
The newspaper quoted the OPS investigation file, which said Lowry began to unload his pistol, which was in a holster.
The pistol discharged and the bullet passed through the front passenger seat, striking Beverly Nicole Bradley, 26, in the left hip. She was treated at University of Tennessee Medical Center and released the same night, according to the report.
Lowry told an investigator that it is "his belief that somehow he inadvertently pulled the trigger of the weapon while he was attempting to remove the ammunition."
Lowry's service pistol and his bonded deputy card were confiscated the night of the shooting, Jones said.
Lowry was one of about 10 jailers who completed firearms training and were bonded so they could guard inmates being taken for medical care outside the jail. The plan lets the department keep certified officers on patrol, rather than guarding jail inmates, Jones said.
The sheriff acknowledges the accident occurred while Lowry was off duty and did not involve a department weapon, but said the issue is his level of comfort with arming an officer.
"There are mistakes that can't be made," Jones said.
___
Guess he really doesn't like anti-carry people
