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Police officer kills himself in gun accident
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Officer killed by shot from dropped gun
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San Fernando, California-AP -- Police say the death of a suburban Los Angeles police officer yesterday was "truly accidental."
San Fernando officer Jesse Paderez suffered a fatal wound when his handgun went off after he dropped it in the police department parking lot.
The 46-year-old officer was a member of San Fernando's version of a SWAT team, and the police chief says he was frequently commended for his work. The chief describes the officer as "extremely meticulous, extremely careful."
One of the dead officer's brothers was a police officer in Los Angeles and was killed in an off-duty traffic accident eleven years ago.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://home.abc28.com/Global/story.asp?S=861569
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Email story to a friend
San Fernando, California-AP -- Police say the death of a suburban Los Angeles police officer yesterday was "truly accidental."
San Fernando officer Jesse Paderez suffered a fatal wound when his handgun went off after he dropped it in the police department parking lot.
The 46-year-old officer was a member of San Fernando's version of a SWAT team, and the police chief says he was frequently commended for his work. The chief describes the officer as "extremely meticulous, extremely careful."
One of the dead officer's brothers was a police officer in Los Angeles and was killed in an off-duty traffic accident eleven years ago.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://home.abc28.com/Global/story.asp?S=861569
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
That is weird. I am wondering if it did not discharge when he made a hasty grab for it and inadvertently pulled the trigger.
An acquaintance of mine was shot by a Walther PPK that was in his gym bag, when he set the bag down on a hardwood floor. An examination of the gun showed that the firing pin was out of spec, way too long, and it was able to hit the primer when the gun was jarred. He got a rather large settlement from Walther.
SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net
G36
Gun Control Disarms Victims, NOT Criminals
When Clinton left office they gave him a 21 gun salute. Its a damn shame they all missed....
Y'all be careful out there.
Edited by - Txs on 07/19/2002 12:41:40
I'm also betting I can tell you what type of pistol this was. Any takers?
Revolver with no safety, hammer resting on live round, and either cocked or with a slightly protrusive pin (or a really hard drop).
Guy dropped it on the hammer and that was all she wrote.
Here in Jax I see Police who work in the Police Station using Revolvers.
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Jesse Kenneth Paderez, 46, of Sylmar, a 10-year veteran of the San Fernando Police Department, had apparently been carrying his holstered .45-caliber gun in his hands as he walked through the department parking lot early Wednesday, police said.
Paderez had stopped at the station about 6:45 a.m. to pick up a patrol car and was scheduled to attend a training class on radar use later that morning, Lt. Mike Langston said. "The gun was secured in the holster but he was carrying it in his hands, most likely along with other items," Langston said. "The hammer of the gun struck the ground when it dropped and discharged. We believe it was a freak accident."
Langston said police are investigating how the firearm discharged and whether safety mechanisms worked properly.
Chief Anthony Alba said an investigation by Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives resulted in a preliminary determination that the death was accidental.
"It's something that shouldn't happen but could happen," said Alba, who took over the 39-officer department in May. "But it all hurts the same."
Paderez was the third officer in the department's 91-year history to die in the line of duty, police said.
Paderez had seven sisters and five brothers. Officers and a sister described him as a dedicated officer who was an avid runner and relished coaching and mentoring young people.
"He was highly dedicated to children and working with them meant a lot to him" said Jeri Arriaga, a sister and a retired Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy. "It's like losing half of your heart."
Arriaga said several family members have entered law enforcement. One brother, Ernesto, worked for the Los Angeles Police Department but died 11 years ago in a traffic accident, Arriaga and Langston said.
At the San Fernando Police Station, the mood was somber. Officer Al Martinez said he was stunned by his friend's death.
"He was always very cautious," Martinez said.
Remember...Terrorist are attacking Civilians; Not the Government. Protect Yourself!
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"The powers delegated by the proposed constitution to the federal governmentare few and defined, and will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace negotiation, and foreign commerce"
-James Madison
The reason for keeping a round in the chamber is to allow you a free hand to block or push away an attacker securing you a few precious extra seconds to clear your holster. It only takes a second to rack a round into the chamber, but if I remember correctly, that is the same amount of time it takes for a person to travel 20 feet and inflict a fatal wound.
Guns are good, Guns are great... please don't throw them in the lake.
It's something completely different to leave the hammer on an elderly revolver resting on a LIVE ROUND, as so many people seem to like to do.
I dont care what Dirty Harry or Wyatt Earp did with their revolvers. It's just plain stupidity to carry around any old-model pistol with an external hammer cocked and locked.
They did start making hammerless pistols for a reason, y'know...
You'd think if their security really meant that much to them, they'd get rid of that 48 oz. Colt Python longbarrel and get a 21 oz. compact Glock 21.
It was not a revolver ...it was a semi-auto(pistol)
Also.... I would like to know how you could actually get a DAO to be cocked and locked? GLocks as well as the Kel-Tecs are DAO weapons.....that means that when you pull the trigger....you are actually cocking it before the firing pin drops.
Just my two cents
Edited by - Fep1990 on 07/20/2002 21:40:51
The only revolvers from a major, currently active manufacturer that will fire when dropped on the hammer are Colt Single Actions and their copies. Early Ruger single actions are included in this group, and it was for this reason that Ruger made the New Models, and offered to convert the Old Models to transfer-bar ignition for free. The new Colt Cowboy also has a transfer-bar, but the SAA was kept as it was for nostalgia's sake.
A Smith & Wesson double-action revolver made in the last two centuries will not fire if dropped, unless dropped hard enough to actually deform parts. The firing pin remains out of engagement with the primer and cannot go forward far enough to hit it unless the trigger is held back. Ditto for the Colt Python and any other modern double action Colts, in spite of what you seem to imply. Ditto for Ruger, Charter Arms, Dan Wesson, even Harrington & Richardson and Iver Johnson.
I toted revolvers since before your Daddy met your Mama, and yes, I have dropped them on hard surfaces. Never a discharge. Smith & Wesson put those six holes in there for a reason...one cartridge per hole.
The practice of leaving an empty chamber under the hammer WAS a great idea, but it was born with the single action revolver, and there it died. I have heard of at least one old-time horseman to get shot in the thigh when saddling his horse and a stirrup fell from the saddle horn and hit the hammer of his sidearm.
As for the cop, I am betting a 1911 in Condition Two, a condition one should NEVER use. A 1911 will not fire when dropped in Condtion One, but it CAN in Condition Two.
I believe in carrying the gun as the inventor intended. The SA Colt was designed to be carried with 5 rounds and an empty under the hammer. The 1911 and its copies were designed to be carried Condition One: Chamber loaded, hammer COCKED, safety ON. The modern double action revolver, from any number of makers, is designed to be carried with ALL SIX (or five, if that is all there are) chambers loaded. To go beyond the recommended safety practices is foolish, and may even be dangerous. (1911 pistol carried hammer down because it is "safer." It is NOT)
There are some junky little autos that will fire if dropped, notably the .22, .25, .32, and .380s that are made of zinc alloy and are striker-fired single actions. No thinking officer would carry one of these anyway.
I am still betting on a Condition Two .45, or else a manufacturing error as I mentioned about the fellow's PPK that shot him when he set it down.
No matter what, a basic rule of gunhandling was ignored: Always be aware of your muzzle and never let the gun point at anything you are not willing to see destroyed.
SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net
Well said and 100% correct!
Save, research, then buy the best.Join the NRA, NOW!Teach them young, teach them safe, teach them forever, but most of all, teach them to VOTE!
From my limited knowledge of the SIG design, I would have bet a month's pay that a SIG could not fire if dropped.
SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net
Did the old model Sig have a half-cock notch on the hammer?
I had one but don't remember.
bama55
Don't send flowers when I die. Send money now, I can buy more ammo.
Edited by - bama55 on 07/24/2002 04:34:35
SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net
Don't send flowers when I die. Send money now, I can buy more ammo.
The only revolvers from a major, currently active manufacturer that will fire when dropped on the hammer are Colt Single Actions and their copies. Early Ruger single actions are included in this group, and it was for this reason that Ruger made the New Models, and offered to convert the Old Models to transfer-bar ignition for free. The new Colt Cowboy also has a transfer-bar, but the SAA was kept as it was for nostalgia's sake
Upon further investigation (I asked at the gun store), you're absolutely right. My apologies.
Considering your later post where you heard it was a Sig P-series, I'm even more intrigued how this could happen. I always thought Sigs were even more safe than your average automatic.
I know the article states that it was a .45 ACP and that it fell on it's hammer, but I'm wondering if the media isn't just displaying it's usual level of accuracy when it comes to firearms. I can't picture a department of their size issuing Les Baer specials or their equal to their SWAT guys, considering that a minimum size team would make up a fair percentage of their officers.
Edited by - Txs on 07/24/2002 23:47:12