Better Do Some More Investigating

Detroit officer's gun kills woman; incident under investigation

the veteran beat patrolman was hosting a party at his home and was dancing with his wife when Miller came up behind him and tugged at his waist.

"And the gun went off," Goldpaugh said. "It's a fluke accidental shooting."

The weapon, a department-issued, 40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol, was in a holster worn inside the officer's waistband and was covered by his shirt, Goldpaugh said.

Holsters are designed to cover the trigger guard, and therefore the trigger, preventing anything from touching it. A modern "department-issued, 40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol" will not shoot without pulling the trigger. Without going into technical details, there are safeties designed into the gun to prevent a discharge of the weapon unless the trigger is pulled. And they work.

Goldpaugh said the physical evidence from the incident corroborated the officer's account of the shooting.

An inside the waistband holster holds the gun in a muzzle down position, sometimes at a slight angle (15%) but down. If I were to come up behind someone wearing a gun in this kind of holster and IF I pulled the trigger, I would be shot in the leg or foot. It doesn't say where she was shot. He could be very tall and she very short, who knows. The person wearing the gun would at least have a hole in their pants. I still don't see this happening. Was the officer really wearing a holster? It could have happened with no holster, that's a possibility.

The officer did not know the woman, who attended the party with other guests, Goldpaugh said.

Why would a woman you did not know come up behind you and give you a hug hard enough to pull a handgun trigger, especially when you are dancing with your wife?

Too many question, not enough answers. Something is missing here.