Off-duty Gilberts officer’s holstered gun goes off at pub
Northwest Herald - Local News and Video for McHenry County, Illinois - Off-duty Gilberts officer’s holstered gun goes off at pub
Off-duty Gilberts officer’s holstered gun goes off at pub
By KATE THAYER - Shaw Suburban Media
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ST. CHARLES – Gilberts police will look into weapons policies after an off-duty officer’s gun fired into its holster in the bathroom of a St. Charles pub.
St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain said Tuesday that police responded about 10 p.m. Sunday to a gunshot report at The Filling Station, 300 W. Main St.
When officers arrived, they discovered that an off-duty Gilberts police officer’s holstered gun went off while he was in the bathroom, McCurtain said.
The bullet grazed the leg of the unnamed officer and then hit the floor, McCurtain said.
The officer, who was treated for minor injuries by paramedics, was alone in the bathroom when the gun went off, and there was minimal damage to the bathroom floor, McCurtain added.
Gilberts Chief Michael Joswick said Tuesday that the officer, who has been with the department for about a year, is back at work.
He was interviewed and sent home Sunday night, but St. Charles police contacted Kane County prosecutors Monday morning, who then decided that no laws were broken, McCurtain said.
Joswick said his department continued to investigate the incident to determine why the gun went off, and whether off-duty officers should be allowed to carry their guns in all situations.
“Not that there was any wrongdoing, but obviously there’s a great concern because a gun did go off,” he said. “We’re looking at this to see if there’s anything wrong that needs to be corrected.”
Joswick said he didn’t know when the internal investigation would be completed.