PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Maryland -- Eleven Prince George's County police officers were suspended following a shooting at a holiday party that left two off-duty officers injured Saturday evening.
The department's Internal Affairs Division reported that several off-duty officers were at a holiday party at a private residence in Brandywine when a privately-owned handgun unintentionally went off, firing a single shot, according to WUSA-TV.
One officer sustained a hand injury while another was injured by a ricochet. Both were transported to the hospital for treatment and released Sunday morning.
The handgun belonged to one of the officers who was injured and was not a police-issued service weapon, officials said.
The circumstances of how the gun went off are under investigation and the officers will remain suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
Prince George's County Police Spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan told reporters that the officers who are suspended are both patrol officers and investigators. All of the officer were off duty and attending a private holiday party at the residence when the incident occurred.
None of the department's command staff were involved in the incident, although Donelan said she did not have specific information on the ranks of the officer's involved.
John Teletchea, President of the Prince George's Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89, told the news station that the accidental discharge of a firearm is a serious incident that officers can be held accountable for, even if they are not on duty.
