N.Y. Court Officer Accidentally Shoots Self in Arm

May 7, 2013
The officer was preparing for work in a locker room at the federal courthouse in Central Islip Monday.

A court officer with more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement accidentally shot himself in the arm while preparing for work in a locker room at the federal courthouse in Central Islip Monday, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service said.

The identity of the court officer, 67, was not released, but he was transferring his .45 caliber gun from his off-duty holster when it accidentally discharged at 9:10 a.m., Suffolk police said.

The bullet went through his left arm, authorities said.

He was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with a "non-life-threatening" wound, police said. He was treated and released. There was one other person in the room at the time who was uninjured, police said.

The U.S. marshals are responsible for operational security at the courthouse, which serves the Eastern District of New York. The court officer was contracted by the Marshals Service but was not a full-time employee of the agency.

The man is a "special deputized marshal" and is employed by Akal Inc., a private security company contracted by the federal government, police said.

"It was an accidental discharge, caused by a contract security officer, in a locker room where he was preparing for duty," Marshals Assistant Chief Deputy Jim Elcik said.

Elcik said the officer was a retired member of the NYPD and described him as "a veteran court security guard."

A Suffolk police spokeswoman said the incident occurred in an area of the courthouse "not accessible to the public."

Elcik said the wound had "an entry and exit" point and said a spent round was recovered from the floor of the room. He said how the gun was discharged remains under investigation.

Copyright 2013 - Newsday

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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