accidental shooting in sporting goods store

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/conte...ing.html?imw=Y

One injured in accidental shooting in sporting goods store


By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Saturday, February 09, 2008

The victim of an accidental shooting in a sporting goods store Saturday morning was in serious condition Saturday night after afternoon surgery at St. Mary’s Hospital, according to Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Heather Benjamin.

Kenny Franklin, who works at Jerry’s Outdoor Sports at 507 Road 30 in Grand Junction, was shot in the abdomen, according to family and friends at the scene.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Department said the wound was caused by a .243-caliber rifle. A customer brought the rifle into the store, and it was being examined by an employee and the customer when it discharged, Mesa County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Heather Benjamin said.

“There was a bullet in the chamber he forgot about,” Benjamin said. “An employee walked past the counter at the moment he dislodged the bullet. He took a bullet to the abdomen. I don’t know that they knew there was a bullet in the chamber until it actually went off.”

Deputies took one man in for questioning and were interviewing six people inside the store after the incident, Benjamin said.

Family members of the wounded employee were embracing outside the store an hour after the incident. They said they did not want to comment to the media.

Store co-owner Jerry Stehman said the store’s policy is “every gun should be checked before it’s worked on, and it is checked.” Jerry’s Outdoor Sports has been in business for 22 1/2 years, he said.

“This is truly an accident,” Stehman said. “There is absolutely no bad intentions or malice intended. I’ve just been through so many emotions; it’s just been devastating to me that it happened.”

Stehman said he expects Franklin, who is in his 50s, will make a full recovery.

Business owners in the area said the gun may have been brought to the store in pieces.

“They were servicing or cleaning it,” said Felipe Leon, owner of Leon’s Taqueria Restaurant, a business next door to Jerry’s Outdoor Sports. “I heard they closed the gun, and it shot him right in the side.”

Leon said he saw Franklin being put in an ambulance.

“It’s crazy, just a freak accident, something you wouldn’t think would happen,” said Debbie Birely, manager at nearby Cornerstone Thrift Store.

Jerry’s Outdoor Sports was closed during the investigation.


http://www.gjsentinel.com/blogs/cont...olice_chi.html

Former Delta County police chief named as weekend accidental shooter

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Department has released a few more details about the accidental shooting that happened over the weekend at Jerry’s Outdoor Sports store in Grand Junction, and a former area police chief and police officer was named as the accidental shooter.

Richard Bacher, 56, of Grand Junction was apparently working on a .243-caliber rifle brought to the shop by a Loma man, when the gun discharged. A single bullet struck Kenny Franklin, 53, of Grand Junction, in the abdomen. Franklin was walking past the gun at the time of the accident.

Franklin remains in St. Mary’s Hospital after weekend surgery.

Investigators say an investigation into the incident is ongoing, and they expect to complete it within a couple of weeks.

Bacher served as police chief with the Delta police department for a little more than a year, resigning from the job in September. Bacher also worked on patrol with the Grand Junction Police Department from October 1976 through September 2002.

— Sentinel staff

[knight0334]

That is about as phucked up as a football bat. How can someone be so dumb as to not look to see if a gun was loaded or not?

[sjl127]

There's no such thing as an accidental shooting.

There are only intentional and negligent shootings.

[God's Country]

Makes me wonder how often some dumb ass brings a loaded weapon in for service?

[TaurusGuy]

Wow...there is absolutely no excuse for this happening. First, how does someone take their gun somewhere without checking to see if it's loaded? Second, how does a gun store employee take a gun from someone and not check to see if it's loaded?

WTF is wrong with people?

"Is it empty?"

"Uh, sure...I think so"

"Here, let me pull the trigger and find out"

Ok, so I'm sure it didn't happen quite like that but really...I just don't get it.

[str8shooter]

Store co-owner Jerry Stehman said the store’s policy is “every gun should be checked before it’s worked on, and it is checked.” Jerry’s Outdoor Sports has been in business for 22 1/2 years, he said.

Well, now we know how Jerry's employees check guns. Pull the trigger. Whether it goes click or bang, it's ready to work on.

[Garpman]

Originally Posted by sjl127

There's no such thing as an accidental shooting.

There are only intentional and negligent shootings.

I wholeheartedly concur.

[jerkin]

I wonder if they could/would write the guy up for transporting a loaded firearm. If the guy behind the counter didn't realize it was loaded then it must have been brought there like that.

[RocketFoot]

This is just a whole chain of things that went wrong! We don't know all the details, but several rules of safe gun handling were NOT followed!

[lonehiker]

i was in a local gun shop the other day when a youg jack a## walked in with a rifle

the owner said what are doing with that POS rifle in my store with the bolt closed and made him open it up, the poop head with the rifle looked stuned, duh !!

the jack a## did not have a clue......some people sholuld not be allowed to own or handle firearms

all the training in the world doesn't work if some people never develope common sense