Army probing guard's accidental shooting

This story was published Thu, Dec 12, 2002

By Karen Spears Zacharias
Herald Oregon Bureau

UMATILLA -- The Army has serious concerns about an incident in which a security guard at Umatilla Chemical Depot accidentally shot himself.

"This incident is going to be fully investigated," said Lt. Col. Fred Pellissier, depot commander. "I definitely don't want something like this occurring in the future."

The incident will be investigated internally by Army staff, not by a local law enforcement agency, said Mary Binder, Army spokeswoman.

Robert Shannon, 22, who is a civilian employee,
reportedly shot his left hand with a
9 mm handgun at 1:17 a.m. Monday.

Pellissier confirmed that Shannon's father is a shift commander who oversees the security staff, but he said his father was not on duty when Shannon was injured.

Shannon told emergency workers that he was "practicing the trigger pull" on his handgun when the accident occurred.

Pellissier said he's aware of speculation that Shannon was actually practicing a quick-draw maneuver when he shot himself.

But he said the initial investigation showed Shannon was conducting a proper training move.

"He was doing it the authorized way, but he was doing it at the wrong place," Pellissier said.

Pellissier said the maneuver Shannon was performing should only have been done in the secure location where the staff clean their guns.

"Our security force knows that the only time they are to remove their weapon is if they are planning to use it," he said.

"Everybody is concerned about making sure the proper procedures are followed. I think our investigation will bring out any human factors that may have contributed to this incident," Pellissier said.

 

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