Omaha World-Herald
Link to Article

Omaha, NE

Never trust a rusty gun.

One Omaha police officer learned that lesson earlier this month while checking a shotgun into the evidence room at Central Police Headquarters, 505 S. 15th St.

Officer Darrelle Bonam, a veteran of more than five years with the department, was booking the gun into evidence. While pulling back the rusty slide to check if it was empty, he touched the trigger and the gun went off, hitting a money-counting machine.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred Feb. 3.

Officer Jacob Bettin, a police spokesman, said that anytime a firearm is discharged in a city building, the matter is reviewed by the Omaha Police Department's safety review committee to determine whether proper procedures and safety techniques were followed and whether disciplinary action is in order.

"This shows firearms are dangerous, even for people trained to properly handle them," Bettin said.

— Jason Kuiper

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
International Association for Property and Evidence
"Law Enforcement Serving the Needs of Law Enforcement"
www.IAPE.org