Never Daydream on the Range

I include this not as a bash on police, but to remind ourselves to be ever vigilant against carelessness and daydreaming while on the range. Fortunately, no one died, but one officer, a 15-year veteran, was hurt:

Police are investigating how a veteran LAPD firearms instructor wounded another officer in the left hamstring at a training facility when he mistook a loaded handgun for a mock version of the weapon, it was reported Thursday.

The incident occurred about 4 p.m. Monday at the Edward M. Davis Training Facility in Granada Hills as the two instructors, who train new recruits, were transitioning from teaching a class with live firearms to an exercise using mock handguns that look and sound like real weapons but do not discharge bullets, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Parts of the non-firing weapons are marked with orange paint, but the instructor failed to notice he had picked up the wrong handgun, police said, according to The Times.

The bullet struck Officer Peter Lee, 42, a 15-year veteran.

[...]

"When an officer picks up the (non-firing) weapons they are supposed to secure their live firearms. But one officer here didn't secure his live firearm and confused it. When he went to test the (mock) weapon he instead fired his real Glock and hit his fellow instructor."

Murphy said the injured officer is expected to return to duty.