DEA Agent Shoots Own Leg While Teaching Gun Safety

An agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration fired his gun at himself in front of 50 adults and children while conducting a class on gun safety in Orlando, Fla. The officer, whose name was not released, removed the magazine from his duty weapon and asked an audience member to look at it to see it wasn’t loaded, according to police reports. Then he released the slide with the gun pointed at the ground and fired a .40 caliber round into his thigh. Witnesses say children in the audience began screaming and crying. One audience member told the Associated Press that because of the incident “the point of gun safety hit home.” She says her nephew, who was in attendance, has no inclination to touch a gun. Although police ruled the shooting an accident, the DEA is investigating the incident. The agent was treated at a local hospital and has returned to duty.