Brandon police conducting review after cop's gun goes off in police car

A gun belonging to a veteran Brandon cop accidentally went off in a police cruiser last month, triggering an internal review by police in the southwestern Manitoba city.

Randy Lewis, Brandon's deputy police chief, says no one was injured in the Nov. 25 incident, and the police service is still gathering information about how the gun was discharged. 

"That is what the review is going to hopefully determine," he said.

Lewis said there were two officers in the vehicle when the gun fired. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, which investigates serious incidents involving police, was immediately notified.

The IIU confirmed it is monitoring the review by Brandon police, but noted because there was no injury it is not mandatory that it investigate.

• Officer shot in leg after his gun went off spontaneously, Winnipeg police say
• Winnipeg police officer injured after gun fires inside holster

The incident wasn't publicly released because it didn't meet the "threshold of a media release," Lewis said.

Once the police review is complete — which Lewis said would be in the near future — it will be forwarded to the IIU, which will decide whether there is cause for an investigation.

Both officers involved in the Brandon incident remain on duty and no officer was disciplined, Lewis said.

The officer whose gun fired was a member of the general patrol unit and was a "long-serving" member of the Brandon police.

​"The review will look at the actions of the officers, the weapon that was involved, the functionality of the weapon, and any other aspects relating to what was taking place during the time of the incident," he said.

Winnipeg officer's gun discharged

The Brandon incident isn't the only case in recent weeks of a gun going off unintentionally.

On Dec. 6, a gun was accidentally discharged by a Winnipeg police officer at a loading and unloading station in the city. There were no injuries.

The incident is also under review and a Winnipeg police spokesperson said no further information would be provided.

In August of last year, an officer in Winnipeg was accidentally shot in the leg with his gun when it was in his holster. At the time, police said it went off spontaneously when the officer sat down in his car.

Brandon deputy chief Lewis described accidental discharges as "very rare."

"The numbers are extremely low given the fact we, as a course of our duty and in our work to protect the citizens of Brandon, our members handle firearms every day," he said.

He said there can be multiple reasons for an accidental discharge, including mechanical or human error.

"And we're all human. Every one of us," he said.