An awful incident occurred involving a female Secret Service trainee, which could have had fatal consequences.
Real Clear Politics’ Susan Crabtree reported Thursday night that the trainee in question shot herself in the leg at the Secret Service’s Rowley Training Center. Following the shooting, the trainee was airlifted to a Baltimore hospital emergency room for treatment.
Crabtree reveals the incident involved an accidental discharge of a weapon. There is no word yet on her condition.
Crabtree notes that it’s “extremely rare” for an agent or trainee to shoot themselves, though one previously did so back in September. That incident involved a male secret service agent.
Failing to handle a weapon properly means severe consequences for a career Secret Service employee training a recruit.
“Unsafe weapons handling is a serious violation and grounds for disqualification/dismissal during training of a new recruit,” a source in the Secret Service community explained to Crabtree. “It would amount to formal disciplinary action for a career [Secret Service] employee.”
Crabtree reveals concerns regarding more accidental discharges amongst Secret Service trainees and agents went up following a switch from the SIG 357 (which was more user-friendly) to Glock 9mm platforms. These did not include self-inflicted wounds, however.
Hellbound and Down 