A U.S. Capitol Police Officer (USCP) accidentally discharged their firearm Tuesday, sparking an investigation.
An unknown member of the USCP discharged their weapon in the breakroom under the Cannon House Office Building Tuesday, according to CQ Roll Call.
The officer who allegedly fired the weapon has been suspended pending the department’s investigation into the incident, the department confirmed to the Daily Caller in a statement. (RELATED: Spying Allegations Throw Capitol Police Into Hot Water, IG Opens Probe)
“The Capitol Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is investigating the discharge of a USCP weapon inside a breakroom in the Cannon Office Building. The officer has been suspended while OPR investigates the incident,” the USCP spokesperson said in a statement.
The department spokesman did not respond to questions about the officer’s identity or how long the department expects the investigation to take. “At this time, we cannot say more as this is an open investigation,” the spokesman said in an email.
The officer allegedly shot his USCP-issued firearm through a desk around 8:00 am Tuesday with no reported injuries, according to Fox News’ Congressional reporter Chad Pergram.
2) Round went through a desk. No injuries. Fox is told this was the officer’s USCP issued weapon.
“This seems hard to do, if you ask me,” said one source about the incident.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) May 3, 2022
Former Capitol Hill Police Chief Kim Dine required officers to receive extra firearm training after three high-profile incidents in 2015 where USCP-issued firearms were found left in the public spaces inside the Capitol – including an instance where a 7-year-old found a weapon issued to a member of former Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s security detail.
“We’ve made additional training part of our bi-annual training process,” Dine said.