Bridgeport Police Officer Juan Santiago early Tuesday morning suffered a gunshot wound to his leg from an accidental discharge inside the Bagel King on Main Street, according to Chief Joe Gaudett.
The .45 caliber semi-automatic weapon had apparently been loaned to another police officer by a physician who was returning the gun to an officer at Bagel King. The weapon had been passed to Santiago by another city police officer. The gun went off accidentally while Santiago examined the weapon. Several city police officers were in Bagel King at the time of the accident. Santiago’s in good condition in St. Vincent’s Medical Center. Santiago is president of the Bridgeport Police Hispanic Society. He works in the identification division of the department that includes fingerprinting of civilians.
Standard department operating procedure requires the Office of Internal Affairs to generally investigate the circumstances of an officer who fires a service weapon. But what if it’s a weapon of another, even if it’s an accidental discharge?
More from the CT Post:
Now the officer, Juan Santiago, a decorated 28-year veteran, faces the prospect of investigations by both the department’s Firearms Review Panel as well as the Internal Affairs division which reports directly to Mayor Bill Finch.
Finch characterized the discharge as “a serious incident” and said he instructed Gaudett to conduct a full investigation.
“The investigation into the incident and the circumstances surrounding it are in the beginning stages and I want to respect the integrity of that investigation,” Gaudett said in a statement released shortly after 5 p.m.. “I’m grateful that the officer will be fine. We understand this was a serious incident. At this time it is important to allow the investigation to take its course.”
More here.
“He works in the booking department of the Detective Bureau.” Lennie, Booking and the Detective Bureau are two different departments located in different floors of the building. Juan Santiago mainly handles the fingerprinting of civilians getting gun permits or school personnel. He does maintain the fingerprinting and photo equipment in booking as part of his duty. A nice guy. Another example of why I don’t like or trust guns. Juan Santiago is trained in handling firearms. I guess it has to do with the over-confidence that comes after handling guns for many years. Sometimes or at some point one is bound to forget the safety rules. Did any of you hear about the cop who accidentally shot the flat screen TV at the PD? It wasn’t Juan Santiago. Hmmm, I got the idea of starting my own bagel shop. I’ll call it The Bagel Shot, the hole in every bagel will be made by, well you know! Get well soon, Juan Santiago.
Okay Speedy, I shall defer to your knowledge of things inside the PD. That’s how it was explained to me. Updated to reflect.
The Post said the shop owner returned to his shop to find 20 police cars there, isn’t this a little overkill (no pun intended)? Who was guarding Bridgeport, or more importantly Dunkin Donuts???
Barney Fife had a safety manual that had him keep one round in his pocket to put in his empty pistol, should the need arise in Mayberry.
I’m reading “The .45 caliber semi-automatic weapon had apparently been loaned to another police officer by a physician who was returning the gun to an officer at Bagel King” and thinking somehow several Bridgeport police officers should be suspended without pay or worse disciplinary action and yet I know worse case they will get a paid vacation.
“It was on the table and he picked it up and cocked it,” said the gun owner, who asked not to be identified.
“It wasn’t loaded but there was a magazine in it and when he cocked it a bullet moved into the chamber. He pointed it at the floor and he pulled the trigger,” the gun owner said. “It’s a pistol used for target shooting.”
Chief Joseph Gaudett said. “It was an A.D. (accidental discharge).
Well Chief Gaudett I guess we should all be happy it wasn’t another AD, Accidental Death.
Andy Fardy,
I am surprised you have not posted on this event. If 20 police cars were there, what does that mean about officers per shift? And do you think there were any horses, segways or armored personnel carriers that made it to the scene?
I am pleased no serious injury took place. Accidents happen. “Dum dums” were not part of this story, or were they? What will cause the chief to talk fully about CT MERF, police overtime for the past three years, and who is responsible for paying for the likely significant increase in over-budget pension benefits from last year’s public safety contract? By the way, is that a subject that gets addressed by the Police Commission in any manner, shape or form? Time will tell.
Not to mention the wasted bullet from today’s shooting. Is that a separate line item in the budget, JML???
Improperly disposed of ammunition.
John, the 20 PD cars mentioned in the posting is 110% wrong. There are only 21 street cops on patrol per shift.
Well, first let me state I have a great deal of respect for Bridgeport’s finest. Let me also say I hope for Officer Santiago a speedy recovery.
This morning Bridgeport schools were cancelled. I didn’t listen to the news because the snow was very light. I got to school in 3 minutes, so much for the road conditions. I decided to go to Bagel King for breakfast.
Well there had to be at least 10 police cars. Flashing lights in the lot, Main Street, side streets, Webster Bank lot etc. Inside, officers huddled in groups. On-duty cops and retired cops, the regulars. They would not let anyone in. The workers were huddled by the takeout window. They told me what happened. This was approximately 8:40. Santiago was already taken to the hospital. After a few errands and Stop&Shop I returned to Bagel King. My craving for a toasted bagel was too strong. The cops were still there. The takeout window was now open but the store was still closed. A cop saw the disgust on my face and said you have a problem with this? Well, I let loose and ripped his head off. I asked why the store had to be closed for over an hour. A cop shot himself … I repeat, a cop shot himself. This isn’t Mayberry, this is Bridgeport. Do we really need 20 of Bridgeport’s finest huddled in there like little girls trying to get all the gossip? This is Bridgeport, couldn’t these officers have been on patrol? Gaudett released a statement, did he know how many of his officers were on the site? When my house was robbed and I told them I had fingerprints etc, I was told of the lack of manpower, I never heard from the police again. Now I know why. Do they see Finch and Gaudett as their leaders? After this morning’s conversation, I would think not! Get well soon, Officer Santiago.
There’s a hole in downtown Bridgeport. Bill Finch is looking into it.
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They can be a little rough at times, but Bridgeport still has the best police department in the world.
I agree, Bridgeporteur; Bridgeport’s Police are the best under most circumstances.
Bridgeporteur, you’re almost right, but you forgot Russia.
Also do the police loan guns and did the doctor have a gun permit?
And was the gun owned by the city?
I would like the loan of a city SUV for the weekend, going skiing.
Is this the location of the new police shooting facility?
In all seriousness, I too am a big supporter of the Bridgeport Police Department. They have a very difficult job and for the most part excel in performance.
However, that does not preclude criticizing the department when it is wrong, nor demanding more info in a case like this.
In this instance a police officer, not sure if he was on duty or not, carelessly discharged a weapon in a crowded restaurant injuring himself and potentially putting the general public at risk.
This is a very serious matter and demands a full investigation by an agency outside of the Bridgeport PD.
*** I thought ADs are when the weapon is laid down on a hard surface roughly, dropped or in the act of cocking the weapon while it’s off safe, etc., and it goes off; not the act of actually pulling the weapon’s trigger, no? *** The average Joe probably would have gotten arrested, accident or not! *** Let’s see where this I.A investigation takes the law, no? ***
The Driveway to Nowhere was a serious incident that warrants investigation! This was just a brain fart!