Officer suspended after 17-month old fires his gun
A McMinnville policeman has been suspended without pay following an incident earlier this month where his 17-month-old son was nearly shot by the boy’s 4-year-old brother while the child was playing with the officer’s city-issued handgun.
According to an official statement by the McMinnville Police Department, the officer, Roger Johnson, who was a rookie with the department, has been “given time off without pay” for violation of the department’s firearms policy. A spokesman for the police department did not elaborate on the length of Johnson’s suspension, noting it was an internal discipline matter. He will be returned to unrestricted duty once his unpaid leave is completed.
The suspension comes after Johnson’s son found his Glock .40 caliber handgun inside the cab of the officer’s personal truck early this month. Johnson was standing immediately outside the truck at the time, talking to someone on Chancery Street, while his children remained inside the vehicle.
Investigators say the gun went off while the 4-year-old was handling it, with the round grazing the 17-month-old and then exiting though the rear window. The toddler suffered minor injuries.
The suspension comes under the department’s firearms policy because Johnson failed to unload and secure his gun. The firearm was stored in a side pocket of the truck and Johnson said he had removed the clip but had forgotten to take the round out which was in the chamber.
Prosecutors chose not to file any criminal charges in the case, noting a level of child neglect would have been needed to make out such a case. Instead, sanctions for the incident were left to the police department’s internal affairs.