A veteran officer of the University of California Police Department was taken to the hospital Tuesday morning after he accidentally shot himself in the leg while holstering his weapon, officials said.
Lt. Eric Tejada of the university Police Department said authorities are investigating whether an equipment malfunction may have resulted in the shooting.
Tejada said the officer was getting dressed for work around 8 a.m. when he shot himself in the leg with his Heckler & Koch semi-automatic pistol. Other officers in the locker room provided comfort and first aid until the Berkeley Fire Department arrived. Paramedics then transported the officer to Highland Hospital for medical care.
Tejada declined to release the officer’s name, but said the man’s wounds did not appear to be life threatening.
“We’re doing an investigation to find out how it happened,” he said. “We’re interviewing everyone in the locker room with him. It could have been an issue with the equipment itself.”
Tejada said officers generally have their loaded guns in their lockers as they get into uniform and prepare to holster their weapons.
“Nothing like this has ever happened to us,” he said. “We train all the time in weapons safety. It was an accidental discharge and we’re looking at what might have caused it.”
