Police: Hug Triggers Gun Kills Woman in Detroit

DETROIT [[AP) — Detroit police say a woman was fatally shot when she hugged an off-duty police officer while dancing at a party, causing the officer's service weapon to fire.
Police Sgt. Eren Stephens says the shooting happened at an outdoor social gathering about 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
According to Stephens, the 25-year-old woman "embraced the officer from behind, causing the holstered weapon to accidently discharge."
Stephens says the Detroit officer will remain on administrative duties while authorities investigate the shooting and report their findings to the Wayne County prosecutor.

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So sad, and probably preventible.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in..._river_default

Sad situation. Prayer goes out for the family of the deceased and the officer himself.

I wouldn't figure that a simple hug would make that gun fire. Husbands and wives do it every day saying good bye to their families. I know that the Glocks for the DPD do not have a safety, [[does anyone know if it was the department issued weapon or his off-duty weapon)? they have to keep a round in the chamber, but usually the holsters have a snap or guard of some kind to prevent the weapon from falling out.
So very sad for everyone involved.

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Originally Posted by cla1945

I wouldn't figure that a simple hug would make that gun fire. Husbands and wives do it every day saying good bye to their families. I know that the Glocks for the DPD do not have a safety, [[does anyone know if it was the department issued weapon or his off-duty weapon)? they have to keep a round in the chamber, but usually the holsters have a snap or guard of some kind to prevent the weapon from falling out.
So very sad for everyone involved.

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I've never seen a holster without a complete trigger guard.


I can understand the police carrying after hours, but they don't need to keep a bullet in the chamber.

I own a Glock 9mm, probably one of the old police issues before they switched to .40cal, and it is particularly difficult to fire by mistake. Trigger has to be 2/3rds pulled before all of the safety mechanisms are bypassed.

It is untrue that Glocks do not have safeties...what they don't have is a single safety switch to toggle before being able to fire.

In a proper holster, even IF it was a shoulder design, there is no way this would happen.

The police officer should be to blame completely.

That is how it would have been dealt with if it had been a civilian. It is no 'accident'...freak or otherwise.


Sincerely,
John

Lets pretend that at a party this happened and it wasnt a cop. Now try to explain the shooting.

Calling Geoffrey Fieger. City can start writing another check.

Something stinks and it ain't rotten fish.

The worst thing ever to happen in contemporary policing was the change from the .38 special revolver over to the automatic pistols. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

FYI, Many departments have moved on to Smith & Wesson's Military & Police [[M&P) models. The Glocks were issued so long ago that the first one with the DPD serial number was given to Coleman Young--I almost bought his Glock at auction a few years back but I like steel frame handguns.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cla1945

I wouldn't figure that a simple hug would make that gun fire. Husbands and wives do it every day saying good bye to their families. I know that the Glocks for the DPD do not have a safety, [[does anyone know if it was the department issued weapon or his off-duty weapon)? they have to keep a round in the chamber, but usually the holsters have a snap or guard of some kind to prevent the weapon from falling out.
So very sad for everyone involved.

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This is a sad story. My thoughts go to the family.

The explanation doesn't make sense to me. I hope they're able to get many witness statements to confirm this. I would imagine a properly secured gun wouldn't do this.

Did he just have it tucked in his pants or something? Or was it holstered?

I can't find anything in the reports that says that someone witnessed this event. I find it very suspect that a police officer would have a bullet in the chamber AND the safety off.

Additionally it says the shot punctured a lung and went through the heart. If the gun was holstered it doesn't that seem like the bullet would have traveled downward into abdominal area.

~If~ this was a murder, it is not out of the question to embrace the victim and fire the shot from the holster through one's clothing?

Amateur forensics, I know, but there are too many question marks that make this tragedy smell more than accident.

It sounds almost like he was carrying a SA or a DA/SA pistol with the hammer cocked and the slide safety on. It wouldn't take much a a squeeze to dislocate the safety and make the gun ready to go off with the least jar particularly if he had modified the trigger.. One of the reason that leg wounds are common among police and security types.

A DAO pistol should not have gone off like that unless he had really, really modified the trigger.

Yes, then one report I read said she hugged him from behind and the gun went off? Which in a way makes the thru the heart and lung seems more reasonable, but the angles still off and it would have to be a left handed holster and she came up upon his right... and she had to be pretty short... etc. Information is very sketchy...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lowell

I can't find anything in the reports that says that someone witnessed this event. I find it very suspect that a police officer would have a bullet in the chamber AND the safety off.

Additionally it says the shot punctured a lung and went through the heart. If the gun was holstered it doesn't that seem like the bullet would have traveled downward into abdominal area....

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Perhaps the holster was a chest holster not a waist holster.
If not it may have been a richochet.
From what I hear they were on a dance floor and she came up behind him. I assume there were plenty of people around and possibly drinking going on. Who knows what a drunk at a party might do.
Bottom line though is that its no place for a gun.

The DPD spokeswoman has been stressing that officers do not have to be armed when off-duty. That must be a pretty new policy because in my memory, officers had to be armed always off-duty. The officer involved is a mature man with a lot of years on the job [[he served more than a decade ago in the old 4th Precinct at Fort & Green) so he he may be "old-school" and always carry.

bizarre, tragic.. I hope there ends up being a formal police dept. policy on off-duty gun holstering, mandating a certain kind of safety, etc.

This wasn't at the Manoogian was it? Maybe a stripper was there who wasn't there?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

Yes, then one report I read said she hugged him from behind and the gun went off? Which in a way makes the thru the heart and lung seems more reasonable, but the angles still off and it would have to be a left handed holster and she came up upon his right... and she had to be pretty short... etc. Information is very sketchy...

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Zacha, if he is right-handed, a pistol in a shoulder holster would be under his left armpit with the barrel pointing towards anyone coming at him from behind. If the gun then fired, it would be aimed at her heart.

The only way that I can see it happening would be if the pistol was "cocked and locked" and had a modified "hair trigger". That would account for it if her grabbing him slid the safety off. I can't see a double action only pistol like a Glock doing this.

If it was that easy to shoot someone, seems like he would have shot himself at some point during the night. Very sad, and I agree that the city is going to have to pay up either way. I'm sure Fieger is already on the phone with the family.

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Godbee said the gun was in a waist holster made of " a very soft neoprene type material," which would have allowed the trigger to be activated. He said there's no evidence the officer fired the gun, and he believes the gun discharged after Miller hugged the officer from behind during a party at the officer's home.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-...cident-lawyer/

Thanks for the clarification... I was trying to express that. What a mess and so unfortunate. Guns do fire accidentally especially with the modified trigger issue. I had a friend who shot her self in the leg in a firing range booth! Crazy but it happens!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hermod

Zacha, if he is right-handed, a pistol in a shoulder holster would be under his left armpit with the barrel pointing towards anyone coming at him from behind. If the gun then fired, it would be aimed at her heart.

The only way that I can see it happening would be if the pistol was "cocked and locked" and had a modified "hair trigger". That would account for it if her grabbing him slid the safety off. I can't see a double action only pistol like a Glock doing this.

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There is always the chance the officer is 6'-7" and the poor deceased is 4'-10".

Other than a richocet that's the only scenary that comes to mind at present.

What's the old Mae West line?

What sort of dance was happening?

What was the trajectory of the bullet wound?
Is the officer married? If so, was she at the party?
Any trace of gun powder or a bullet hole in the officer's clothing?
Alcohol? Marijuana?
I'm sure there's more to come on this story...Stay tuned

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Originally Posted by Meddle

This wasn't at the Manoogian was it? Maybe a stripper was there who wasn't there?

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Is that really necessary.

Maybe she was huggging his ....leg?

Quote:

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Godbee said the gun was in a waist holster made of " a very soft neoprene type material," which would have allowed the trigger to be activated. He said there's no evidence the officer fired the gun, and he believes the gun discharged after Miller hugged the officer from behind during a party at the officer's home.

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Okayeee... let's say we have the soft holster, it's a now a waist holster, he's 6'7" and she's 4'10" otherwise she tackles him...

So why was the gun unlocked?

[crickets]

Or did her hug both unlock and trigger the weapon?

Lots of questions still.

^^ Maybe she was reaching for his other 'gun'?

The explanation doesn't pass the smell test. Read a later edition and it said he was dancing with his wife and the young lady comes up behind him and hugs him.

I find that scenario to be quite strange for a whole lot of reasons.

I'm assuming that her hand hit the gun when she grabbed him. Every firearm isn't as safe as others. You would think that a police officer would be using a safer combination of pistol and holster.

I also hope that the people that think this accident is funny don't have to experience the death of one of their loved ones in a freak accident.

Shouldn't there be a bullet hole in the holster? If it accidentally discharged in the holster, there should be evidence of a gun firing in the holster.

They will know if he pulled the trigger by gun powder residue.
I see that there is some concern that the Chief did not answer a reporter's question about a blood alcohol test for Parrish. But he likely had been drinking at a party in his own home. So what would it prove to find out that he had been drinking?
The woman's mother is complaining that Parrish had a weapon on in his home.

Is it possible that she was goofing around and went up behind him and under the guise of hugging him playfully grabbed at his gun and it went off?

Anything is possible but .....

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Originally Posted by daddeeo

Maybe she was huggging his ....leg?

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it could explain the lack of witnesses ;/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ray1936

The worst thing ever to happen in contemporary policing was the change from the .38 special revolver over to the automatic pistols. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

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I never see any police carrying double action revolvers anymore. As far as I know, they've all switched to automatic .40 or 9mm pistols. From what I understand, one of the reasons why the change was made was because the cops were being outgunned.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bagley

FYI, Many departments have moved on to Smith & Wesson's Military & Police [[M&P) models. The Glocks were issued so long ago that the first one with the DPD serial number was given to Coleman Young--I almost bought his Glock at auction a few years back but I like steel frame handguns.

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DPD got rid of their Glocks a few years ago. Don't know why, can't believe they were breaking, those things are indestructable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shollin

Shouldn't there be a bullet hole in the holster? If it accidentally discharged in the holster, there should be evidence of a gun firing in the holster.

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Most concealed carry holsters are open ended so that you don't get dust and crud buildup in the holster. Many holsters also expose the trigger.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hermod

Most concealed carry holsters are open ended so that you don't get dust and crud buildup in the holster. Many holsters also expose the trigger.

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Many?! Maybe some, but I'd go for a few. It simply cannot be many, because those are idiotic...too great a liability, especially in today's litigious society.


As far as this story, now that it is apparent that the young woman approached the party-giver and his wife while dancing...I'd say a significantly different story is true, and nearly everything we've read and heard is cover-up.


My bet is the wife grabbed the gun to chase off the dead woman in jealousy, so her dominant hand should have the gunpowder residue on it. Trajectory of the bullet travel should be from her natural firing height. I'm guessing they all flunked the alcohol testing.


Just guessing, of course, from all of the available data that isn't exactly covered in the false story they're trying to present.


The base items of the story are true. She hugged him from behind, and shortly thereafter she was shot. They're just leaving out a few things.


<ugh>

Now they are saying she was on her knee's.
Also there was no breathalyzer test done.
http://www.freep.com/article/2012071...text|FRONTPAGE

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Originally Posted by Gannon

Many?! Maybe some, but I'd go for a few. It simply cannot be many, because those are idiotic...too great a liability, especially in today's litigious society.


As far as this story, now that it is apparent that the young woman approached the party-giver and his wife while dancing...I'd say a significantly different story is true, and nearly everything we've read and heard is cover-up.


My bet is the wife grabbed the gun to chase off the dead woman in jealousy, so her dominant hand should have the gunpowder residue on it. Trajectory of the bullet travel should be from her natural firing height. I'm guessing they all flunked the alcohol testing.


Just guessing, of course, from all of the available data that isn't exactly covered in the false story they're trying to present.


The base items of the story are true. She hugged him from behind, and shortly thereafter she was shot. They're just leaving out a few things.


<ugh>

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My first post on this subject I said this story didn't pass the smell test. I was alluding to much of what you were saying. I wouldn't be surprised that once all of the story comes out this might not even be an accident.

What bothers me is that Chief Godbee came out and put his own spin on the initial story. I'm thinking that this is one instance were he should have said "no comment" we are still checking the story out. Because if it turns out this story is false a case can be made that he is a part of a cover up, and unlike the public which gets limited information he gets all the information

Quote:

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Originally Posted by firstandten

I wouldn't be surprised that once all of the story comes out this might not even be an accident.

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When I referenced a more infamous case on the first page, I was saying we'll never get the whole, true story. The cover-up began before the first phone call. Which brings up another question ----- how long after the shot was the first call for help made?

'when you party with a gun, you party with the grim reaper.'

It is optional for Detroit police officers to carry their weapons while off-duty.
The official said police did not give Parrish a Breathalyzer, but alcohol does not appear to be a factor. The source added there was no odor of intoxicants, the officer's speech was not slurred and he took a field sobriety test.
According to department policy, "off-duty officers are prohibited by state law from carrying a firearm if their blood alcohol level is 0.02% or above." It's unclear whether Miller had been drinking when the shooting occurred about 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

Everything about this statement screams cover-up.

We had a neighbor in Detroit who was a DPD officer. I know that when he came home from work, the first thing he did was put his gun up on top of the china cabinet where his kids couldn't reach it, but when they went someplace, he always carried. Can't see this officer wearing his firearm at home, unless he was expecting an unruly group.

This story has more holes in it than swiss cheese.....I have holsters both hard and soft, I have seen dozens of others and I have never seen one where the trigger is exposed enough to do that. And for those who do not know about S&W .40 model he claimed to be carring have no external safety with the exception of a double trigger, same as a Glock. This girl would have to be on her knees, and his weapon would have had to been exposed more than was claimed. This is just my 2 cents worth based on my experience with a concealed carry. Is is possible? Anthing is possible.......but the afore mentioned things would have had to been a perfect storm.......As for why he was carring, who knows, many people who are either police officers or citizens carry everywhere.....

I think the "cover-up" is an awkward effort to protect the memory of the [[unfortunately) drunk young woman who was acting in a way that, if known, her family wouldn't want to remember all their lives.
I have met the officer involved. It is really unlikely that he mistakenly shot a young woman in his own house. Of he did he will have gunpowder residue on his hands and any attorney would be able to ask for that report - a coverup is impossible.
Notice that there is no outcry from the friends who were with her. Don't you think that if her death were anything other than stated that others at the party, or at least her friends would say something. Yet no one does.
I imagine that, out of consideration for the family the DPD started to keep ugly details quiet but now they must drip them out because of rabid accusations of Criminal Cover-up are being tossed around. So now we hear that woman was on her knees [[Mother indignantly denies even tho not present) and that she arrived intoxicated, and that she was fondling man she just met. People do that all the time, of course, but no one wants to have that be remembered as her final, foolish, drunken act. Godbee is a minister and likely was trying to be kind but now it has back-fired.

Hmmm, as more info comes out this could bow really bad per Godbee's early commentary. The story has hit national news now:

Detroit police say trigger of officer's holstered gun could be reached through soft cover explaining fatal shooting when girl hugged him from behind

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz20H9QGICv

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

The story has hit national news now.

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That would be international!!

Even though it is only the Daily Mail, it seems the UK press covers more fully the stuff the locals and national news services don't seem to want to follow up on...

They published a rather incriminating photo, lookin' like the young lady just left Big Bobb's torture chamber...and they report that her mother heard from friends that she was 'being flirty'. How did this get missed with the local coverage?!


I'm no longer guessing...I'm saying...the wife did it. Shot her down for messin' with her man.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

Hmmm, as more info comes out this could bow really bad per Godbee's early commentary. The story has hit national news now:

Detroit police say trigger of officer's holstered gun could be reached through soft cover explaining fatal shooting when girl hugged him from behind

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz20H9QGICv

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Read your link and some of the comments afterward. Godbee better hope this doesn't turn out to be a murder investigation. Knowing Bing's management style he'll kick him to the curb in a minute. Given the mayors shakey re-election hopes there's no way Godbee survives something like this.

International fo' sho! Thanks G... Yeah GM tends to find the grittiest photos and inpolite details when they run an article. I hope this thing does not get 'litigious' - we really need that. Oh yeah!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gannon

That would be international!!

Even though it is only the Daily Mail, it seems the UK press covers more fully the stuff the locals and national news services don't seem to want to follow up on...

They published a rather incriminating photo, lookin' like the young lady just left Big Bobb's torture chamber...and they report that her mother heard from friends that she was 'being flirty'. How did this get missed with the local coverage?!

I'm no longer guessing...I'm saying...the wife did it. Shot her down for messin' with her man.

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It's Strawberrygate all over again. Sad...

Someone was negligent in death at Detroit officer's party, lawyer says

"We believe 100% that this death was caused as a result of a negligent act of somebody," [Attorney] Thurswell said. "If somebody was negligent, then someone's responsible for the injuries and death caused as a result."

Thurswell said he has hired a private investigator to look into the shooting at Officer Isaac Parrish's home on Detroit's west side. He said it's too early to say who he thinks was negligent.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012071...ty-lawyer-says

Very sad and I pray for all parties.

But if I were an officer, I would always be strapped. Too many knuckle heads out there would probably go after them if they don't carry when they're off duty.