GENESEE CO. -- UPATED 2/14/11 4:00PM:
Genesee Co. Sheriff Robert Pickell says he has suspended the deputy whose gun went off at a local dentist office last week.
Pickell says the unpaid leave is for five days and will determine what to do next after an internal investigation.
The sheriff says he apologized to the staff at the office of Dr. Michael Frey in Mundy Township on Gateway Centre.
Original story:
A Genesee County Sheriff's deputy's gun goes off at an unlikely place, a dentist's office.
"I think as a police officer they should know how to handle their weapon without it discharging, especially in a public place," says Penny Bowman of Flint.
Police say it happened at Dr. Michael Frey's oral surgery office in Genesee County's Mundy Township on Gateway Centre Thursday morning.
Authorities say a female, off-duty sheriff's deputy concealing her personal a 22 caliber, two-shot derringer handgun walked into the office.
Investigators say the gun discharged and a bullet went through a wall.
They say no one was hit.
"Guns just don't go off. 'Responsibility' would be a key word I would think," says Flint's Kenneth Bowman.
Detectives say the deputy's statement and the physical evidence at the office are consistent and believe it was an accident.
Genesee Co. Sheriff Robert Pickell tells NBC25, "It's under investigation. I'll be able to comment Monday."
At this point, no charges have been filed.
Initial reports say since it was a legal firearm being used in a legal manner, there isn't a problem.
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