JANESVILLE, Wis. — No one was hurt when a gun belonging to a school liaison officer at Edison Middle School went off Monday while the officer was taking off their backpack, the School District of Janesville said.
In an email sent to parents Monday afternoon, Superintendent Mark Holzman said the liaison officer was taking off their backpack in their personal office when “a part of the backpack got caught or hung up with the butt of their service firearm.” The gun then fired a round into the floor.
Supervisors from the Janesville Police Department went to the school and “determined that there is no identifiable reason for the unintended discharge which occurred while the handgun was properly secured in the department-issued holster,” the email said.
Police are sending the gun and the holster to its manufacturer — Smith and Wesson — for examination and to try to figure out what happened.
“The police department will also be following up with the ammunition manufacturer (Winchester), and the holster manufacturer (Safariland) to identify any defect that may have contributed to the unintended discharge,” Holzman wrote.
District spokesperson Patrick Gasper told News 3 Now Monday night he was not aware of any significant damage from the incident and that no one else was in the officer’s office at the time.
“District staff met with Edison staff after school today, and if there are any additional needs for the students and school, district staff are available,” he added.
News 3 Now has also reached out to the Janesville Police Department for further details about the incident.
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