Deputy Police Chief Tom Steiner reported he consulted with City Prosecutor Frank Patrizio once the report was done. “After a review of the facts, he did not recommend any charges filed regarding the incident,” Steiner stated in the report.
An internal investigation is still underway, said Deputy Chief Marty Grove.
Three officers suffered minor leg injuries when they were struck by bullet fragments from the pistol.
The Piqua officers injured were Rick Beasley, a 23-year veteran of the department; Todd Voskuhl, a 16-year veteran of the department; and Mike Casey, a 10-year police veteran with one year at the Piqua department. The officer handling the weapon when it discharged was identified as Adam Coe, a seven-year veteran of the department. The three injured officers were treated at a local hospital and released.
The investigation reports said Coe’s weapon – a Glock 9 mm semiautomatic pistol – underwent an operability test and functioned as designed.
He told the investigating officer that the officers were in the process of cleaning their weapons when he was going to “‘download’ his duty pistol and began to pull the slide back. Officer Coe said the slide began to move forward back into battery and, at that time, the pistol was uneven in his hands and when he tried to regain control of it ‘my finger must have just pulled the trigger.’” Coe said the pistol was pointed at the ground and, when it went off, he put it down and walked away.
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