New details emerge about NYPD cop’s ‘purely unintentional’ gun discharge during Columbia raid on anti-Israel protesters inside Hamilton Hall
NY Post
The NYPD sergeant who accidentally fired his gun during Tuesday night’s operation to oust anti-Israel protesters from Columbia University mistakenly let the slug fly as he shifted the weapon from one hand to another so he could unlock an office door, officials said.
The “experienced” cop — who had served as a sergeant for eight years in the department’s Emergency Service Unit — was holding a 9mm handgun with an attached flashlight as he helped other officers access a locked office on the first floor of the Ivy League university’s Hamilton Hall, ESU Commanding Officer Chief Carlos Valdez told reporters Friday.
His team had already broken a window — allowing the sergeant to reach through the hole in the glass to unlock an office door from the inside, Valdez said.
He realized he needed his dominant right hand to do that, so he switched the gun over to his left, the police official said.
“[That’s] when the unintentional discharge occurred,” Valdez said.
“The bullet traveled to the office glass and into the office they were attempting to gain access to.”
