Veteran sheriff's deputy accidentally shoots Indiana high school student during 'bad guy drill'
VERMILLION COUNTY, INDIANA: An Indiana high school student sustained non-life threatening injuries after a sheriff’s deputy accidentally fired during a 'bad guy drill' on Thursday, November 17.
Indiana state police said the incident took place at around 9:35 am when Sheriff's Deputy Tim DisPennett was leading a law enforcement class at South Vermillion High School, located in Clinton, about 90 miles west of Indianapolis. During the drill, DisPennett accidentally discharged his service weapon and injured an unidentified male senior.
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The student was immediately rushed to Terre Haute hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The police department has launched an investigation into the matter and is currently interviewing students who were present in the classroom. The school remained on lockdown until 11.45 am while law enforcement was on campus
"The incident was in the Law Enforcement classroom where the instructor was going over drills with the students when he accidentally drew his firearm instead of his training weapon and discharged it toward a student," Superintendent Dave Chapman wrote in a statement.
"The instructor immediately began first aid. Within minutes, emergency personnel and law enforcement arrived on the scene and began assisting the injured student, and eventually transported him to a hospital in Terre Haute. It needs to be clear that this was an accidental shooting and that at no time were the students and staff at the high school in any danger or threat."
Deputy DisPennett, who has been a part of the Vermillion County Sheriff's Department for more than 19 years, was placed on administrative leave following the incident, according to WDRB. DisPennett even ran for Vermillion County Sheriff in last week's election but lost to Democrat Mike Holtkamp.
This is the second accidental shooting by a serviced office in recent times. In October, an officer, identified as Jorge Arias, with the US Customs and Border Protection, was unintentionally shot and killed by a fellow officer during a training exercise at a Florida shooting range. Arias was serving as a firearms instructor at Trail Glades Range in Miami when he was accidentally shot by another officer. The officer was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. “A US Customs and Border Protection officer working at the agency’s weapons range was injured while on duty,” Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Michael Silva said “We wouldn’t be doing this job unless we had a calling and a love for the job. It’s something he took pride in,”