Security guard accidentally shoots himself

**Virginian** · 12-22-06, 11:13 AM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16313154/

A security guard shot himself in the hand Wednesday after a deputy inquired about why the guard's gun was in its holster with the hammer cocked.

Paul Melendez was on the job at the La Mexicana supermarket on Ortiz Avenue when Deputy David Scozzafava stopped in.

The deputy asked why the gun was cocked and Melendez reportedly told him it was OK, because the safety was on.

Melendez, 36, then began to pull the gun from the holster, as Scozzafava repeatedly yelled "No!", trying to get the man to leave the weapon where it was.

As he removed the gun, it went off, hitting Melendez in the hand just below the little finger on his left hand.

Deputies say Melendez suffered a cut and burns to his hand and drove himself to the hospital for treatment.

**10-42Adam** · 12-22-06, 11:39 AM

*Waiting for some funny responses...*

**E-man** · 12-22-06, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Jewell

*Waiting for some funny responses...*

***Homer Simpson voice***

**Ducky** · 12-22-06, 01:39 PM

OK, I'm kind of gun-ignorant, but do revolvers even HAVE separate safeties?

**Virginian** · 12-22-06, 01:48 PM

Some do, but unless the article said it was (I didn't click the link) it may not have been a revolver.

**CountyFourteen** · 12-22-06, 02:44 PM

doh

**2525** · 12-22-06, 02:51 PM

Damn. Another retard escapes being a recipient of a Darwin award.

**Piggybank Cop** · 12-22-06, 02:56 PM

OUCH!

In the good book it says thou shall not mock the afflicted; they do quiet well themselves.

**Crimebytes2** · 12-22-06, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by Virginian

The deputy asked why the gun was cocked and Melendez reportedly told him it was OK, because the safety was on.

I wonder if he still feels the same?

**TheOldRhino** · 12-22-06, 03:50 PM

I'm going to stand up for the security guard here. I can't argue the he wasn't a moron, so that isn't the issue. But, I do have a couple of points to make:

First, if the firearm was a 1911 model .45- those are almost always carried with the hammer back and the safety on. I believe the FBI term is "Condition 1".

Second, I've known 3 people who have shot themselves. All of them are professed "gun nuts". 2 of them are SWAT certified police officers.

Just keep those in mind before you start casting stones.

**BEK** · 12-22-06, 04:01 PM

Dont matter if he knew everything he needed to know about the weapon he still didnt know enough to not unholster your weapon in a supermarket. Plus the cop was saying no. The guards lucky that he was the only one injured. Bad Security guard BAD

**HardNoseBull** · 12-22-06, 04:15 PM

In the immortal word of Mr.Gump, "Stupid is as Stupid does". But I know of a sheriff that shot his hand with a 9mm semi auto inside the gatehouse of a prison, you can imagine how that went over.

**General Patten** · 12-22-06, 06:06 PM

im with BEK on this one. If he had a SA, and the safety was really on, as Rhino said, thats one thing... people carry 1911's like that all the time... but he should'nt have unholstered it in a store. If nothing else, he should've stopped what he was doing when the deputy started to yell "No" repeatedly.

**TheOldRhino** · 12-22-06, 07:13 PM

Like I said, I'm not arguing the guy is not a moron.

My main point was that before anyone start labeling security guards, that it's something that cops do too- and we should all be careful.

And just like I told my buddy when he told me the gun "accidently" went off- there was nothing "accident" about it. That gun went off right it was supposed to. It's the user that malfunctioned.

**Welpe** · 12-22-06, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by Rhino

My main point was that before anyone start labeling security guards, that it's something that cops do too- and we should all be careful.

"I'm the only one professional enough, that I know of, in this room to handle this Glock Fort...BANG!"

**Jackalope** · 12-22-06, 10:40 PM

What kind of supermarket needs an armed security guard? I slept in a rest area in Florida one time and in the morning I was shocked to see an armed guard keeping watch. I always thought the debauchery that went on in rest areas was mutually consentual.

Anyway, to get

, I can see how negligent discharges can happen. I had a roommate in college that fired one into the floor because he thought he cleared it but didn't realize that a loaded magazine was in it. Clearing it actually chambered a round. Now this guy isn't stupid, he just made a mistake.

The lesson in this is that nobody got shot because he was keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. I think the security guard's biggest mistake was putting his hand in front of the muzzle. At least he wasn't pointing it at anyone else.

**TXCOP** · 12-23-06, 08:33 AM

Most NDs happen to gun savy folks. Either a level of exhaustion or a certain degree of jaded thinking make you unsafe. It's like Nick Cage said in "The Rock" the very instant you don't respect this thing, it will kill you.

NDs can happen anytime. You must be aware of what you are doing at all times.

I hate to keep going on, but I once cranked off a round into my brothers dash board and narrowly missed my knee.

**General Patten** · 12-24-06, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by TXCOP

It's like Nick Cage said in "The Rock" the very instant you don't respect this thing, it will kill you.

...I forgot that one.
that is a good quote.

**CelticCop** · 12-24-06, 12:46 AM

I don't care if it's a single action weapon or not... Carrying cocked in the holster with a round under the pin is stupidity on the order of idiocy.

You can cock the hammer on the draw as easily as you can release the safety...

**TheOldRhino** · 12-24-06, 01:03 AM

Originally Posted by CelticCop

I don't care if it's a single action weapon or not... Carrying cocked in the holster with a round under the pin is stupidity on the order of idiocy.

You can cock the hammer on the draw as easily as you can release the safety...

You obviously have little experience with the 1911 model. It's regularly carried with the hammer back and the safety on. Most 1911 holsters are even designed to facilitate this.

Edit: I'll got one further and say that a man who is an experienced firearms instructor and counter sniper that lives here in GA is considered in many circles to be an expert with the 1911. He told me of an experiment he did where he took several semi-auto handguns- S&Ws, Berrettas, etc- and put them on a gun rack with the hammer back. He then took a chisel and a hammer and attempted to force the hammer down on all the models. According to him, every model failed- except for the 1911... the hammer broke off before it fell before it was supposed to.