Police trainee shoots self in leg

A police trainee at Georgia Northwestern Technical College accidentally shot himself in the leg Thursday while drawing his gun.

According to an emailed statement from college President Craig McDaniel, the student was involved in a Low Light Familiarization Course exercise at a firing range in Calhoun, Ga., with 16 other students and three instructors.

When the student, whose name was not released, pulled his .40-caliber Glock from his holster, he accidentally pulled the trigger.

The bullet entered at top of the student's right calf and exited at the ankle, according to McDaniel. Medics found the bullet in the student's boot.

"At the present time I view this as an unfortunate accident that occurred during a well-supervised, closely monitored training exercise," McDaniel said.

Buford Tune, owner of the Academy of Personal Protection and Security in Nashville, said in 20 years of instructing he's only seen one injury on the range, but he acknowledged they happen. He is not connected with the firing range in Calhoun or the police training program.

"Accidents will happen with a gun, with a car or anything else," said Tune, who said he was once accidentally shot through the hand. "When it does happen you learn from your mistakes."

Trainees often put their fingers on the triggers when they're holstering or drawing a weapon, he said.

"The biggest problem we have to pound into people's heads is to take their fingers off the trigger," Tune explained. "It's just a natural thing [that] when you pick it up, the finger goes to the trigger."