Northville Township Reserve Police Officer Injured in Accidental Gun Firing

A Northville Township reserve police officer was hurt in the early morning hours on Thursday after accidentally shooting himself in the hand, according to Canton Township police.

Canton Deputy Police Chief Robert Kerr confirmed that the officer was taken to an area hospital but not seriously injured as a result of the accidental shooting, which occurred at the man's Canton home just before 12:30 a.m. on Thursday.

The officer was treated at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor and released, according to hospital spokeswoman Lauren Jones.

"Apparently he was going to clean his handgun and believed he had put the safety on and pulled the trigger to make sure the safety was on," Kerr said. "For some reason the gun fired. I can't say whether there was something wrong with the gun or if he did something wrong with it."

Kerr declined to confirm the officer's name, referring that inquiry to Northville Township Police officials, who could not be reached as of Thursday evening.

The type of gun involved is not clear; Kerr said he could not say and, according to Northville Township's website on the reserve officer program, "The person selected to the Reserve program will be supplied with all the required safety equipment and necessary uniforms. The reserve officer will need to supply their own firearm."

Kerr added that accidental discharges are not common among police officers, but they do happen "every once in a great while."

Whether the officer involved with face any disciplinary action or retraining requirements will be up to Northville Township Police officials, Kerr said.