At about 6:45 p.m. Friday, the Bowyers were in the master bedroom of their Bainbridge home preparing to attend a party, Cofer said. Bowyer stated he was conducting a "press check" to ensure the small handgun he carried with him while off-duty was properly loaded, Cofer said. Bowyer stated to Bainbridge Public Safety Officer Ray Cox that while loading the handgun, it misfired. The handgun fired off seven bullets, one of which struck Mrs. Bowyer in the lower right abdomen, Cofer said.The article goes on to claim that something broke inside the gun which caused it to fire itself.
The initial review of the bedroom and statements made by the Bowyers and their juvenile daughter, who was in the home at the time of the shooting, indicate that the deputy's handgun malfunctioned, Cofer said. Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called to the scene and took possession of the firearm to investigate the cause of its malfunction, Griffin said Tuesday.
Sounds fishy, to me.
The article also states that it was "similar to a .380-caliber," which suggests to me either a Makarov or one of those PA-63's (I think that's the right model number). Has anyone ever heard of this happening with either gun before? Is it possible?
UPDATE: Thanks to Paul Simer for providing me with these links that show me my suspicions were ill-founded.
