Officer accidentally discharged gun months ago at Birkdale Village, failed to report it

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — A Huntersville police officer is facing disciplinary action after accidentally discharging their gun and failing to report the incident.

It happened at the police department’s field office in Birkdale Village in September. The bullet hit a window just above Brixx Wood Fired Pizza.

According to Police Chief Bence Hoyle, the department did not know about the incident until another officer found the bullet hole in the window last week.

Hoyle said the field office is not regularly staffed and officers rarely use it, which is why it took so long to learn about it.

In a statement, police said:

“The officer removed their belt to use the restroom and in doing so, they also removed and unloaded their firearm, properly. As the officer reloaded their firearm, they improperly had their finger on the trigger, which resulted in the discharge.”

Officials said the department is looking into possible firearms retraining for the officer and disciplinary action as well as retraining will be decided in the coming days.

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Birkdale Village is one of the most popular shopping centers in Huntersville. People who live and work in the area said they are concerned about the bullet that went through the window.

“With a gun, it can be dangerous, I mean, it could kill somebody or hurt someone,” shopper Marc Cain said.

“It would be great to see action taken just to make sure an accident doesn’t happen and someone could get injured,” shopper Samantha Price said.

Police said they are investigating the incident, but no one was hurt.

This is an ongoing investigation. Check back with wsoctv.com for more information.

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