CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A SWAT officer killed last month died because he incorrectly tried to reinsert a pin into a flash-bang grenade, a police investigation report shows.
In a statement released Wednesday night, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said their findings did not show evidence of a malfunction of the flash-bang grenade. Instead, the report concluded that Officer Fred Thornton tried to replace the device's pin, which led to its detonation.
The grenade exploded in the garage of his Mint Hill home.
According to the report, the device used by SWAT – a Def-Tec 25 – produces a loud bang and flashing lights, but no shrapnel. The devices also have two safety features, the report states, a cotter and a spoon.
Departmental policy dictates that any flash-bang grenade with the pin, or cotter, pulled, "should be activated by throwing the FSDD into a safe location," the report states.
The report details the events of the day Thornton died. The police department said SWAT officers were used to serve a search warrant at a LaSalle Street home on Feb. 25. According to the report, Thornton was to be a "hands free" team member and deploy a flash-bang grenade at his discretion.
Thornton did not deploy the device there, and later told a supervisor the grenade was not needed during the incident at the northwest Charlotte home, the report states.
According to the report, investigators believe Thornton pulled the pin while at the LaSalle Street home in preparation for using it, but later put on piece of the pin back in the grenade.
Later that afternoon in his garage, investigators believe Thornton tried to replace the pin. That is when the flash-bang exploded, the report concludes. Officials found two grenade pins in Thornton's garage, the report states.
"Reinsertion of a pin is not an authorized technique for attempting to render the non-reloadable Def-Tec25 FSDD stable," the report states.
There were no conclusions drawn by investigators on why Thornton was handling the device at his home or why proper protocol was not followed after he removed the pin earlier that day.
The device has been used by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department for the last five years, the report states.
Previous Stories: March 11, 2011: SWAT Team Still Using Devices Involved In Officer's Death March 1, 2011: Friends, Family Remember Fallen CMPD Officer March 1, 2011: Tears, Tributes For Fallen Charlotte-Mecklenburg Swat Officer At Visitation February 28, 2011: Colleagues Remember Fallen Officer