INSTITUTE, W.Va. — A West Virginia State Police Trooper accidentally shot himself while cleaning an off-duty weapon Monday evening at the State Police Academy in Institute.
“After training he was cleaning an off-duty weapon and during the cleaning of that weapon he had an accidental discharge which caused him to shoot himself in the hand and wrist area,” State Police spokesman Lt. Michael Baylous told MetroNews.
The trooper, whose name was not released, is expected to recover.
Lt. Baylous said the trooper was either cleaning the weapon or attempting to clean it.
“Unfortunately there was a round in the chamber and it went off,” Baylous said.
Off-duty weapons are typically not carried by troopers when they are in uniform. They are approved for troopers to carry concealed while off-duty. Baylous said there several different types of off-duty weapons.
“All of them are different in how they function and for whatever reason there was a round that went off while he was handling that weapon,” he said.
Baylous said the agency will review the incident.