ROCKLAND, Mass. (WPRI) — A Rhode Island Deputy Sheriff has been placed on administrative duty pending an investigation into the accidental discharge of his off-duty weapon at a hotel in Rockland Saturday night, according to Rhode Island Department of Public Safety Spokeswoman Laura Meade Kirk.
Kirk said the Deputy Sheriff was securing his personal off-duty handgun in his room at the Comfort Inn, when the weapon accidentally discharged around 7 p.m.
The bullet struck a wall and no one was injured.
Kirk said the sheriff immediately contacted the Rockland Police Department, who investigated the incident and found no evidence of wrongdoing. Rockland Police further stated in their report that the sheriff, “had zero signs of impairment and no signs of alcohol.”
The Rhode Island Division of Sheriffs and the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety are investigating the incident.
The sheriff was hired in September 2016, and is assigned to provide courthouse security. Kirk said he is authorized, but not required, to carry a weapon while off-duty.
