Gun goes off in Elgin cop's house, police investigate

Pingree Grove police are investigating an accidental gun discharge Christmas night inside an Elgin police officer's townhouse, authorities said Wednesday.

Elgin police are conducting their own internal probe of the incident to ensure the officer did not violate department policies, Lt. Sean Rafferty said.

The incident, the first of its kind in the tiny village, occurred at 10 p.m. Friday on the 1500 block of Sand Castle Lane, Pingree Grove Police Chief Carol Lussky said.

During a family gathering at the townhouse, one of the officer's guests fired a single shot from a .45 caliber pistol, Lussky said.

"It appears they were checking to see if the gun was loaded and it accidentally went off," Lussky said. "It was not any kind of criminal intent as far as we know at this point."

Alcohol was not involved in the incident and there were no injuries, police said.

Aside from a bullet hole in the wall, there was no other damage, said Lussky, who notified Elgin police about the shooting the following morning.

The ongoing investigation aims to determine how the guest got ahold of the officer's gun.

Both departments declined to release the name of the officer, but Rafferty said he has been on the Elgin force less than five years and will remain on duty during the probe.

Neither department knows whether the firearm involved was the officer's duty pistol or his personal gun.

Elgin police officers are required to follow policies dealing with properly securing, handling and carrying department-issued firearms while they're off duty.

If the gun in question was the officer's duty weapon, the department's internal probe will determine whether the officer broke any regulations, Rafferty said.

"If they're off duty and negligent and careless, they could open themselves up to criminal charges, but that's going to be up to Pingree Grove," Rafferty said.

Elgin's investigation is expected to conclude within 30 days. Pingree Grove has not put a time limit on its probe.