McHenry Co. deputy: Theories on shooting range injuries 'nonsense'

In the 10 weeks since bullet fragments tore into his leg and hand during a training exercise at the McHenry County Sheriff's shooting range, Deputy Eric Woods has stood by silently as bloggers and his boss's political rivals have suggested he was the victim of more than just bad luck.

Whether it was the result of incompetent planning and substandard training, or an intentional act meant to either haze or intimidate Woods, numerous theories have popped up in the blogosphere to contradict the official account and imply a far-reaching cover-up.

Now, in his first public comments about the incident, Woods is saying enough is enough.

"I want to clear this nonsense up," Woods said Friday. "I don't know how it escalated this far, but this was a freak accident. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Woods, a sheriff's deputy since 2007, suffered leg and hand injuries March 15 while participating in a SWAT training exercise at the sheriff's shooting range near Woodstock.

According to sheriff's reports obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, the injuries occurred as Woods and several other deputies conducted a mock raid into a room that included steel targets representing dogs or people who needed to be subdued.

Woods, reports state, entered first, passed a dog target and moved to its left. Another deputy, according to the reports, came in behind him and fired a frangible round - designed to disintegrate into powder on impact - into the dog target.

Fragments from the round, official reports state, struck Woods in several places, causing injuries he said looked like chickenpox.

Woods was hospitalized briefly after the incident with 67 tiny fragments under his skin. He returned to work the next day, but then went back to the hospital for surgery to remove about 15 of them. Though he was off the job for four weeks, Woods disputes reports he was seriously injured in the incident or bleeding profusely as a result.

Asked Friday about the rumors and theories floating around, Woods scoffed at claims he was shot during a hazing ritual, noting that he had been on the SWAT team for more than a year at the time of the incident.

"Had this been a hazing incident, that would have been my last day as a McHenry County Sheriff's deputy and the first day of the biggest lawsuit ever seen against this department," Woods said. "There is no way I am going to let someone shoot me."

Among the bloggers to write about the incident is Gus Philpott, whose Woodstock Advocate is a frequent critic of the McHenry County Sheriff's Office. Philpott, who is running against McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren as a Green Party candidate in this fall's election, said he is happy Woods is well enough to return to the force, but still will push for an independent probe.

"I hope he is speaking freely when he describes what happened," Philpott said. "My problem is, why did it take him 21/2 months to say what happened? I still question the reports."

The shooting has also drawn comment from Nygren's Democratic challenger, Mike Mahon. This week Mahon issued a statement questioning the validity of the department's investigation, calling its reports "contradictory and incomplete" and likening its conclusions to the "magic bullet theory" behind the John F. Kennedy assassination.

"It's become clear Sheriff Nygren has not conducted a thorough investigation nor does he intend to do so for fear of political damage," Mahon said in his statement.

Asked Friday about Woods' comments, Mahon said he continues to doubt the sheriff's account and, if it is true, he questions why the sheriff has not raised the issued with the frangible rounds manufacturer.

Tamer theories have suggested that a deputy inadvertently used live ammunition during the exercise, instead of the frangible training rounds, an idea proposed by an official with the rounds' manufacturer, International Cartridge Corp.

Frangible rounds, he said, break into fine particles at impact so as not to harm anyone nearby. Being struck by the particles, the official said, would be akin to a gust of wind blowing sand against a person.

However, he added, if a round does not hit its target squarely, it is not impossible for larger pieces to ricochet away.

Sheriff's officials insist the exercise involved only frangible ammunition - a contention Woods backed Friday - and criticized those speculating about the incident online and elsewhere.

"The comments being made by people who admit they have no actual knowledge of what occurred is disappointing and very unprofessional," Undersheriff Andrew Zinke said.