Woman in trouble after accidentally firing husband's police weapon

An Elgin police officer's wife is responsible for an accidental Christmas night shooting in Pingree Grove in which nobody was injured, authorities said Tuesday.

Moreover, it was the officer's duty weapon that his wife fired, Pingree Grove Police Chief Carol Lussky said.

Arianne Barnard, 32, was cited for discharging a firearm within the village limits - a local ordinance violation.

She is due in court March 16 at the Elgin Branch Court and could face a fine of up to $500.

The shooting occurred at 10 p.m. Dec. 25 at the Barnard house.

Lussky said Arianne Barnard and her husband Jason were showing family members the guns they own and that Arianne loaded her husband's .45-caliber semiautomatic to see how heavy it was. It's the same gun he uses on the job.

"Probably while she pulled the slide with her left hand, she pulled the trigger," Lussky said. "Loading it to show how heavy it was, was dumb."

The bullet penetrated a wall in the Barnard townhouse and traveled across the alley and into a wall attached to a neighbor's home - luckily, nobody was home at the time, Lussky said.

Pingree Grove closed its portion of the probe last week, while Elgin police continue to conduct an internal investigation to ensure Officer Barnard did not violate any department policies.

But it appears he broke at least one rule.

In a previous interview, Elgin Lt. Sean Rafferty said the department has guidelines that require officers to properly secure, carry and handle department-issued firearms while they're off duty. The incident would appear to contradict that policy.

Barnard has been on the force for less than five years. Deputy Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said Barnard is still on the street. He declined further comment.