Home » News » Public Safety
March 04. 2013 7:12PM
LAWRENCE, Mass. - No one was injured when a police dog searching for a handgun stolen from New Hampshire managed to fire the weapon with its paw Saturday morning in Lawrence.
Ivan, a 3-year-old German shepherd, and his handler, Lt. John Pickles of the Essex County Sherriff's Department, were startled when a gun Ivan was searching for in a snowbank fired when he pawed at it to indicate its location.
Essex County Sheriff's Department spokesman Maurice Pratt said the department was called in by the Lawrence Police Department for help locating a weapon after a man was seen burying something in the snow by police after a report of shots being fired.
After the gun was recovered, Detective Tom Cuddy of the Lawrence Police Department said police matched it to a gun that was stolen from Manchester on Oct. 2 of last year.
Pratt said Ivan, who is one of the department's 18 K-9s, has been with the department about a year and is narcotics and search trained.
"Ivan is trained to sit when he finds something, then the handler will instruct him to paw for the item, and that is when the gun fired," Pratt said.
While the round that was fired has not been located, Pratt said, "The most important thing is that the dog, officer and civilians are fine. We are fortunate no one was hurt."
Despite the scare, Pratt said Lt. Pickles and Ivan would not miss any time due to the incident.
"We sure have not heard of anything like this ever happening," he said.
While a police dog firing a gun he was searching for might be new, there are media accounts of man's best friend accidentally firing off a few rounds.
In November 2011, a duck hunter in Utah was injured when his dog jumped on the bow of a boat and discharged a shotgun into his owner's backside. Last week, a Florida man was shot in the leg while driving when his excited dog, who was jumping around inside a truck, hit an unsecured gun and caused it to fire.
bklein@newstote.com
Mass. police dog accidentally fires stolen Manchester gun
Ivan, a 3-year-old German shepherd, and his handler, Lt. John Pickles of the Essex County Sherriff's Department, were startled when a gun Ivan was searching for in a snowbank fired when he pawed at it to indicate its location.
Essex County Sheriff's Department spokesman Maurice Pratt said the department was called in by the Lawrence Police Department for help locating a weapon after a man was seen burying something in the snow by police after a report of shots being fired.
After the gun was recovered, Detective Tom Cuddy of the Lawrence Police Department said police matched it to a gun that was stolen from Manchester on Oct. 2 of last year.
Pratt said Ivan, who is one of the department's 18 K-9s, has been with the department about a year and is narcotics and search trained.
"Ivan is trained to sit when he finds something, then the handler will instruct him to paw for the item, and that is when the gun fired," Pratt said.
While the round that was fired has not been located, Pratt said, "The most important thing is that the dog, officer and civilians are fine. We are fortunate no one was hurt."
Despite the scare, Pratt said Lt. Pickles and Ivan would not miss any time due to the incident.
"We sure have not heard of anything like this ever happening," he said.
While a police dog firing a gun he was searching for might be new, there are media accounts of man's best friend accidentally firing off a few rounds.
In November 2011, a duck hunter in Utah was injured when his dog jumped on the bow of a boat and discharged a shotgun into his owner's backside. Last week, a Florida man was shot in the leg while driving when his excited dog, who was jumping around inside a truck, hit an unsecured gun and caused it to fire.
bklein@newstote.com
- Man seriously hurt in North Country crash of 1967 Porsche - 0
- Teen hurt in Amherst boating crash - 0
- Ceremony for fallen police officers honors service and sacrifice - 2
- Amtrak suspends New York-Boston service after two trains collide in Conn.; up to 60 hurt - 0
- Two hurt in Epping crash involving bus, five other vehicles - 0
- New Boston man killed in fiery Mont Vernon crash - 0
- Man suffers serious burns in Plaistow house fire - 0
- Fire in Claremont Middle School of 'suspicious' origin - 0
- Construction of temporary bridge in Francestown set to start this month - 0
Berlin man dies while kayaking
READER COMMENTS: 0- Andy Schachat's On the Run: Lots to love about NH road race/triathlon scene - 0
- Investigators seek cause of Conn. train crash - 0
- Ortiz knocks in six in Red Sox win - 0
- College Baseball: Ravens outlast Penmen in 13 to survive another day - 0
- Three Fisher Cat hurlers combine to pitch shutout - 0
- Lakes Region, Great Bay CC hold commencement ceremonies - 0
- UNH Law School grads told to 'serve justice' - 0
- Stonyfield founder tells FPU grads to ask, 'Why not?' - 0
- NH troopers help Boston victims - 0
Marine think tank to move to former Great Bay campus
READER COMMENTS: 0| Follow us: | ||
 |
 |
 |
Sorry, no question available