Corrections officer shoots self in foot at Bernalillo County jail

Matthew Reisen, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·1 min read

Jul. 5—A corrections officer shot himself in the foot with his duty weapon at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center on Friday afternoon.

MDC spokeswoman Candace Hopkins said the shooting was accidental, and the officer was taken to the hospital to be treated.

"His condition is unknown at this time," she said in an email.

Hopkins said the incident is being investigated by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and MDC's Office of Professional Standards.

She said the shooting occurred around 12:30 p.m. while the officer worked at the West Side jail's exterior security checkpoint, "which is manned by armed MDC corrections officers."

"The incident was initially reported as an accidental discharge," Hopkins said. "No inmates, members of the public, or other officers were involved in this incident."

She said not all MDC personnel have duty weapons, but the officer is assigned to the security checkpoint, which "requires officers to be firearms certified."