Gun range shooting of officer determined an accident

An investigation into the shooting of a Lino Lakes police officer at a gun range has determined the incident was an accident.

Police officer Chad Schirmers was struck in the abdomen by a bullet ricochet during a firearms training exercise at the Anoka County Law Enforcement Range on May 5.

Schirmers and two other Lino Lakes police officers were moving around an outdoor range and shooting at targets when Schirmers was struck. He wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest and had to undergo surgery at Hennepin County Medical Center. He was later released.

Ballistics tests performed on the bullet showed it came from a .40 caliber handgun. All three officers were shooting .40 caliber handguns. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was unable to determine which gun fired the shot.

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