Trinidad: Cop shoots his toe off after hitting speed bump

File photo

(Trinidad Express) A police officer on patrol at MovieTowne, Port of Spain, lost a toe in a bizarre shooting on Tuesday morning.

The constable was riding in a patrol car with two other officers.

At three were armed with Galil rifles, pistols, and a lot of ammunition.

 
At around 1a.m. they received a call that a gunman was at Waterhole, Cocorite, a crime hotspot.

So they sped off in response.

But while speeding along Hollywood Boulevard, near the Mariott Hotel at Invaders Bay, the squad car hit a speed bump.

The constable lost his grip on his Galil.

And according to an official report, while trying to regain control of the gun, a round of 5.56 ammunition accidentally discharged.

He was shot in the left foot, severing his middle toe.

The officers went to the St James Medical Facility instead of the crime scene.

The injured officer was transferred to the Port of Spain General Hospital where he was detained.

He is listed in a stable condition.

It is uncertain whether there was an attempt to reattach the toe.

Crime scene investigators later found the bullet in the centre console of the patrol vehicle.

ASP Sewdass is investigating the case.