No one was injured when a McDonough County sheriff deputy’s rifle accidentally discharged in the MacArthur Early Childhood Center parking lot in Macomb late on Thursday afternoon.
The Macomb police department says Chief Deputy Adam Cremer was moving a folding table in the back of his squad vehicle when it bumped the rear of his AR-15 duty rifle.
The weapon then discharged.
A cookout was being held near the parking lot and several people, including students, were nearby.
An investigation found the rifle was stored in a secure weapon lock in the vehicle, but with a loaded magazine, a round in the chamber, and the safety lever in the “fire” position.
The manufacturer recommends the weapon be stored unloaded and with the lever in the “safe” position.
The police department says jarring the rifle, including by bumping it with a table or by driving over train tracks, “would certainly cause it to fire.”
Chief Jeff Hamer says he’s forwarding the completed investigation to the McDonough County state’s attorney’s office for possible charges.
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